The next phase of social strategy: Giving audiences ownership of the story

Social teams are moving from talking about authenticity to audience ownership.

During a panel discussion at Ragan’s Social Media Conference, speakers argued that audiences increasingly want to participate in brand stories rather than just see them as they scroll.

“Fandom is very much this two-way conversation. It’s really inviting your audience in, not just reacting to conversations that are happening,” said Claire Nance, senior director of marketing and communications at Xbox Media Solutions.

Organizations that create stronger connections with their communities are finding ways for audiences to feel involved in the experience or conversation, she said. This shift affects everything from how content is produced to how communities are managed.

Participation is replacing passive audiences

One reason for this change is how audiences interact with content today. Social platforms make it easy for fans to respond, interact and gather around shared interests.

Gaming communities illustrate this well. Players typically don’t just play games individually. They discuss strategies, watch other players and build communities around the experience on platforms like Twitch or Discord, Nance said.

“They are building these worlds and communities themselves,” she said. “Because of that, they want to have a voice in the experience.”

Campaigns should include clear ways for audiences to participate, which might involve community discussions, creator collaborations or interactive events that extend beyond the main content, she said. This gives the audience a voice.

Predictable formats build audience habits

Some organizations are also building social strategies that encourage repeated participation.

Danny Clemens, director of social media at National Geographic, described how the brand built what he calls a “content engine.” This relies on repeatable social moments built around emotionality, he said.

One example is the brand’s short videos of baby animals interacting. He shared a clip of two baby bears playing amid a backdrop of prairies and mountains.

“It’s exactly what it sounds like,” Clemens said. “Literally just 30 seconds of baby animals.”

The videos pull from the brand’s footage archive and are distributed across social channels regularly. Because audiences recognize the format, they know what to expect and are more likely to return, he said.

“The system includes roughly two dozen repeatable formats designed around different emotional triggers,” Clemens said. “We program them really aggressively to build that repeatable audience behavior.”

Consistency is a part of audience ownership, he said. When people anticipate certain content, they begin to treat it as part of their regular social media habits.

“They expect it and look forward to it,” he said.

Fandom is layered

Another factor shaping audience ownership is the way fan identities now overlap.

Rather than trying to change loyalty, brands can use this as a way to embrace multiple audiences, which helps build and strengthen loyalty.

Cynthia Martinez, vice president of external communications for the U.S. Soccer Federation, said research shows that many U.S. soccer fans already follow teams from other countries or leagues.

“We don’t need you to give up the team you originally cheer for in order to be part of U.S. Soccer,” Martinez said.

The organization refers to these supporters as “100%fans.” They may support multiple teams but still participate in U.S. soccer fandom when the national team plays.

To strengthen that connection, the federation focuses on emotional storytelling around players and national identity.

“We really want to focus on the team as a whole and the individual players who get our fans to fall in love with them,” Martinez said.

It’s important for brands to understand that modern fandom is rarely exclusive, she said. People belong to several communities at once, and brands that recognize this are more likely to keep fans engaged.

“A lot of our fans come to us with loyalties somewhere else already. Our job is to welcome them in,” she said.

Thinking of social from ‘beginning to end’

Audience ownership is also affecting how content is produced.

“We call it layered content capture,” said Sarah Walker, executive producer of brand studio live action and partnerships production at A+E Global Media. “Every opportunity we have, we capture everything and anything we need for the campaign from beginning to end.”

Her team begins gathering material for short social clips, digital content and future promotions during the same production process, she said.

“We’re doing the linear production plan and at the same time we’re doing the social plan,” she said.

Walker says this strategy reflects how audiences actually consume media. A viewer might watch a show on television, scroll through social media during breaks and then watch additional content online later.

Planning for that behavior early helps ensure there is material ready for every platform.

The larger takeaway

More than ever, audiences want a role in the experience. They want to feel included and active, Clemens said.

Brands that meet this expectation create spaces where fans feel like they have a stake in the story.

“If audiences feel like the experience belongs to them, not just the brand, they keep coming back,” he said.

Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at [email protected].