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Lady Gaga's Private Party
March 13, 2012
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Too often you see celebrities and even radio stations and DJs brushing off fans as if they're some sort of nuisance. Just cruise through Facebook "Like" pages, Twitter accounts, and blogs and you'll see threads of neglected fans going unacknowledged.
With social media platforms, we have this amazing opportunity to go beyond the ordinary to create meaningful fan experiences. Lady Gaga has identified just that. This special relationship she's created with her fans is now being played out on a new social platform at LittleMonsters.com.
Once I opened the invite and signed up, it was clear I'm way out of the demo for this site (I totally felt like that soccer mom who just crashed my daughter's party), but it was incredible to watch her fans share all this cool content they've collected over the past few years.
With nearly 50 million fans on Facebook, over 2 billion videos viewed on YouTube and 20 million+ followers on Twitter, if anyone can try and pull off its own social network for fans, it's Lady Gaga.
This effort isn't just for a small contingent of highly motivated fans, but it's about how she has spent her career building loyal, motivated relationships with her legions. Here's a celebrity that buys into the notion that "every person counts."
The site plays out similar to Pinterest or Facebook's new "Friendsheet." You pin your pictures and posters, and share/like other fans' stuff. You get to connect with Lady Gaga's minions and chat with them as well.
She also offers other content such as events, videos, tour and concert ticket information.
You even get your own profile:
Right now, LittleMonsters.com is in private beta mode so you'll need to request an invite at the site.
Understanding what it takes to build and sustain relationships is key to succeeding in this social space. People are starving for attention because in today's world, everyone gets to be mini-stars with YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and of course, Reality TV.
Lady Gaga is raising the bar by tapping into unmet fan needs by providing one central place where they can devote their time to their undying affection for her.
You can kick start the passion of your audience as well by simply being strategic with your social presence. I wouldn't suggest building a social site like this for your station but I do think you could devote this space to serving and strengthening your brand's assets, and that includes your fans.
They can elevate stories and expand your reach to a level you could never do on your own. But it's a matter of seeing the audience and this social space through a different lens.
When we only look at our audience based on what they can do for us, we come up short in our effort to build an effective brand that serves loyal, motivated relationships.
It's time to put some care in the treatment of our fans. Paws up.
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