What Nicki Manaj Can Teach You about Social Media Marketing
She may not be a household name on par with Madonna – yet. Though she did perform with Ms. Blonde Ambition at the Superbowl half time show.
She was also on Ryan Seacrest’s New Year’s Eve show, is performing at next week’s Grammy’s and Good Morning America – maybe she is a household name after all.
From a marketing standpoint, I’m impressed by the amount of social proof this woman has created and her saturation of the top 40 hip hop market.
Ok, she did have 7 simultaneous singles on the Hot 100. That alone made sure her voice was in heavy rotation on the radio.
But if you Google “Feat. Nicki Minaj” there are at least half dozen different songs you’ll see in the results page.
That’s Social Proof
You know how you’re excited if someone RT’s your blog post or likes a comment on Facebook? That’s social proof and it gives us the warm and fuzzies.
Of course, warm and fuzzy doesn’t pay the bills. The real power behind this is having other influential people responding and sharing your stuff for you.
From a social media perspective, it gets you exposed to their audience, you have the benefit of their “name” and reputation behind you and people trust you more because they trust the person sharing the information.
That’s what Nicki Minaj does.
Not only does she release her own songs, but she also shows up as a featured rapper on other popular songs with a Who’s Who of the pop world. Drake, Eminem, Kanye West, Rihanna and now Madonna.
And, she usually works her name into her rap—which how I came to know who she is.
To recap, she not only releases her own music, but she also shows up on lots of other people’s records. The result is, her name and voice are in heavy rotation on the hip-hop stations across America.
How You Can Use This is Your Social Media Marketing
It’s not so different from successful online marketing when you think of it. Influential bloggers link to one another’s posts and mention one another in their blogs. The result is a shared influence that helps both parties.
It’s like when you refer a doctor, dentist, or plumber to your neighbor. You’re sharing your trust with another.
If you haven’t figured out how to create those relationships online, what’s stopping you? Start with someone you already know in real life who is in a complementary business. Maybe it’s a make up artist if you’re a hair stylist. Start interacting online through Twitter, Facebook or other channel where your customers hang out.
Connect with other people who seem interesting and share your knowledge through tips, blog posts and videos. You’ll build trust and you’ll build a community online. Stick with it and you’ll become a trusted authority in your market.
Like Nicki Minaj, social media works when you consistently share great content and build your community. Then other influencers naturally give you “shout outs” and you help one another build your businesses.
What one thing can you do today to help grow your online business through social media? Love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
