Storytelling has been a major topic of discussion lately with the introduction of Facebook Timeline. Mankind has been telling stories ever since the dawn of time—via cave walls, books and now social media. The world’s history is told one story after the other, like a book that will never close. It’s our job to continue to add to the story by adding our own experiences and milestones, along with taking those stories and passing them on from generation to generation. Luckily Facebook gave your nonprofit a tool to make it easy for you to document your organization and your stories.
Facebook Timeline allows individuals to tell their stories through bigger visuals and more streamlined content. Sure, Facebook allowed you to do these things in the past, and the content aspect hasn’t really been changed, but the format in which it is presented has, giving you exactly what the new name might suggest—a timeline.
This provides an excellent opportunity for brands to better engage their followers and include them in their storytelling. Now is the most important time for nonprofits to take a dive into social media, because through storytelling, your nonprofit can inspire people to join your mission and donate. Here are a few brands who have started to tell their own stories through Facebook Timeline.
Manchester United
When it comes to soccer, Manchester United is one of the most storied teams in the world. It is rich with championships and great players, and MU needs to be able to tell their story in a clear and simple way—cue Facebook Timeline.
The beauty of having a sports team telling their story on Facebook Timeline is that it is an exciting story to tell. Sports are competitive, fast, exciting and emotional. And with soccer being the most popular sport in the world, it makes Manchester United telling their story on Facebook Timeline more important than ever. They utilize the milestone aspect of Facebook Timeline by documenting major accomplishments by the fútbol club over the years, showing its followers what made their club what it is today.
The U.S. Army
We all grew up learning about the triumphs of the U.S. Army in our history classes—keyword being “history.” And much like Manchester United, the U.S. Army has a pretty great story to tell, but one that might hit closer to home.
Creating milestones on Facebook Timeline can draw a good picture of how our country was built and how it wouldn’t have been possible without the Army. The U.S. Army’s Facebook Timeline does a great job of giving us a history lesson.
The Church of Ireland
A little obscure compared to the first two examples, but The Church of Ireland provides a good idea of a brand so old, that Facebook can’t even let them document their origins. Although they can’t provide a complete story, it does show that with Facebook Timeline, your nonprofit can tell a story that can span through centuries.
The Church of Ireland being able to share so much history with their followers provides them with a powerful tool to continue to tell that story and tie it back to what made them who they are today.
Through these examples, you see that your nonprofit can tell a story with Facebook Timeline that will be timeless and accessible. And remember, when March 30 comes, your nonprofit’s Facebook Page will automatically be switched over to Timeline, so it’s crunch time.
How are you telling your story through Facebook Timeline?
