This past week, Weird Al Yankovic released 8 new songs in 8 days from his album – one each day with an accompanying music video. Of course, with how popular and talented he is, the songs went viral. Starting with Tacky last Monday, each video had millions of views and shares. What social media management tips can you learn from Weird Al? I came up with 5.
5 Social Media Management Tips from Weird Al Yankovic
Follow these social media management tips to be like Weird Al.
1. Start with someone else’s success. Weird Al’s newest songs include parodies of some really popular tunes: Pharrell’s “Happy,” Lorde’s “Royals” and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines.” By putting his own spin on successful songs, he created something completely new to share. In the same way, don’t be afraid to look at what other brands are doing on their social media channels and put your own spin on it.
2. …But don’t take all the credit. Weird Al Yankovic gets permission from each song’s original artist. In addition to avoiding any legal trouble, sharing credit and even getting permission (depending on how similar your content is) is a professional courtesy that’s worth extending.
3. Stay relevant. Weird Al’s first single was released in 1979. He’s been writing, recording and performing both parodies and original songs for 35 years! One big element of his success (in addition to his creativity and sense of humor) is his ability to stay relevant. An important part of social media management is keeping up with what’s going on in the world and using it for your business’ benefit.
4. Plan ahead. This past week, Weird Al released one video a day for a week. That takes some definite planning! He didn’t just grab a camera, sing a song and post it on YouTube; he wrote and recorded the songs, came up with concepts for the music videos, coordinated with notable celebrities in his videos and so on. Then, after everything was ready, he rolled out one video a day. In the same way, a successful social media management campaign takes some planning. Think about what you’re going to post when, and pull the pieces together far enough in advance that you can do a good job with it.
5. Have fun! I don’t think anyone can accuse Weird Al of not having fun. Listen to the lyrics and watch the video concepts; you can tell he enjoys coming up with parodies! As you focus on your company’s social media channels, have a good time! Show your personality and let your followers see why you love what you do.
Can you think of any social media management tips from Weird Al Yankovic that you would add? Share them in the comments below, along with your favorite song of his. At the moment, mine is Word Crimes!
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