By Jon Michail
Lady Gaga, for those who haven’t already realised, is a branding genius. Her ability and desire to constantly interact with her fans via Twitter takes her streets ahead of those recording artists who haven’t yet mastered the art of massaging social media sites. She currently has more than 23 million Twitter followers – the highest total of all users – who avidly follow her updates, racy comments and ripe language. She refers to her followers as ‘little Monsters’, and often replies to individual tweets, a clever way of bring them into the Gaga fold. Lady Gaga has been referred to as ‘the Queen of Twitter’, and for good reason. She knows exactly what her followers want from her: interest, authenticity, and thoughtfulness. She shows that she cares about them and she pays attention to what they are saying.
What does this have to do with your business or industry? Actually, a great deal. You too can make Twitter a way of bringing your established and potential clients closer. Enhance your company’s brand and popularity by posting comments and analysis of trending topics and any relevant links. Keep followers interested with entertaining, frequent and exclusive posts that make them want to engage with you.
Facebook is another outlet that keeps fans happy and eager for more. Lady Gaga constantly shares exclusive photos and gives away prizes. She gives fans good reasons to ‘like’ her page. Simply put, she cultivates and strengthens her relationships with them. If you want people to “like” your company on Facebook, give them a reason to. If customers can gain inside knowledge about your company or earn free prizes by becoming a fan online, they will be more likely to click that “like” button. If there is one thing that Lady Gaga is good at, it’s getting her fans excited about what she has to offer.
One of the most important lessons you can learn from this is that you remain transparent in order to give your social media followers a real sense of what your brand is and what you believe in. If you didn’t know before, use your online presence to learn exactly why people buy so that your marketing can be directly targeted. If people form a connection with you, they will become fans and then clients.
Lady Gaga loves her fans and she shows this in her comments, ‘tweets’ and posts to her ‘little Monsters’. She knows only too well that they helped her to achieve and maintain her fame. Every PR professional can learn a lesson from that. So how can you put these lessons from Lady Gaga to good use? Think about improving your social media presence by finding out what your clients care about and engage in honest dialogue with them. Show gratitude by mentioning those who helped your company to get where it is right now. Develop more opportunities through partnership and promotions that will enhance your brand. It is highly unlikely you will develop the fan base that Lady Gaga has, but you can certainly try your hardest to influence and expand your online community. Lady Gaga’s glitz and outrageousness has many lessons for all of us.
How can you engage with your clients and grow your fan base?