Tags
Celebrities and artists use social media everyday to get more famous. There are multiple social media sites celebrities’ use like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Vine. There is no single marketing vehicle that is able to reach such a wide audience and allows celebrities to market themselves in such creative ways. Celebrities use these tools to build their brand and keep their names current. According to the Wall Street Journal article “Study Finds Mainstream Music Acts Dominate The Web”, more than 90% of music acts are represented on multiple social media sites.
Actors’ use social media to get fans to see or buy their movies; musicians use it to drive iTunes and album sales. Celebrities goals are to build buzz around themselves. Using social media sites they can create a connection with people on an individual level. It makes them less of a star and more normal and they can have a sense of treating their fans like friends. Fans can get a glimpse into their personal lives and get an emotional connection with them. Also, if there is any negative buzz going around about a certain celebrity, fans can hear the “truth” directly from the source through social media.
The top three most followed celebrities on Twitter are currently, Katy Perry with over 50 million followers, Justin Bieber over 49 million, and Barack Obama over 41 million. Celebrities self-promote themselves by posting tweets, status updates, videos, and photos daily. They can easily share their activities, plans, upcoming events or concerts through social media. Some artists even post live tweets at their concerts like Katy Perry at her California Dreams concert in 2011 on the jumbo-tron to get the crowd interacting with the show. Some even like to keep their fans guessing on upcoming tour dates or albums and posts hints like Lady Gaga. It is all part of their own advertising campaign. A plus on using social media as a tool, is they can receive feedback from their fans and learn how to better themselves and their product. Some interaction is positive, but some is also negative.
Social media is a very effective marketing tool to build their brands and promote their own interest. For example, the Kardashians clothing line, The K Kollection, has 46 million followers on Twitter. Dr. Dre promotes Beats Music on Twitter as well and has 47 million followers. Celebrities sometimes even have their own sponsored tweets and facebook posts like Khloe Kardashian who earns up to $30,000 per tweet. Most celebrities hire social media managers to update their profiles with what’s new in their daily lives and careers. Doing so helps them avoid feuds and drama and gives them an opportunity to post constant updates even if they are busy.
Social media is also a good tool for charity. For example, Ellen Denegeneres posted on Twitter, “Raise 5 cents for charity just by tweeting this hashtag: #BellLetsTalk, first let’s retweet!” BellLetsTalk is an organization that raises concern and awareness for mental illness. Taylor Swift is the most charitable celebrity in 2013 and she mainly represents dosomething.org.
When a celebrity or artist becomes famous on social media sites, fans follow. They follow their trends of what they wear, buy, and listen to. Who would not want to be like their favorite celebrity? The amount of music streamed is influenced by these followed trends. It is really important to consider these popularities as a company focused on streaming music and making consumers content.
By: Erin Cleveland
I think social media has a lot of impact on the amount of fame and products a celebrity sells. A lot of the time I have seen a post on Twitter or Facebook about something a celebrity was endorsing or trying to market was the first time I was seeing it. It does make them more popular and can influence how many albums they sell or their brand, but i also thing that social media has a negative impact as well. I read tweets from friends talking about how bad a certain album is and in knowing that I won’t even go listen for myself.
I think that social media is a great way to reach a broader audience in a quicker and simpler way. It’s a brilliant way to get your name out there and let people know who you are. I believe celebrities should take advantage of the online world and it’s services and built their brand.
I think it is important for celebrities to use social media effectively to promote themselves and their music because there are so many on social media today. There are certain celebrities who over use it or post vulger things that may turn some people away from following them. For me that one person is Miley Cyrus. The shock factor that she always goes for should not be seen by kids but with social media they are able to see all of this. Unfollow button was most certainly used.