By retweeting and replying to fans, and sharing his random thoughts on space travel and cats, followers get to form a relationship with this artist on a level that would be highly unlikely if it weren't for social media. As Mark Schaefer constantly alludes to in his book Return on Influence, effective marketing on social media is all about building relationships (Schaefer, 2012). By interacting on social media, brands - whether that brand is a corporation or a rockstar - can have an added human element, and seem more connected to the consumer.
From a business perspective, I imagine this could only help Ryan Adams' cause. Interacting on Twitter keeps him in the consumer's mind when he's not touring or promoting a new album, and gives him the ability to easily update his followers on when he does start touring or recording a new album. Followers can also get perks from these social media relationships as well. I once won a pair of tickets to see Ryan perform Live on Letterman - separate from the Late Show with David Letterman - it was an hour-plus long performance in the intimate Late Show studio. Ryan Adams' official Facebook account posted an e-mail address and said the first x-number of fans to e-mail the account would receive free tickets to the performance. It's things like this that attract new fans (consumers) and keeps the old ones around, and hoping for more.
Looking at all of this made me curious as to what my Klout score would be. It's a much less impressive 24. However, that is when it is linked to my new Twitter account created for the Marist Social Media Strategies and Tactics course. I think that score could improve dramatically if I were to link it to my personal Twitter account, which has been active for several years, has about six-times as many followers, and about 2,500 more tweets under its belt. But, for now, I would believe that a score of 24 is accurate. In order to improve on that, I'll have to start building the right relationships...and maybe tweeting more about cats.
UPDATE - 3/7/15: After incorporating my personal Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts into my Klout score, it is now a 51.27 - not too shabby!
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Source
Schaefer, M. (2012). Return on influence: The revolutionary power
of Klout, social scoring, and influence marketing. New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill.
Hi Jeff,
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting look at a musician's social media engagement strategy. I think you nailed it when you said that Ryan's use of social media keeps him fresh in fans' minds when he is not touring or promoting a new album. I also think that this contributes to his Klout score not only because people retweet and engage with his content because they like his music, but they are more inclined to engage with him knowing that there is a good chance he will personally respond to them. I think it's very worthwhile for a celebrity to spend just a few minutes of his day responding to a handful of fans on social media to boost his likability and social influence.
Great post and way to wrap up this course's blog!
Brenna
Hi Brenna,
DeleteThanks for your input. You're right - the possibility that Ryan (or any other celebrity) might respond to your tweet makes it much more likely for fans to interact. I agree with you, for those celebs that do use Twitter, responding to a few fans every now and then is a great way to stay in their good graces and with a personal touch, can show that it's not just some hired professional that tweets for them.
You're so right, Jeff! Today, fans are able to interact with celebrities and have "relationships" that would not exist without the use of social media. Ryan's interaction with fans (and random posts about cats), shows fans who he really is off stage. People love to interact with entertainers that are transparent and real to their audiences. Dave Kerpen (2011) said, "succeeding on social networks amounts to your ability to be likeable" (p. 223). I think Ryan has succeeded.
ReplyDeleteThis week's discussion was a lot of fun. I think we all showed a little bit of personality in our choices to blog about. Great post and I can't wait to see your blog about indoor golf! :)
Kerpen, D. (2011). Likeable social media: How to delight your customers, create an irresistible brand, and be generally amazing on facebook (& other social networks). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Hi Mandy,
DeleteThanks for your response! I agree - this week's topic was fun, and allowed each of us to pick from a very broad range of influential social media users. Whenever I get around to blogging about indoor golf, I'll be sure to let you know! Perhaps it'll be my first blog post not required for school!
Great post Jeff. I get a total kick out of the fact that Ryan Adams, and likely a lot of other musicians, has a very high Klout score and could probably care less. This is another example of why I am sort of confused by the whole meaning of Klout. Those with lower scores want to do whatever they can to increase their Klout and then you've got folks with high Klout scores and they don't care at all. No doubt Ryan's Klout score is high because he is a famous musician with a lot of followers on social media. The mere fact that he can post that cat picture and 121 people re-tweeted is proof of that. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteHey Russ, I'm with you on that. There are many with high Klout scores that are not at all interested in it, and people struggling to gain moderately high Klout scores. Sure, it can be a good measure of influence for some, but it's hardly a universal rating, not when cat pictures = high Klout scores!
DeleteHi Jeff,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great way to look at the Klout score! I agree, that public figures like professional musicians, athletes, and celebrities are all great candidates for high Klout scores. What I liked most about your post is the point you made about how Ryan Adams might not care too much about his score, but the record company and marketing companies that support him do care about that score. It's that high Klout score that these companies love, because they know their investment in the musician (or any other celebrities or athletes) is worth it. This individual does have the power to influence they're followers and ultimately help their personal brand grow improving the companies investment into them.
I'm impressed by your personal Klout score! My original score was 16, but I noticed that once I linked additional social media sites, my score rose to 50! Like yours, not too shabby!
Thanks for a great post!
Allie
Hey Allie, thanks for the topic this week! Record companies and marketing companies certainly would be interested in their artists' or clients' Klout scores. If a particular artist wouldn't be willing to run their own Twitter account, I'm sure they would set up an official one for them and have a social media professional manage the account on their behalf. It would be silly for them not to take advantage of every every possible avenue of promotion. Kudos to you on your mid-range Klout score as well!
DeleteHI Jeff!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Ryan Adams even realizes how effectively he is using social media?!?! He is a a great example of how smaller companies can use social media to increase brand awareness. He seems to connect with his followers by actually responding to them while also having a relatable sense of humor. I love the fact that he used his Facebook account to show some his fans some love by offering free tickets. That must have been an amazing show! These types of activities can keep fans/consumers loyal and draw in new ones.
Just as Allison mentioned above, I agree that record and marketing companies do care about things like a Klout score, which can be an indicator of the amount of influence an artist might have.
Two thumbs up on your own Klout score!