As public relations professionals, social media is an unavoidable and inevitable part of the job. While many despise it, social media is really one of the greatest tools you can have at your disposal as a PR professional. It is a cost-efficient way to create a favorable image for your client, promote events.
Most importantly, social media is a direct way to communicate with your target audience. Social media is utilized by many companies, organizations, and people. However, Netflix has become a total pro at using social media to their advantage to promote viewership and enhance their brand. Specifically, Twitter is Netflix’s most frequently posted on social media site taps into the company’s younger target audience. Here are the three ways Netflix benefits from having a vibrant Twitter presence:
Netflix Follows Current Meme Trends
It is great for a brand to be original, but sometimes by following a trend and putting your own twist on it can be just as good. Netflix follows the Twitter meme trends and executes them perfectly. The company’s social media coordinator will take a popular meme on social media and make it into something relevant for their brand. For example, Ariana Grande’s new song “thank u, next” is a major hit with Netflix’s younger target audience. The song was turned into a meme where people shared the lyric from the song: “one taught me love, one taught me patience, and one taught me pain” in which people would post three pictures describing those lyrics in a funny way. Netflix took advantage of the meme and posted the lyrics with three pictures of Shrek. The tweet had 8,400 retweets and 39,600 likes.
Not only did Netflix incorporate the meme to promote their newly added Shrek franchise to streaming service, but the Netflix Film affiliate Twitter left a comment also from the song, which got high interaction for a comment. Netflix uses memes and trends on social media to promote their platform all the time, and it is not just for fun. Netflix strategically places shows on their platform into the memes to generate viewership and relate with the audience.
In the article “How to Talk to Your Customers Like a Normal Person, Not a Creepy Business” by Alex Honeysett, the author discusses how brands relate to its consumers are more likely to buy from them. “According to an article from Marketeer, personal value has two times as much impact as business value, and 68% of buyers who see a personal value will pay a higher price for service,” says Honeysett. As a PR professional, you can incorporate memes and trends into your social media presence as well. Memes are for all age groups, not just for a younger audience. The trick is to make it relevant to your client, and promote them in a way which makes sense and is funny.
Netflix Interacts With Their Audience
Netflix is very active on Twitter with posting their own content, and also with their replies to their audience. This is something they do with incorporation of their trend following. Consumers like when they can identify with a brand, as well as when they can interact with the brand. Consumers want to be listened to, and everyone knows customer service is always important for a company. On Twitter, Netflix is very active in replying to its consumers whether it be a problem they are encountering or a reaction to a show they are watching. For example, “Bodyguard” is a new miniseries on Netflix starring Richard Madden and now Netflix’s bio on Twitter is now simply “Richard Maddens award winning jawline.” The show came out on October 24, and by changing their bio to this simple line, it generated comments from Twitter users. For example, a user tweeted out “I want to marry Richard Madden” Netflix replied “get. in. line.” By replying to a user, they bring exposure to their shows and show real genuine human interaction.
Netflix also incorporates the meme trends in their replies to their consumers, which always generates a positive reaction. It goes a long way with consumers when you interact with them on a personal level and humorous level. Any brand can do this, and it is important for more PR professionals to start having the public see their clients are more transparent and honest, especially in the current climate in the world right now.
Netflix Promotes Themselves Constantly
Netflix has mastered promoting themselves on Twitter. The entire premise of Netflix is online, and while the company streams television shows they do not air commercials or have products you can buy, just a service you can subscribe to. It is really important for Netflix to properly promote themselves. As a company, Netflix is dependent on social media to debut news and premiere new trailers.
By gaining a loyal follower base on social media, it allows direct communication to promote their brand to the company’s target audience. Netflix needs to promote a variety of genres to different audiences, and social media allows for all users to follow and find out about the latest shows that may not be totally mainstream. For example, Netflix has a lot of “niche” shows target a smaller audience. By using Twitter to promote to their small and large audience, they get free promotion mainstream media may not have otherwise picked up. This is one of the main reasons that social media is now an inevitable part of the job, because no matter who you are doing promotion for there is always going to be a budget, and social media can cost next to nothing to promote your client.
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