…yes this includes YOU.
Can you imagine learning about a magical channel that billions of people watch 100 times a day – for a total of 3 hours?
Then read on friend…
Imagine if the amount of people who bought this channel increased every year.
And the best part – practically no one else was using this channel to deliver their stories to the audience…
Producers would be trampling each other in the street to get their work on that channel!
Well… the channel does exist – it’s just not on TV.
In fact, people are starting to use this channel more than TV itself!
(9 minutes more per day, according to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics in 2014)
Obviously I’m talking about Smartphones.
There are 3 simple reasons why everyone should be telling Smartphone Stories:
In 2015, there will be over 1.91 billion smartphone users across the globe, a figure that will increase another 12.6% to near 2.16 billion in 2016. eMarketer, 2015
Over 1 billion people walking around with a portable TV, music player and comic book reader in their pockets – who are also able to receive instant messaging and connect to the Internet effortlessly.
Yes please!
Smartphones are like a drug that people need to use again and again – they cannot put them down… and they take them everywhere.
Never in history has a mass audience been this accessible to storytellers… you just need to know how to get them to say ‘yes’.
Of course that isn’t to say that people haven’t tried.
Creating an experience that involves a smartphone isn’t new.
There are plenty of people who see the benefit of mobile storytelling but very few have mastered the art of it.
And even less have ever dedicated an entire model of storytelling to it.
Smartphone storytelling is a blank page in an open book – perhaps you just have to write the first chapter and the rest will follow?
In fact, there is only one major source of competition for Smartphone Storytellers… Social Media.
Nearly 1 billion Facebook users worldwide will access the social network on a mobile phone at least once each month in 2015. eMarketer, 2015
People love accessing social media on smartphones… Fact.
A lot of their attention is based around mobile social networks…Fact.
But none of these social networks are being used to deliver ground breaking interactive stories… OPPORTUNITY!
There’s no point in fighting social networks for control of mobile, just embrace it, and include it in your storytelling experience.
Why make a powerful enemy when you could have a powerful ally?
Wait – that’s a bad thing right?
Not necessarily.
Smartphones are an extremely intimate and personal device.
Have you ever hidden a friend’s smartphone for a joke? Their reactions are often violent!
It isn’t just the expensive gadget they think they’ve lost – it’s an extension of themselves.
Nearly 90% of US millennial smartphone users admit to having their phones by their side 24/7. Zogby Analytics, 2014
Writing for smartphones is unlike writing for anything else. It changes everything.
You have access to a whole new world of interactive media: SMS, phone calls, apps, short form videos and music players.
All can be used to tell your story directly to your audience (and not in some half-arsed, tacked-on way).
This is the stuff that traditional media producers can only dream of.
Putting your audience at the heart of your story – engaging them on every emotional level.
Forget ‘suspending disbelief.’
Your stories can feel so real that your audiences will need reassurance…
“It’s just a story, it’s not real” – is what they’ll need to hear when the town’s recently escaped serial killer phones them up with demands.
…what happens when you control the King?
Simple… you control everything.
Engaging an audience on their phones is a no-brainer. It’s time to tap into that magical channel that billions of people use every day.
The key is short-form content, delivered quickly, in ways that audiences are used to when dealing with their everyday lives.
Embedding your story into their everyday lives…
Why wouldn’t you want to do that?
—————————————
Get Modern Interactive Media Tips
In your inbox weekly - free - from Bellyfeel helping make your project a success – from Transmedia Storyworlds, through Interactive Storytelling, Social TV, Social Media to Digital Marketing and Modern Audience Engagement techniques.
5 Comments
I LOVE this concept Lee.. we’re developing a story idea/world that speaks directly to this since the theme is something that affects EVERYONE’S life bar none. So the question is, HOW?
Hey Jonathan
How indeed!
Every smartphone user is different! (Which is REALLY exciting).
There are so many different factors when writing this stuff – key demographic research etc.
Some people use their smartphone for ALL of their media – some still just use them for phone calls (if you can believe it).
As I said in the post, there are some pretty safe bets when coming up with media.
SMS, Phone Calls and short form video (YouTube etc) these things are HUGE on smartphones.
Well worth thinking about when coming up with simple ideas.
Brilliant post Lee and those figures say it all- You’d be losing out on great potential if you didn’t get active on mobile- videos, images etc are some of the biggest things we search for on mobiles but the options as you say really are endless!
Hey Sarah
You’re totally right.
The amount of videos I watch (and most importantly share) on my mobile is insane!!
Memes as well are a personal favourite of mine when it comes to sharing with my friends.
If you can provide a clever visual, which not only delivers a GREAT story, but encourages people SHARE it with their friends… then you know you’re on to something big (and viral).
Lee.. care to elaborate on what you mean by a ‘clever visual’? According to most of the tech news, the Tween demo are the ones most likely to view a smart phone channel, yes? So then the question begs, “What would a clever visual/story be that they’d embrace?”
I didn’t know there was a series called “Memes” either since the literal definition is ‘mind viruses’ which happens to be an area I’m passionate about. Thanks.