In the age of social media, pop stars aren't just burning up the song charts.
Using social media, personalities the likes of Justin Bieber, 50 Cent, Puff Daddy and Kanye West have evolved beyond the music industry into some of the biggest brands online. Through a combination of social platforms including Twitter and Facebook, they've been able to create a conversation around their music and grow their fan base. They've also been able to promote their entrepreneurial ventures from fashion and films to sites and apps.
So how does the one and only rap icon Snoop Dogg handle the online game?
While Snoop has millions of followers on Twitter and Facebook, he doesn't consider them just 'fans.' Rather, he calls them his "family." "My recipe is just being me: I'm up front; I'm up close and personal. My fans don't have a wall between me and them," he says.
Snoop's social-media team at the Los Angeles-based marketing firm Cashmere Agency also offered some insight on how they work to keep his online presence consistent and growing. "As with all of our clients -- Far East Movement, RZA and Raekwon -- we are focused on helping them enhance what they're already doing," says Seung Chung, president and co-founder of the Cashmere Agency. "The strategy with Snoop is to give his audience both an insider look at his life and to continually pump out relevant video content."
Here, Chung answered more of my questions about Snoop's social media successes and how other entrepreneurs might follow suit:
Beyond the social media giants, which new platforms or tools are providing the most traction for your clients?
Viddy.com is one new platform that we feel will continue to explode. The app allows users to records brief video clips, apply various filters and then share with their friends on the app or through their social networks. We helped Snoop Dogg get started on the platform and then we aided in launching an actual Snoop Dogg-themed filter late last month. We know that video content is now firmly rooted in cyberspace, so we feel that helping users interact with brands using video is a real plus.
Chill.com is another platform that we are very interested in. Chill allows groups of people to gather online and watch content together and create a dialogue around it. Users login and create personal avatars and then comment on curated content. There is already a Snoop avatar that he uses when he is on the site. So far, fans love it.
What can entrepreneurs learn from how the music industry uses social media?
The entertainment business is about winning customers/fans over one at a time. Since the first customers you interact with will likely be your best fans, make them your focus. These early adopters will help spread the gospel of your product. It is the interactive power of social media that will not only get your name out to the masses, but also identify core customers where you can learn, reward and repeat.
And what's the best way to keep fans coming back?
You must stay consistent and cohesive. To be most effective, you have to have a real commitment to putting up content and messaging on a regular basis. You also must have real interactions with your core audience and customers. In a way, social media allows you to build a voice and a persona for your brand -- a personification that can work to build your brand's message.
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We're all doomed.
When you mention people who have made an awesome social media campaign to get a lot more followers, the name "Zack Ryder" comes to mind. He's a WWE talent that has a weekly Youtube show, and has a very active Twitter account. You can check him out if you want example of people who have been successful in the social media world. -- Man Ray
Social media is huge now because allows people to interact in many different ways. My business is finding out the mobile marketing is taking off like crazy. We are talking SMS messaging reaching even thousands with one text. http://www.jvfullcirclemarketing.com/mobile-marketing-in-delaware.html Amazing boom is on the way!
I think that a lot of bands have the right idea about how to use social media by seeing Snoop and others present an authentic image rather than a corporate controlled/PR managed type of image. People in the music biz are really concerned about superficial things like how many Facebook fans or Twitter followers their bands have and that explains the shear number of companies emerging at http://www.buyfacebookfansreviews.com that do nothing except promote social media accounts. A lot of bands I know personally or through friends use social media for managing their reputation: telling people what they're into and what they care about. All industries are like this but its much more common for this to be a concern in the music biz.
This article was enlightening and, frankly, surprising in many ways. I'm glad I ran across it. Right now we're working on a blog for http://www.bachcroft.com and this past August we joined Facebook, so we are actively looking for ways in which to produce good content for our social media sections. Thanks!
This information is great I like it and thank you to all parties who contributed or shared this with the world.
This is the completely amazing. its all about promotion and marketing. rock star also take interest in social media. its sign to change time.
Love it! Social media has completely changed the game. Thanks for a fantastic article!
It's all about branding and marketing your brand - in this case Snoop is the brand. As a writer, I've found inspiration and success in following the lead of indie record artists - for years they have taken a more aggressive attitude in building their audience and increasing exposure (especially since there is such a saturation of FB and Twitter posts that don't always yield expected results).
Social media doesn't have to be about 'selling' a brand or 'trending' a product. If you look at some case studies from the 'social business media' software company "Jive Software" (no, I do not have shares in them, this is just to illustrate a point), you can see that 'unsexy' companies like 'Citrix' can benefit from social media and grow their clientelle - see case study here - http://www.jivesoftware.com/passthru?dest=/elqNow/elqRedir.htm?ref=http://www.jivesoftware.com/files/pdf/casestudy/Case-Study-Citrix.pdf&aet=29. Social media is not just about pushing or pulling what is the latest fad, joke, funny video or greatest product. It is about improving the way we do business, interact with our customers and generally simplify and streamline the more slow snail-pace interacts...in fact, it is about helping technology finally do what it was originally designed to do - make our lives easier. That's my "Two Cents" anyway
Smart business, thinking outside the box.....
S. N. Double "O" P is a smart businessman. There are many lessons that can be drawn from social network savvy music moguls in your own businesses. #swagg
surprised the author didn't mention tout.com - they seem to be the leaders in the micro video world, no? Def building where 12sec left off... Viddy is kinda cute tho. Either way, "social celebs" are smart.
Sweet article. Social media is so strong when the topic is something of interest to someone, but how do use it successfully with a business that isn't sexy?
Lefts of good information in here! Video is very important and is becoming more and more prevalent in today's social media world. Furthermore, I think it is very important that you keep your content up to date and make sure that you always respond to your followers.