Skip to main content

Don't Leave Your Customers Out of the Conversation

By


For the past few weeks, the topic is sharks and quite possibly the most popular "B-Movie" buzz on social media to date is Sharknado. The SyFy channel movie, which aired for the first time in July, has been a social media mega-success, making it more successful online than the ratings.


Sharknado Proves People Want to Be a Part of the Conversation

Studies have shown repeatedly that people like to be a part of a community. However, Sharknado proves it. People don't have even have to watch the movie to know what it's about. A tornado casts mean and hungry sharks out into the land. A trailer shot shows a hero defending himself against an air-borne shark with a chain-saw. It's so predictable that you almost know what the movie will look like ahead of time. What content marketers didn't see coming was the social tornado that Sharknado would create online. On Facebook, 85% of the modest 13,000 fans were "talking about" Sharknado on July 24. Today, that number has almost doubled at 25,800 fans.


The Calm Before the Storm

This phenomenon did not happen overnight. Twitter cites the first Sharknado tweeter as @STYDNews, who tweeted on October 31, 2012. After that, it was a steady increase as the movie debut became closer. Estimates show up to 5,000 tweets per minute included some sort of reference to the made-for-tv movie. Brands have used the activity on Twitter to push their own brand including Bounty, who spoke about using paper towels to clean up the mess and many home owner insurance agencies who are using Sharknado to promote conversation about what is covered under your policy.

The Takeaway for Brands

 As an entrepreneur, the Sharknado story is extremely encouraging. The key to Sharknado's success seems to be its clear concise message and its dedication to keep fans included in the conversation. This has been done with frequent posts and many details and exclusives for fans and followers such as free signed posters at specified locations or exclusive interviews. However, the movie nor the marketing campaign would have been seen as competitive this time last year in the traditional sense. I guess it is true that Renegades Write the Rules.
 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How Monday Mornings Can Kill Business

By
Monday mornings come every week; they are just crazy like that. But, did you know that they can kill productivity for the entire week? I didn't know that either -- until I reached the end of my first year in business and realized much of my year had been just a string of bad Monday Mornings . Here are four things I learned over the course of my first year: It Was The Night Before Monday and All Through the House..  Whether you have 3 hours or 15 minutes, a little preparation on Sunday evening can help in big ways on Monday morning. For me, that is often just 15 minutes creating a to-do list or journaling. Laurita Thomas, who is the associate vice president and chief human resource officer at the University of Michigan, spent several hours each Sunday in her office, preparing for the week ahead for the first few years in her position. "I don't do that anymore" said Thomas, "but I do spend time each Sunday evening preparing for the week." Schedule
Post a Comment
Read more

3 Sweaty Lessons for the Entrepreneur

By
When the remake of the movie,  Sparkle , arrived to theaters, I had to watch the 1976 version just one more time. This has been a favorite since I first watched it as a teen almost 20 years after it was released. Every time I watch the movie something different stands out. This time that I watched it, I noticed how sweaty Stix, the character played by Philip Michael Thomas, was when he hugged the girls mom. It was at the point that I experienced an epiphany as to why this movie impacted me so much. Here are three sweaty business lessons that I learned from the movie: 1. Sweating is Natural  In Sparkle, when Stix came to Sparkle's debut and hugged her mom he was sweaty. She didn't turn him away. In fact, she gave him a full embrace while in her finest threads. He had made a mistake and she knew it, but he had survived it and she was encouraged.  As a entrepreneur, I have to put in my sweat equity to get my business off the ground. There aren't always casual or ladyl
1 comment
Read more

Media Release: Mom Genius Helps College Bound Students

By
Press Release _________________________________________________________________________ “Genius” Mom Launches New Campaign To Help College-Bound Students To ‘Up Your Game’ With Your Writing ANN ARBOR, MI / (May 11, 2017) – Essay Coaching is announcing the launch of Up Your Game With Your Writing – a tutoring, mentoring, and education campaign designed to help both students and parents reduce the family stress involved with the college admissions essay process. Because teenagers and young parents are so busy, the campaign includes numerous quick and free elements, including a new information and resource hub at www.essaycoaching.com , FREE original college essay quizzes as seen on WXYZ-TV , college essay readiness training for students and parents, private coaching packages, a new Twitter channel with weekly writing tips at @debmerion and new book due out in 2018. The first workshop is May 16, 2017, from 7-8:30 pm. in Saline. Students and/or parents will
Post a Comment
Read more