Whether you love him or hate him, it looks like you can learn something from Ryan Seacrest. And I don't just mean his uncanny ability to get information out of every big name on the A-List while managing to dodge any questions about his own personal life. (Nicely done, Ryan.) No, in this case I am talking about marketing.
Earlier today, Ryan - who is usually the first to report on anything "American Idol", took to his Twitter page to announce the new judges for the show's 10th season with a link to his Facebook page for the big reveal.
I clicked through to to find this:
My first thought was "Question marks? A "show me" button? Why are they making me click through one more step?" Seemed pointless. But when I clicked "show me" I got my answer.
Since I had not yet "liked" Ryan Seacrest's Fan page, I wasn't privy to the information. The message was short, and it had personality - which worked nicely, because instead of it feeling pushy or being annoying, I smiled and was inclined to see what else he'll have to say.
After I "Liked" the page, the graphic changed to reveal that all the speculation has been true. Yes Idol fans, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler will in fact be your new judges. (Jennifer must be hurting for work. This your real life back-up plan, Jen? ... I know that was a bad joke. I tried.)
Not the most ground-breaking example, but a good one. Goes back to items we've talked about often in terms of social media:
- Offer your fans value. Give them something that "non-fans" don't get.
- Your Facebook page and strategy should be thought out. Put some time and effort into it. They could have easily just announced this in a status update, but instead they took the time to design graphics, and drive their audience to do something.