Leverage Your Inner Nerd for Social Media Success

There are defining moments on social media that turn into epic memories for everyone that was lucky enough to be there. April 16th, 2015 was one of those moments of shared social media gestalt. Mid-morning the new Star Wars: Force Awakens trailer went live and promptly dominated social media, from Facebook to Twitter and Google+. People rejoiced, cheer, and cried at the words, “Chewie we’re home.” Then they took to social media to share both the trailer and their excitement for the return of the Star Wars film franchise.

This tweet from Amy Von Doom (@spooflies) summed up the Internet reaction to the new Force Awakens trailer:

Moments like the launch of the new Star Wars trailer, or the season premier of Orphan Black on BBC America, or Frank Miller’s return to the Dark Knight comic series also represent powerful opportunities for your social media marketing campaign.

We Are All Nerds, Embrace It

The New York Times declared after Time Warner merged with AOL, “The nerds have won.” The merger didn’t last but the nerds still won. Nerd culture is now pop culture. Marvel dominates the Summer movie space and now even my Mom has a vague idea who Ultron is. “Game of Thrones” and “The Walking Dead” are two of the biggest shows on TV right now. Video game launches compete with movies in terms of size and scale and public attention.

When we aren’t watching Marvel movies, or wrapped up in a binge watch of last season’s “Game of Thrones”, or trying to finish the last quest in Dragon Age Inquisition, we are going to social media to geek out.

Here is how your brand can join in the social media geek out and make your brand stand out.

Build Your Social Media Campaigns Around Events

Social media revolves around moments in time. On May 1st, for instance, a huge chunk of the American population is going to see “Avengers: Age of Ultron”, then they are going to go on Facebook and post about it, they will go to Twitter and tweet about it, and they are going to engage with other users. Events like movies and television are cornerstones you can build clever, fun social media marketing campaigns around.

One thing to keep in mind, however, is to have a certain amount of respect for the source material. No one wants to be marketed to and no one wants to see a favorite piece of pop culture turned into a poor marketing vehicle. A Facebook post that boils down to, ‘Well, hey, wasn’t that movie cool? Buy my toilet seat’ does more harm than good.

Genuine love and passion are the two keys you will need for social media success. If you are not passionate about something your audience will see it and reject you because of it.

Not an Avengers fan? Don’t base your May social media campaign around it. Find something else you love to talk about.

Dare to Have Fun and Live Tweet

When I was a teenager The X-Files was appointment viewing every Friday night and, later on, every Sunday night. The Internet was in its infancy and the closest thing I had to social media was a chat room on Yahoo. The only way I got to watch The X-Files with my fellow fans was if I went down to the local coffee shop bookstore every Sunday night.

Today people gather on Twitter on a Sunday night to watch their favorite shows. The watch and they tweet. The live tweet experience is hard to quantify but lies at the core of the Twitter experience. It is one of the purest feelings of gestalt you can find in the modern world.

Want followers and engagement for your brand or company? Jump on Twitter during an episode of Game of Thrones or Walking Dead. Dare to have fun, dare to be fun, and dare to turn off your marketing brain. A genuine expression of fandom will garner you more followers and more retweets than a single promotional tweet for your new products.

Forget About Marketing, Embrace Engagement

The first rule of social media marketing is that no one wants to be marketed to or marketed at. People are looking to engage with brands and form an emotional bond with those brands. So forget about selling your product or service, and instead focus on engaging with your audience.

If you love something nerdy chances are your potential customers also love something nerdy. Embrace it you can build an audience around your brand.

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