Whenever you look for great marketing tools, social media is high on the list. These days, all businesses are aware of how effective a social media campaign can be. In fact, many companies will now hire people specifically to work on the social media side of things. It’s no secret that some of the best viral marketing work has been done on sites like Twitter and Facebook. There are so many ways that social media can influence people and help promote things.
Do you know what else has a huge influence on people? Hollywood. Yes, Hollywood has influenced millions of people with blockbuster movies over the years. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at both of these things side by side. More specifically, what can Hollywood teach us about social media?
People Are Different
One thing you notice about Hollywood films is that they can be incredibly different. You may have one film that’s based on romance, and another that’s full of horror. There are so many different genres and subgenres, but what’s the point in this? The point is that by having different types of films, you cater to a wide audience. Hollywood directors are aware that people are different, and certain audiences like certain things. To stick to one genre would be absurd as it narrows down your audience and blocks out people who aren’t interested.
This can be applied to the world of social media marketing too. Just because one person is using Twitter, this doesn’t mean everyone is. So, focus all your attention on Twitter and you miss out on all the people that are using LinkedIn and Facebook. You must understand that people have different tastes, and find a way to adapt to them.
Audiences Love A Lead Character
All Hollywood film directors will tell you that great movies require a strong lead character. Someone that people can identify with, and will recognize for years to come. Think about any movie out there, and I bet the first thing that comes to mind is the lead character. There are lead characters from films that were made decades ago that still get talked about and recognized. Audiences love a good lead, they’re the key to every successful film. A great character can also help a director turn the film into a profitable brand.
Again, you can relate this back to social media. If you want to run a successful social media marketing campaign, your company needs a lead character. Someone for the audience to recognize and identify with. With a character, you start building a brand your name and increasing brand awareness. Whenever someone sees this character, they’ll think of your company. Now, you don’t have to create a fictional character, although that is an option. Sometimes you might use the founder of the company as the face of your social media campaign. No matter how you get your brand character, it’s important you have one.
Good Storytelling Is Crucial
If there’s one thing Hollywood has taught us, it’s that storytelling is very important. All of the greatest movies are built around brilliant stories. It’s rare you’ll leave the cinema and go on about how amazing a film was even though the story was bad. No, a great story, and great storytelling will turn a movie into a masterpiece. All of the best Hollywood directors and writers will spend weeks ensuring their script is perfect. They know it holds the key to whether or not their film is a hit or miss.
Similarly, the same can be said of social media. You need to create a story that grips people and gets them involved. When you think about it, every marketing campaign is a small story. You must use storytelling techniques to entice people in and get them following you on social media. The best companies are ones that can tell a story with their tweets or Facebook updates. If you follow the tip above, you’ll create a brand character for your business. Then, use storytelling to create a story that helps bring people to your company. If you don’t have a story, then there’s no structure to your social media campaign.
You’ll be amazed at how much Hollywood can teach us about social media. These are two things that you wouldn’t usually associate with one another. But, we can take a lot from Hollywood films and apply it the world of social media marketing. When you take a deeper look at things, you realize that there’s lots that Hollywood can teach us.
About the Author:
Hardik Oza is an SEO Practitioner, having 5+ years of experience in SEO. He strongly focuses on link building to enable his clients’ websites to gain organic traffic and visibility. Follow him on Twitter @Ozaemotion.
