Managing social media can be tough for a celebrity. It’s difficult to juggle promotion and intimacy and to respond to so many fans. Often, a large audience also means more potential for abuse, which may drive some celebs away from social media completely.
That said, a celebrity social media strategy is important. This is because the benefits of social media outweigh the drawbacks. By building a presence online, you can:
- Promote primary and secondary projects
- Speak to fans on a channel you control
- Build up sponsorship deals
- Get to know your fans—and let them get to know you
So, are you interested in social media but unsure of where to begin? Let’s learn how other celebrities are using their social platforms.
Pick the Right Celebrity Social Media Platform
A celebrity social media profile serves as an important tool for marketing, promotion and forging a connection with fans. This means you need to go where your fans are. Each social network features different media and attracts different demographics.
For example, Instagram’s strength is providing an intimate glimpse at life behind the scenes through images. Snapchat does the same with video and messaging. Twitter places you in direct contact with your fans, letting you converse in the moment. Pay attention to age, too: Snapchat’s crowd, for example, skews younger than the one on Facebook.
Develop a Voice and Content Strategy
Planning a celebrity social media strategy begins with choosing the content you’ll produce and how you’ll share it. A celebrity social media profile should strive to:
- Be engaging with fans
- Be candid, fun and unexpected
- Be open, honest and intimate
- Promote the celebrity’s projects (without too much focus on promotion)
How Celebrities Use Social Media: Be Candid!
Your number-one priority should be honesty. Because you control this channel—unlike those through partnership brands, project reps, interviews or tabloids—you’re free to let down your guard a little a strike a connection. Afraid of being too candid and making a faux pas? Just look at how celebrities use social media: Adele has a manager approve her posts before publishing, letting her be sincere without worrying about saying the wrong thing.
Have fun! DJ Khaled became a bit of a meme when he broadcasted his bizarre but captivating “jet ski adventure” via Snapchat. The move was funny for portraying Khaled in a vulnerable (but still tongue-in-cheek) situation that left his audience on the edge of their seats all throughout. It’s a great example of how creative thinking and a touch of drama can generate buzz.
Celebrity Social Media Requires Intimacy
When it comes to intimacy on social media, perhaps no one pulls it off better than Kim Kardashian. This star handles her celebrity social media management all on her own, and it shows: she often speaks directly to her audience via Instagram stories, and just recently invited her Twitter following to help her daughter name their new puppy over the course of a few days. This is an example of giving her audience agency, which is important in forming a connection.
Another shining example of how celebrities use social media to provide behind-the-scenes glimpses is Jessica Alba. Alba’s Instagram is full of casual, homey selfies—a stark contrast to the glitz and glamour you might expect from celebrity social media. Her social media presence is humbling, and she feels like a friend we know.
Engage with Fans—or Your Celebrity Social Media Strategy is Worthless
An important tenant to celebrity social media management is that it be a conversation, not a one-way broadcast. As a celebrity, your audience is probably too big to respond to everyone. Still, when fans reach out, you should engage with them. This makes them feel appreciated, and makes you seem more approachable. Taylor Swift positioned herself as America’s best BFF by engaging with her fans. Meanwhile, Iggy Azalea’s celebrity social media strategy is startlingly frank about the difficulties in her career, which her audience appreciates.
Don’t be afraid to give back! When managing social media for a celebrity, be sure to include charitable works and projects. Need an idea? Nicki Minaj leveraged her Twitter audience to pay off tuition and debt for straight-A students. She did this live on the platform, inviting her fans to share their report cards. Surprise acts of goodwill like this—directly benefiting the community—are an amazing use of social media that we should see more often.
Protection & Comment Moderation are Essential for Celebrity Social Media Management
Finally, be sure to protect yourself when putting yourself out there. Celebrity social media abuse is a big issue. Your celebrity social media strategy should include comment moderation to avoid trolls, spam and abuse.
When you have thousands of fans responding to everything you say or do online, it can be difficult to moderate it all alone! When managing social media for a celebrity, invest in an artificial intelligence-based comment moderation tool like Smart Moderation. This tool provides 24/7 protection across all of your favorite social media platforms, blocking spam and harmful language according to your needs. You can learn more about integrating comment moderation into a celebrity social media strategy on our blog.
Tags: Social Media, Tips