How Netflix Uses Social Listening to Stay on Top of Their Content Game

Learn about how Netflix uses social listening to keep its audience engaged.

Netflix has witnessed phenomenal growth in terms of business in recent years. While Netflix’s subscriber base in 2011 consisted of a mere 22 million, it shot up to nearly 150 million in 2019 and crossed 200 million subscribers in 2020.

Used by an estimated 37% of internet users worldwide, Netflix’s massive rise can be credited to majorly two things — the quality of the product offering and its top-notch marketing efforts.

Thanks to an excellent social media strategy, Netflix has managed to dominate over its competitors over the years and emerged as a dominant streaming provider. From sharing updates on upcoming movies to engaging in witty comebacks, Netflix’s social media is pure entertainment.

But how did Netflix achieve this?

Through social listening!

As the number of social media users increases, it is essential for brands to tune into their audience’s conversations. With Social listening, brands get valuable insight into the evolving behaviors of their target audience in real-time and adjust their social media marketing strategy accordingly.

By listening to their audience, Netflix has been able to track sentiments and push out their own marketing based on what they found their audience craved the most. Social listening also gave Netflix an opportunity to connect with its users, come up with new solutions‍ and develop a long lasting relationship (and if we may say, even more revenue streams).

Are you a brand intrigued by how skillfully Netflix comes up with the most engaging social media content?

Or how social listening comes into play?

This blog will dive deep into how Netflix uses social listening to its advantage, and show you how you can do the same with a tool like Radarr.

How Netflix uses social listening to stay on top of the game

1. Building good customer engagement

In a bid to stay on top of ongoing trends and online conversations, Netflix invests a lot into social media listening and frequently engages with its audience. Their ability to listen keenly and closely monitor pop culture trends has helped them run eye-catching social campaigns and post creative content that encourages users to participate in activities, answer polls posted via stories, and tag them and their friends in their content.

Occasionally, Netflix gives customers what they want. From shows to binge-watch during holidays to movie suggestions for dinner, Netflix has got a little something for everyone. How does Netflix figure out the kind of content that resonates with its audiences? By running polls on social media.

Netflix’s marketing strategies are rarely traditional and usually work on out-of-the-box ideas. Rather than adopting a deadpan, serious brand tone that promotes its content, Netflix targeted the huge meme-loving audience to build a rapport with them through their content.

Their meme-marketing is on-point as a result of an excellent social listening strategy. By social listening to millennials, they identify trends millennials are raving about and simply put out their own witty content.

2. Responding to user needs: The invention of Netflix socks

Thanks to social listening, Netflix became aware of a problem its viewers face: they fall asleep when binge-watching a show and wake up several episodes later.

As a solution, Netflix created a pair of tech-enabled socks that can sense when you fall asleep and pause your show. In addition to its prototype socks, Netflix also put some totally do-able DIY ideas online so viewers can make their own socks. As a result, it garnered huge praise and even won awards for integrating tech into everyday life products.

On watching a consumer trend and meme of “Netflix and chill”, In the video below, Netflix has created a tutorial that teaches people how to make their own DIY socks for when they’re watching Netflix.

The move went on to garner massive popularity. This commendable feat came into being because Netflix actively listened to conversations around their business and factored in customer sentiments into their marketing strategy. They realize that marketing doesn’t just need to be posting and resharing content but also listening to your customer’s feedback.

3. Creating content that the audience wants

Netflix is popular for catering to the millennial mindset by tracking and engaging with conversations happening online. Using social listening, they are able to create content around topics their audience is talking the most about, something that even their Twitter bio can attest to. This makes them relatable to their target audience.

Thanks to social listening, Netflix’s marketing strategy builds loyalty and connectedness into its content approach. Content is their USP and they believe that epic content that users can’t find anywhere will be the key driver to build social engagement and create a loyal following to their business.

By going big on video marketing, Netflix produces more video content than any other content type on social media. Their videos center around upcoming movies and TV shows, giving the audience a sneak peek into what they can expect and getting them all excited. Apart from videos, the company also posts images, GIFs, and text posts on current movies and TV shows streaming.

When you love a show on Netflix, you want to know more about the show like behind the scenes, cast interviews, future plans, upcoming seasons, fan predictions, etc. Following Netflix on social media is the quickest way to get this content.

Take, for instance, when Netflix’s Shadow and Bone became a hit, with the show’s antagonist gaining the most fandom, Netflix posted an ensemble of their favorite villains.

