Getting In On The Conversation: Expanding Brand Reach Through Pop Culture

Major pop culture events have always had the ability to generate tremendous online buzz. But we’re now living in a time when these trending topics are no longer simply talked about between groups of friends and coworkers. Instead, they are shared across social media, giving them the ability to spark conversations worldwide amongst millions of people.

So with the potential to reach and engage with fans beyond your current base, why wouldn’t you want to get in on the conversation to expand your brand’s potential reach?

Social Media and Pop Culture by The Numbers

• 72% of adults who are online are using social media networking sites
• Last year for just the Super Bowl alone, there were over 25 million game-related social posts across channels including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube
• There were 2,989,784 social conversations surrounding the 2012 Opening Ceremonies for the London Olympics, and Worldwide Olympic partner, MacDonald’s, received 159,410 mentions
• The 2013 Oscars received 13 million social mentions

With the potential to expand your brand’s reach exponentially, it begs the question, where do you begin?

4 Ways to Reach Your Targeted Audience

1. Use #Hashtags — When large-scale events are happening, it’s highly likely there will be hashtags associated with them.  During last year’s Super Bowl, 38% of ads included a related hashtag in their messaging. This leaves the door wide open for your brand to get in on the conversation by incorporating tags into your own conversations. Whether you’re scheduling out posts on the days leading up to the event or live tweeting it, don’t be afraid to join the masses who are already using event-related tags.  In doing so, you’re opening up the possibility to acquire new fans by allowing people to possibly come across your posts when searching the hashtags you’re using. 
2. Follow Trending Topics — If you’re unsure about which hashtags would be popular and easily searchable for fans, there are some tricks you can use. Within Twitter there is a stream of Trending Topics, showcasing the most popular hashtags of that moment. If you don’t have a unique campaign running prior to the start of a happening, you can always join live conversations (when appropriate for your company) and use tags that are already established and have eyes on them. You can also do a little research leading up to a big event, searching for any common tags big brands are going to be using in their own campaigns.
3. Engage — While you’re following trending topics, why not get in on the conversation too? Engaging with other brands and potential fans could get you mentions from an audience that is outside of your present base. As long as you speak in your tone of voice and to appropriate content, you’ll only benefit from possibly getting seen.
4. Build Out Your Editorial Calendar — Although a lot of social conversations evolve in real time, you should be sure you’re thinking about and planning your social strategy around these big occasions ahead of time. There may be a clever way you can incorporate your brand into whatever event is going on. Spend time putting thought behind a solid approach and work it into your existing editorial calendar.

Additions & Feedback

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