How to build a celebrity social media channel
If you have a Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, Facebook or Youtube account, odds are good you follow at least a few of your favourite celebrities. Successful celebrities are well-versed in the art of using social media tools to build up their brands and keep their names current, but how are they so successful-and can you follow their lead?
Treating Their Fans Like Friends
One of the biggest ways celebrities use social media to build their brand is by getting closer to their fans. Using Twitter, Tik Tok or Instagram gives a star the chance to talk to their fans in a relatively safe environment. Since people love "talking to" their favourite talent, this endears celebrities to their adoring hoards even more. A retweet from someone you love is cause for celebration and it makes you think the celebrity you love really are just like you.
Of course, not every interaction is positive. Some stars engage in Twitter fights with “haters” or more vocal fans. Most don't go this route, but those who do are usually craftier than people think (You didn’t hear that from us though). All publicity is good publicity, after all, and a feud with a fan or a fellow artist is sure to get people talking-from fans to magazines to tabloid shows.
Dealing in Self-Promotion
Social media is ideal for self-promotion, and it doesn't take a lot. Daily tweets, status updates, or photos keep celebrities in the public eye. A lot of them make use of several platforms all at once so they can keep all their fans updated, even the fans who don't use Instagram or Twitter. They'll share their activities, their plans, and information about upcoming projects to keep people in the know.
Halsey is particularly good at this. She tweets hints, teasers, and riddles about upcoming albums, tours, surprises and videos to keep her fans guessing. She shares information about the creation process, offers photos peeking at her inside life, and keeps her fans on the edges of their seats. The result, of course, is an engaged and growing audience on social media which in the long run… Produces more fans which produces more sales for tickets and so on.
Making Themselves More Relevant
Sometimes, for whatever reason, a celebrity often falls out of favour. Just a few years ago, that pretty much spelled the end. Once people stopped talking about you, it was time to consider yourself finished with the fame game. These days, there's hardly any such thing as "washed up." Sometimes celebrities don't even have to do the work themselves to get back in the spotlight.
Take a look at Betty White, for instance. This witty, intelligent, and talented woman graced television and movie screens for years, but new generations didn't know that much about her. Although through the power of social media, she is extraordinarily funny. After a few well-chosen roles, suddenly all new fans took to Twitter and Facebook to demand that she get a gig on SNL. There were even online petitions. And guess what happened next?
Changing the Public's Mind
On a similar note, many celebrities also find social media beneficial in rebuilding their brand. It doesn't always work (when done wrong), but celebrities who have committed some sort of faux pas in the public eye will often take to their social media accounts to apologise, explain themselves, or otherwise atone for their actions.
Fans are very forgiving of stars they view as humble. Because it takes a big man or woman to apologise, fans flock to those celebrities who are willing to say "I'm sorry." As a result, they're more likely to buy albums, see movies, and read books by those humble stars who are ready to admit that they have feet of clay.
Promoting Their Own Interests
Celebrities are brands unto themselves. Whether they make music, star in movies and television shows, or write books, celebrities aren't just people. However, they often have outside interests that make money for them too. The Kardashians, as well as being reality show royalty, have their own clothing store which they showcase on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Every other singer in the past 2 years have launched a make up line which all are heavily promoted on social media along with collaborations with massive MUA’s on Youtube, it makes huge money… Though it’s safe to say the general public are getting bored of these make up lines.
Many celebrities, the Kardashians included, also send out sponsored tweets and Facebook posts. Occasionally, the posts they write on any subject earn them money-sometimes a surprisingly huge amount. Some celebrities, such as Khloe Kardashian and Jared Leto, earn upwards of $30K per tweet. Even celebrities you might not expect, including Mike Tyson and Frankie Muniz of Malcolm in the Middle fame, keep themselves in the spotlight by earning mad social media money.
Hiring Honest Social Media Managers.. Hi! That’s us!
We hate to break the news but not all celebrities share social media updates themselves. Some choose to cross-post, so what goes up on Twitter shows up on other platforms. Others stick mostly to Twitter or Facebook and hire a social media manager to update their other profiles with news about their daily lives and careers.
This has several benefits. With a manager on duty, a celebrity is far less likely to engage in any feuds or say something he or she might regret later. They also benefit from constant updates, even if they're busy in the studio or on the set of a movie. This keeps their fans happy, because they receive fresh content every day, so it's all but impossible for the celebrity in question to fall out of favour.
A good celebrity social media manager won’t just keep the accounts ‘alive’ or fill it up with ads and clearly pre planned generic posts. The goal is growth and opportunities while keeping great engagement… Essentially a healthy mix of interesting content. Just like a brand there should be a strategy behind each platform, never share the same content on Instagram as you would on Twitter - it doesn’t work and kills engagement.