A couple of weeks ago, it seemed like the year in pop music was all wrapped up, ready to be committed to the annals of history forevermore. Then, out of the blue (ivy?), an album everyone was waiting for but no one actually expected mysteriously materialized on iTunes with zero promotion. It was the album drop felt around the world: a self-titled album from Beyonce Knowles featuring fourteen songs and seventeen videos that fans could enjoy all at once.
It’s hard to imagine how anyone, even a superstar like Beyonce, could pull off a move like this in a world without social media. Consider this: all that Beyonce needed to announce the release of the best kept secret in the music industry was a single Instagram post. The rest took care of itself. That single post didn’t just nearly crash iTunes, it almost took down the rest of the web with it as well! Check out this animated map showing how quickly the announcement sent social networks ablaze with chatter.
Ok, so most of us will never reach the heights of a star like Beyonce (try as we might) but that doesn’t mean we can’t glean something from her maverick marketing approach. Here are three takeaways you can use to improve your own social strategy.
Let Your Fans Show They’re Crazy in Love
One of the most brilliant things about Beyonce’s plan (besides the fact that she was able to keep such a massive undertaking completely secret for so long in an era of constant surveillance and information leaks) is the way she leveraged her built-in fan base. Every bee in her “Beyhive” played an important part in getting the message out–and, when called upon by their queen, they did not disappoint.
Who Run the World? Visual Media
Dropping an album with accompanying visual media for every song is a move that really taps into the way consumers experience entertainment today. From mobile screens, to tablets and desktops, visual social media is an unstoppable trend.
Sharknado, Imma Let You Finish
Sharkando, you had a great run, but it looks like Beyonce and her surprise album have taken your title for 2013’s buzziest social media topic. Beyonce’s social takeover is further proof that if you can dominate interactive channels like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, you hold the world’s attention.
Teasing is Good, but a Great Surprise is Irreplaceable
We’ve written about the art of the tease on social media before, but sometimes it pays to keep your secrets as close to your chest for as long as you can. In an era where nearly everything gets spoiled thanks to overzealous fans and prying bloggers, there’s nothing more surprising than an actual surprise. Working on a big project? Rolling it out slowly is one way to go, but dropping it all at once in all its glory might have an even bigger impact.
Are you basking in the halo of Queen Bey yet? How else do you think this clever move has upended traditional expectations about marketing and harnessing the power of social media? Share your reactions in the comments below!