4. Posts content on trending topics

Netflix’s content strategy is much more than making memes and posting videos snippets from their shows. They are quick to hop onto existing social media trends and weave their show’s content into the current trend. Moreover, Netflix maintains a conversational tone in all its social media posts and tweets.

Take, for instance, this video created for a popular Instagram reel trend.

Instagram has emerged as the key marketing channel for Netflix where it can do social listening and respond using “extra ” content like sneak peeks, behind the scenes, and selfies from stars. On the other hand, Netflix stays active on Twitter to track trending hashtags, listen to what fans are talking about, and join the conversation.

Leveraging viral hashtags and internet trends not only garner more attention from audiences but also helps them promote shows streaming on Netflix. The #10yearchallenge was one of the trends Netflix participated in to promote F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

To remain effective, Netflix’s social teams watch and listen in the right places, at the right times, so they can create content on real-time conversations that connects with audiences, like this video of awkward silences for the show You.

Moreover, the brand has adopted a “fan’s” persona by hiring movie and TV buffs to run its accounts who also follow the company’s social content guidelines. As a result, Netflix’s social voice is authentic, effortlessly witty, and approachable making Netflix a beloved place for people to talk about what they’re watching.

Are fans loving a show or movie on social media? How about engaging with them with a simple GIF from the very same movie or show they’re raving about.

5. Plays on Viewer Psychology

Netflix knows well how to create a social media hype before launching its shows. It plays well on the customer’s psychology by releasing trailers that ‘just’ merely manages to give a sneak peek and generate interest, keeping them hooked to it.

Recently, when Netflix was poised to release the Twilight series on the platform, it started posting memes from the movie series in a bid to build engagement.

Netflix’s “coming soon” videos around the platform’s widely loved shows also work well with the audiences and keep them hooked to the brand. Take, for example, how they announced the next season for their hit show Sex Education.

6. Meme marketing that speaks to the audience

Netflix is reputed for its strong meme marketing. Their social media marketing memes are witty and instantly relatable. Using meme marketing, they strayed away from conventional branding and introduced memes as an opportunity to engage with their audience. As memes are able to communicate feelings and situations very effectively without pushing in on an agenda for marketing.

Courtesy social listening, Netflix knows what topics are trending among audiences and wastes no time in launching memes of their own. Meme marketing became a success for them after their memes on the dystopian sci-fi film Birdbox caught fire on Twitter.

7. Leverages star power for influence

A lot of stars from Netflix’s shows and movies are active Instagram and Twitter users. The brand leverages this to its own advantage to amplify its reach and presence among its audience. Even celebrities and TV networks join the bandwagon of people engaging with the brand on social media.

Don’t believe us? Here’s the team making the most out of the celebrity, Ryan Reynolds wit!

8. Builds a great customer relationship

Netflix is a highly customer-centric brand and it leverages social media well to build relationships with followers. The brand is active to post witty replies to customer queries and engage them in conversations to help them feel like they are talking to a friend. This approach has helped them build a loyal fanbase and a compelling social presence.

Netflix follows the fundamental rule of prioritizing every customer interaction, no matter how trivial. It considers every interaction as a chance to build a better relationship with the customer and reinforce themselves as a brand that cares.

When it comes to utilizing big data insights, Netflix has been using it to determine which new TV series or movies they should create. Thanks to data insights, it is able to predict viewing preferences and provide personalized recommendations by logging in and analyzing every customer interaction.

What’s more, with social listening, Netflix followed a fan’s social post and helped him propose to his girlfriend (with help from series stars Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant) turning the whole thing into a promotional video for the show.

Takeaway — You can do it too with social listening!

Netflix is simply killing its social media game and effective social listening is fueling its strategies.

But what can brands learn from this?

One place to start is to find YOUR own unique voice. What makes YOU unique. What aspect of you can your customers connect to quickly? Finding your unique voice can be one step towards building a winning social strategy and presenting you with the competitive advantage you require.

Your brand voice needs to be authentic and clearly communicate what you’re all about. Netflix aced this by voicing themselves as a young movie or TV buff, and that resonates with their millennial audience perfectly.

And lastly, don’t miss out on the benefits of social listening and what it can uncover for your brand. Pay close attention to customer data and unlock the right kind of content that can connect with them.

Ready to bring conversations on your side? It’s time to start social listening today!