When brands & stans meet — How brands can be successful on stan Twitter
Twitter is a powerful platform for brands, and it’s also the place where fans — or “stans,” a modern therm to name hardcore supporters — of all kinds of artists meet.
Sometimes it’s only natural that branded Twitter and “stan Twitter” worlds collide, and sometimes, it’s the brand that starts the conversation. In both cases, brands might be mindful before engaging with fandoms.
Forget the standard of the hysteric, brain-washable fan —the amount of people you see supporting their faves on Twitter can be overwhelming, but that doesn’t mean stan Twitter is a homogeneous thing.
“Stans” are not only passionate — they are smart, proactive, organised, and they are very aware of the power they hold in their hands, with their clicks, likes, follows and retweets.
But as long as you understand the territory you’re stepping into, creating interaction with fandoms can be a fun, powerful way to connect with the audience and increase brand awareness on the “bird app” (another slang for how Twitter users refer to the social media.)
Here’s how to do it in a way that won’t either embarrass you or ruin your branding and marketing strategy in the long run.
1. Choose well
This might sound simple and obvious, but you have no idea of how many brands still pick influencers just by the size of their following (without really caring about how the following was built, or what they’re made of;) or tweet stuff that doesn’t really appeal to their target audience, just to show that they’re aware of what’s hot right now.
If you’re going to engage with a fanbase or associate your brand with an artist in any way, make sure that such artist is compatible with your brand’s values and target.
2. Seize the chance when it presents itself
A natural connection between the brand and the target is every marketer’s dream. If the opportunity presents itself and it fits your marketing vision, don’t waste the chance!
It’s not everyday, for example, that a rapper pays homage to your brand with her stage name …
… or that a meme of a pop star consuming your product becomes viral…
Why not seize the chance?
If you get lucky, you might even get a response back from the artist!
3. Understand fandom culture before connecting with it
Stan twitter is a whole ecosystem on its own, and each fandom has its own culture as well. Even between artists of the same field, music genre or nationality, the “rules” might differ substantially.
Don’t make assumptions. Not all fans of young, attractive, dancer pop stars are teenagers or little girls — unless you believe little girls drive SUVs, have saving plans or vote. Hip hop and indie music are not (necessarily) marginalised or alternative genres anymore; they are now mainstream.
If you create your strategy around a stereotype, you might fail miserably.
To engage with fandoms in a respectful and efficient way, do your research first. Know who you are talking to, understand their background, their values and preferences, and communicate accordingly.
4. Think twice before engaging in celeb beefs and fanwars
Yes, we are living in an era when the number of likes and retweets determine relevance; but this is also the era where consumers mass boycott brands, social media users “cancel” problematic artists, people save receipts of everything you say, and no, their memory span is not as short as you might think.
Riding the wave of the polemic trending topics to promote your brand might not always be a good strategy. It might bring attention to you for a moment, but it may also ruin your image — whether if it’s because you’re picking the “wrong side” or just sounding like an attention seeker.
Some brands are really good at handling things in a sassy way — some even make it their own signature. But unless this is gonna be a part of your strategy, in a consistent way, or unless there is a really, really good cue, stay out of the mess.
5. Don’t force stuff
Do it naturally or not at all. Don’t underestimate the audience — fans know when brands do things for clickbait, and when their favourites are being used just for clout.
They also see when you’re trying too hard to be cool.
But if there is a fun, natural way to engage, or if there is a perfect pop culture reference for what you’re promoting, then go ahead! Check how cute was Netflix promoting Shrek with the lyrics of Ariana Grande’s “Thank u, next”.
Thanks for reading!
I hope you enjoyed this!
I’ve been helping brands and artists to create amazing content, music and strategies through our company, Big Cool World!
We also have a great team of CPAs & Advisors specialized in Arts, Music, Entertainment & Culture! Get to know us on https://bigcoolworld.com/
