What are Web Stories and how can you integrate them into your strategy?

In the world of content creation, a new term has appeared some time ago that tickles the curiosity in your marketer's brain: web stories.

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You know the stories, as you can see them on Instagram or Facebook for a few years now. But what is a web story? How does it differ from stories on social networks?

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Don't move: here we reveal the ABCs of web stories, and the first steps to get started in the creation of this content format that has a lot to contribute to your web marketing strategy.

A brief history of web stories

It is impossible to talk about web story without talking about story.

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In 2013, a new content format appeared on the web, which would quickly revolutionize the world of Content marketing: the story, born from the social network Snapchat. You probably already know about stories, those ephemeral videos that disappear after 24 hours.

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Over time, seeing the potential of this format, all social networks are releasing their own stories feature: Facebook, Instagram Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and even Pinterest or messengers like WhatsApp and Signal.

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But it is only in 2018 that the web story as such is born. It is Google that launches it, under the name of AMP Stories, as an extension of its Accelerated Mobile Pages. Since then, they have been known as Google Web Stories, and can be found both in the search engine results, but also in Google Images and Google Discover.

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Back to the present: web stories have now become an innovative key format to work on your SEO strategy, but also, quite simply, to communicate your brand messages in an engaging way.

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Ok, but what are the differences between web stories and social media stories?

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Beyond the fact that they appear directly in search engine results, web stories have significant differences with the stories traditionally found on social networks: 

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• They have an unlimited duration, since they do not disappear after 24 hours.
• You can embed your web story directly on websites, on the homepage, on your product sheets, or on any other type of page.
• You own your web story, which is not the case with a traditional story. Indeed, if the social network where it was created disappears, your story disappears with it.

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Say, what does a web story look like?

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Now that you know how web stories are born, it's time to find out what they look like in concrete terms.

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A web story is a full page of your website, which contains several pages that the visitor can scroll using arrows. A web story is by nature a responsive format: it adapts to any screen size, from the desktop to the mobile, through the tablet.

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Generally, a web story adopts the same vertical format as the stories we traditionally see on social networks. It combines different types of content: video, text, image, GIFs... 

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You can also integrate links to your web stories, to work on the navigation on your website or conversion. 

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Another interesting possibility is to include in your web story engaging content formats, such as quizzes or polls, for example, to gather feedback on your brand.

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What are the best practices for using web stories in your marketing strategy?

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Tempted by the idea of creating web stories? Here are some best practices to apply to use this innovative format effectively.

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Create a script for your web story

To create a good web story, everything starts with the design of a script. Just like when you design a video, the script of your web story allows you to be sure to broadcast the key message you want to convey, and to structure your content in an efficient way.

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However, creating your script requires you to think about the objective you are pursuing via this web content. Do you want to reassure your targets before buying your products on your e-commerce site? Increase the time spent on a blog post? Explain your value proposition in an engaging way on your homepage?

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By thinking about this primary objective, you determine the most effective format to give your web story, and also think about the channels where you're going to distribute it.

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Skillful use of storytelling

As a marketer, you know: words have weight, and every web project must know how to use them well. That's where storytelling comes in.

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Your web story should tell an engaging story that stands on its own, just like any other page on your website. 

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Of course, your content can link to other pages, to make your visitor dig deeper into the subject or to push for conversion. But your web story must be able to be consumed on its own, and convey your key message accurately, while generating engagement.

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Beware of information overload

While it is tempting to make the most of the web story format, one of the key mistakes is to overload each page with too much information.

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We generally recommend designing web stories ofno more than a dozen pages - beyond that number you risk losing your target audience's attention.

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But be careful not to overload these pages with text, links or visuals, which would confuse the key message you want to convey. Favour clear, airy pages, and a level of textual information that remains readable in just a few seconds.

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Use a web story editing tool designed for marketers

Web story code is open, which means that anyone can design web stories. However, to save time and ensure a professional rendering, you needa web story editing tool that is designed for your needs.

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This tool should include: 

• Be intuitive and easy to use
• Allow you to include your graphic charter, to highlight the visual identity of your brand in your content
• Have pre-built templates, designed to engage your audience, to save time on your content creation

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That's exactly what JOIN Stories is all about : why not discover our tool for creating immersive and responsive web stories? 

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Broadcast your web stories the way they should be

You're probably familiar with Pareto's law, and how it applies to the world of content creation and management. It is generally said that you need to spend 20% of the time creating your content, and 80% of the time distributing and enhancing it so that it receives the necessary visibility.

That's why, once your web story has been designed, you need to work on distributing it on all relevant marketing channels: 

• On your website, on the pages that allow you to achieve the marketing objectives underlying your web story
• In your newsletter or other emails
• In your print communication, via a QR Code that leads to the web story page
• In the organic feeds of your social networks, to create engaging carousels... 

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Measure the performance of your web stories

As with any web marketing strategy, it is crucial, once your web stories are published, to measure the performance they gather.

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Take the time to regularly complete a comprehensive report, including: 

• The number of views 
• The click rate 
• The completion rate of your videos

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This not only allows you to measure the ROI of your strategy, but also to continuously optimize your content to make it even more effective.

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You now have the theoretical basis to learn how to use web stories in your communication.

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