Queen Bey and Social Media
Very few people have the power to break social media records, and well, the internet. The successful have been able to accomplish this through a single post, some of which are not entirely ground- breaking, but still get so much attention that there really is no denying the power of social media.
For example: Kendall Jenner came along and had the most liked picture on Instagram with a photo that features hearts, and her lying down on her shiny floors.
Then, Justin Bieber got way too deep into his feels one night, and posted a picture of Jelena — the name given to his relationship with Selena Gomez.
Selena had the final say though. Selena Gomez had the most-liked picture on Instagram ever (and of 2016), and it’s literally her just drinking out of a Coca Cola bottle.
But, Beyoncé came along, and well, let’s say she just smashed any possible record on Instagram — EVER.
I’d like to take this opportunity to dive into Beyoncé’s usage of social media, and understand how she uses these platforms in a way that create conversation amongst anyone, even those that barely keep up with pop culture.
Beyoncé always ensures that she prevents herself from being in the spotlight — which is a huge pro for her in multiple ways. Not only does she maintain the privacy a huge star like her would desire, she’s able to own the media industry when she wants to. She communicates with her fans, and with the world, through her social media when SHE wants to — not when the paparazzi want to. This helps to prevent an over-saturation of her in our social media streams, and so when she posts her own content, we dive into it and invest in it.
This in itself is one of the smartest strategies for an artist, and it proves itself over and over. Let’s take a look at the three ways how Beyoncé uses social media, and why it works:
1. Break the Internet
2. Promote her own music
3. Provide Updates on Her Own Life as an Individual
1. Breaking the Internet
Beyoncé’s incredible at creating a specific message to deliver, especially when it’s a huge announcement.
The first example in which she effectively ‘broke the internet’ was through the album release of Lemonade. She first released her single, Formation, which is the first single of the album. Then, she performed it at the SuperBowl half-time show, and announced her tour immediately after with the use of a commercial. Eventually, she shared a trailer followed by a message to tune into HBO at 9PM on April 23rd. With a potential album looming, it really kept fans sparking debates online as to what this news was about. Was it a trailer? A movie? A Documentary?
As we know now, it was the visual album of Lemonade — a contemporary piece with political messages.
The way Beyonce was effectively able to build the anticipation for Lemonade, and then make the final announcement of the visual album on social media shows her power on the networks. She was able to present just enough information to keep fans talking about it, but not enough to solve the puzzle, which was extremely important here to maintain the conversation.
The second example is the most recent one, in which she announced that not only was she expecting, but she was also expecting twins. This post, is by far, the most liked picture in the history of Instagram with nearly 10,900,000 likes.
This announcement came as a shock to everyone, because as I mentioned before, Beyoncé avoids being in the spotlight or being spotted by the media. This being said, no one outside of her immediate circle or group of connections had even the slightest clue that she was pregnant — but here she was, pregnant for 5–6 months already with twins. The unexpectancy, and the picture used, helped to smash these records.
She literally had an entire maternity shoot done, and that in itself continued to generate so much conversation. With the use of underwater pictures, the Coachella vibe, and even Blue Ivy, it was such a compelling shoot that added to the overall hype.
To take a look at the shoot, click here: http://www.beyonce.com/i-have-three-hearts-104/
And here: http://www.beyonce.com/i-have-three-hearts-103/
This isn’t the first time Beyoncé’s shared the process of her pregnancy online. She created her Tumblr account for the sole purpose of Blue Ivy, and provided a platform for audiences to follow. However, this pregnancy was announced at the VMAs — rather than online.
2. Promote Her Own Music
In addition to dropping music out of the blue, she uses social media platforms to promote her own work. In 2013, self-titled album Beyonce was released on iTunes with zero promotion or marketing. It distinguished from what all artists have done, and continue to do with elaborate marketing plans. This itself was effective enough to ensure that the fans would continue to carry the conversation.
Although she didn’t promote the album during it’s initial release, she continues to promote it through her website, beyonce.com, and through her Instagram. She uses visuals that tie in with the message that she’s trying to send to an audience, and because it’s so different and makes for political messages, it works. It’s unique, creative, and it’s HER own art that she defines and brings to life.
TIDAL is also extremely important in promoting her music, as well as her streaming service. Because her music sometimes is only available on this particular streaming app, she makes an emphasis on this and it creates a greater hype around it. Rather than it being available everywhere — which is better for audiences in general because of accessibility — the idea of obtaining such exclusive music is so exciting. It works to better serve the intention of enjoying the music for what it is, and not have it overplayed anywhere and everywhere. It’s not to say that it doesn’t make its way to mainstream radio and music, because it definitely does. It’s to say that exclusivity is key.
Finally, her Instagram is one of her most widely used social media platforms, and she uses this to promote her music. On her Instagram, she has a huge outreach and audience with a following of almost 100 million. With such a huge platform, she continues to drop teasers, or post clips of her existing released songs to ensure it stays relevant.
I highly recommend you follow her for the sake of it. You don’t lose anything out of it J Instagram.com/beyonce.
3. Provide an Update on Her Own Life
Because she’s so out of the public eye, Beyoncé has the power to be able to open up to her fans through social media and let us into her lives a little bit more. She posts everything associating to her overall brand — from her own fashion line Ivy Park, to a posed picture with her and her daughter in fire outfits, to anniversary videos.
She most recently posted an anniversary video that highlights moments in their relationship. There’s a sense of intimacy because of the fact that this video uses never-seen-before footage that allows us to see another layer of the marriage between Beyoncé and Jay-Z — a very different view from when we’re seeing it in the media.
Now that she’s officially announced her pregnancy with an ‘Internet-breaking’ post, she’s not afraid to rock the baby-bump in stunning dresses and photo shoots. From outfits to accessories, Beyoncé wants to make sure that you know her style, and you know it well.
For photoshoots, click here. And here.
And here for a family portrait and clearly no fear to wear what they want:
By providing us with such an insight into her own life on a voluntary basis opposed to one that is forced through pictures from the media, it allows us to build a much more intimate connection with Beyoncé. This works in maintaining the artist-fan relationship, as we deliver record sales and streams, while she delivers us with content and a personal connection to her.
Let’s recap.
Beyoncé uses the internet for three main purposes:
- Break the Internet
2. Promote her own music
3. Provide Updates on Her Own Life as an Individual
Beyoncé is one of the most popular artists in the world, and the success of her social media networks comes from her ability to control it in multiple ways. By being able to communicate to her fans through social media and music, she creates a very limited number of channels of communicating to her. However, within the social media and music channel, she spills her heart to the world with no barriers.
She wants to ensure that everything we know about Beyoncé comes from her directly. Not from the paparazzi. Not from media outlets that aren’t hers. But solely from her.
Overall, this practise creates such a strong relationship with her fans and beyond. She also does an excellent job of updating her networks, which ensures that she remains relevant, but even when she makes announcements, it will ‘break the internet.’
Social media is extremely effective for Beyoncé in terms of building her brand. As long as she continues to use it in the ways that she does, she’ll not only be able to maintain her audience, but also get new fans that want to connect with an artist personally.
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or thoughts, leave them in the comments below! We can also chat through Twitter at @skxndil!
I end with this: “Home girl keeps her hive in F O R M A T I O N”
