As social media becomes more popular and necessary, we are seeing brands reach out through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram as a means of marketing and providing customer service.
How can a brand master the art of typing to the people? One popular singer and successful entrepreneur, Rihanna, transformed her career through her social media presence and continues to enchant followers with every post. None of her accomplishments were by mistake; every post was crafted thoughtfully and with purpose, all part of her long term approach to connect with fans and customers.
Here you’ll learn how to customize social media marketing strategies for your business like Rihanna did.
3 Social Media Marketing Lessons from Rihanna
1. Listen First, Post Second
One of the key components to Rihanna’s success with her new beauty line, Fenty Beauty, is her ability to pay attention to the conversations happening on the internet, learn from them and then create products or content people want to see. Within the online beauty community, she saw a desperate call to action for brands to expand their foundation color ranges, so she did exactly that. When Fenty Beauty launched, the company offered a range of 40 foundation shades, finally catering to those who were ignored by the beauty industry. This led to explosive reviews of Rihanna’s makeup line, all filled with relief and excitement from fans.
What Rihanna realized is that social media isn’t just a platform for putting content out and receiving feedback; it’s a tool that should be used to understand what consumers are asking for. Practice social media research by following clients/customers back, reviewing their accounts, paying attention to what they’re posting and giving them what they want, not what you think they need.
2. Let Your True Colors Show
Screenshot taken of Rihanna’s Twitter feed.
How does Rihanna promote herself without sounding like an infomercial? Instead of opting for a 100% promotional front for her social media, her marketing includes her charm and vernacular.
Millennials make up the majority of social media users, and are less likely to respond to traditional forms of marketing; instead they look for genuiness that only a real person can produce. That’s where Rihanna hits the nail on the head. She creates content that social media users can relate to; her followers read her posts and think, “That’s something I would say,” instead of, “That sounds like a business.”
Companies can unintentionally dehumanize themselves when they create social media content that is only about the business itself or a product. Ways to create relatable social media content like Rihanna are:
Screenshot taken of Rihanna’s twitter of her thanking fans.
- Have an opinion: Whether it’s about a favorite recipe or a good movie, show that your business cares about something beyond itself shows humanity.
- Give Thanks: Rihanna gives thanks to those who helped her get to where she is today: her fans. Creating content that shows followers that you see them and appreciate them is a simple way to personalize your content.
3. Have Fun
Many things can be said about Rihanna, but ‘stale’ isn’t one of them. Part of what makes her Instagram page so interesting is the stream of unique, lighthearted content. She shares photos and videos from both her professional shoots and personal life. This variation of style in combination with colorful and constant content is enticing.
Businesses can replicate this in their marketing strategies by sharing behind the scenes photos, keeping the color scheme bright and fun, and personalizing captions on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
Who are your favorites to follow on social media? Check out some other great articles about marketing advice from celebrities, including:
Keeping Up with Social Media: How to be Number One Like a Kardashian/Jenner