What Kim Kardashian Can Teach You About Social Media

by Josh Amidon

Kim Kardashian is a bona fide social media genius.

That statement, more than likely, drew a strong response from you. Love her or hate her, you can’t deny the digital power this woman wields. With 28.6M followers on Facebook, 45.8M on Twitter and 72.7M Instagram – she’s built a larger audience than all Fortune 10 companies combined. Not only that, but she’s turned this audience into a loyal base that will buy ANYTHING she pushes out.

I can hear many of you right now, “Why is she famous? I can’t stand her, she has no talent.” Guess what? She can’t hear you over the stacks of cash she’s raking in – she’s worth $85M, not including the reported $52.5M she made in 2015 alone! She didn’t make this money off her reality show, that’s pennies compared to her real job – being a social ninja.

Today’s advertising and marketing tactics have evolved to a two-dimensional push and pull model, where customer engagement on public forums is as important as the company’s outward facing communications. The brands that are most successful today aren’t those with the most messages, or the strongest ones. They’re the brands that realize how important their customers are to their success.

For Kim, that means giving her followers what they want – daily interaction and the chance to feel like they are card-carrying VIP members of her Kardashian entourage. With one post: “Hey, which outfit should I wear today?” – she’s endearing herself to her following, so when she posts an hour later “Hey, I just released a new perfume, you should go to the store and buy it!” – they do.

Some more tips, I've learned by dissecting her social pages:

Find Shared Values - Ask yourself, “Outside of my brand, what else does my audience care about?” and then “Does (or should) my brand care about that, too?”

Example: if you’re a real estate agent, people following you are interested in buying a house – so why not become a one-stop-shop for your past/present/future clients? Don’t just post homes that you want people to buy – people get bored of that and move on. Try posting the newest home decorating tips (something every homeowner needs), how to spruce up your home before putting it up on the market, how great of an investment real estate is, etc. 

Leave Your Followers Wanting More – When promoting something on social media, leave a little to the imagination. Make the customer beg you for more info.

Example: If you own an ice cream shop and come up with a new flavor, don’t just post “Hey, this is our new flavor – come try it today.” Create a mystery around it – take photos of the mystery ingredients or post videos of employees trying it for the first time and have them describe it (without giving it away). This creates a buzz around your following and will make the big reveal an event!

Talk To Your Followers As If You’re In The Room With Them – Yes, your message is being read by many people – but those people aren’t all in the same space. Most likely, they’re reading your content alone.

Example: The way you speak to a stadium of people is very different from how you speak to one person in their living room. Make a connection by being as intimate as possible. Make them feel like you’re giving them and only them an exclusive peek into your brand.

by Josh Amidon

Kim Kardashian is a bona fide social media genius.

That statement, more than likely, drew a strong response from you. Love her or hate her, you can’t deny the digital power this woman wields. With 28.6M followers on Facebook, 45.8M on Twitter and 72.7M Instagram – she’s built a larger audience than all Fortune 10 companies combined. Not only that, but she’s turned this audience into a loyal base that will buy ANYTHING she pushes out.

I can hear many of you right now, “Why is she famous? I can’t stand her, she has no talent.” Guess what? She can’t hear you over the stacks of cash she’s raking in – she’s worth $85M, not including the reported $52.5M she made in 2015 alone! She didn’t make this money off her reality show, that’s pennies compared to her real job – being a social ninja.

Today’s advertising and marketing tactics have evolved to a two-dimensional push and pull model, where customer engagement on public forums is as important as the company’s outward facing communications. The brands that are most successful today aren’t those with the most messages, or the strongest ones. They’re the brands that realize how important their customers are to their success.

For Kim, that means giving her followers what they want – daily interaction and the chance to feel like they are card-carrying VIP members of her Kardashian entourage. With one post: “Hey, which outfit should I wear today?” – she’s endearing herself to her following, so when she posts an hour later “Hey, I just released a new perfume, you should go to the store and buy it!” – they do.

Some more tips, I've learned by dissecting her social pages:

Find Shared Values - Ask yourself, “Outside of my brand, what else does my audience care about?” and then “Does (or should) my brand care about that, too?”

Example: if you’re a real estate agent, people following you are interested in buying a house – so why not become a one-stop-shop for your past/present/future clients? Don’t just post homes that you want people to buy – people get bored of that and move on. Try posting the newest home decorating tips (something every homeowner needs), how to spruce up your home before putting it up on the market, how great of an investment real estate is, etc. 

Leave Your Followers Wanting More – When promoting something on social media, leave a little to the imagination. Make the customer beg you for more info.

Example: If you own an ice cream shop and come up with a new flavor, don’t just post “Hey, this is our new flavor – come try it today.” Create a mystery around it – take photos of the mystery ingredients or post videos of employees trying it for the first time and have them describe it (without giving it away). This creates a buzz around your following and will make the big reveal an event!

Talk To Your Followers As If You’re In The Room With Them – Yes, your message is being read by many people – but those people aren’t all in the same space. Most likely, they’re reading your content alone.

Example: The way you speak to a stadium of people is very different from how you speak to one person in their living room. Make a connection by being as intimate as possible. Make them feel like you’re giving them and only them an exclusive peek into your brand.

by Josh Amidon

Kim Kardashian is a bona fide social media genius.

That statement, more than likely, drew a strong response from you. Love her or hate her, you can’t deny the digital power this woman wields. With 28.6M followers on Facebook, 45.8M on Twitter and 72.7M Instagram – she’s built a larger audience than all Fortune 10 companies combined. Not only that, but she’s turned this audience into a loyal base that will buy ANYTHING she pushes out.

I can hear many of you right now, “Why is she famous? I can’t stand her, she has no talent.” Guess what? She can’t hear you over the stacks of cash she’s raking in – she’s worth $85M, not including the reported $52.5M she made in 2015 alone! She didn’t make this money off her reality show, that’s pennies compared to her real job – being a social ninja.

Today’s advertising and marketing tactics have evolved to a two-dimensional push and pull model, where customer engagement on public forums is as important as the company’s outward facing communications. The brands that are most successful today aren’t those with the most messages, or the strongest ones. They’re the brands that realize how important their customers are to their success.

For Kim, that means giving her followers what they want – daily interaction and the chance to feel like they are card-carrying VIP members of her Kardashian entourage. With one post: “Hey, which outfit should I wear today?” – she’s endearing herself to her following, so when she posts an hour later “Hey, I just released a new perfume, you should go to the store and buy it!” – they do.

Some more tips, I've learned by dissecting her social pages:

Find Shared Values - Ask yourself, “Outside of my brand, what else does my audience care about?” and then “Does (or should) my brand care about that, too?”

Example: if you’re a real estate agent, people following you are interested in buying a house – so why not become a one-stop-shop for your past/present/future clients? Don’t just post homes that you want people to buy – people get bored of that and move on. Try posting the newest home decorating tips (something every homeowner needs), how to spruce up your home before putting it up on the market, how great of an investment real estate is, etc. 

Leave Your Followers Wanting More – When promoting something on social media, leave a little to the imagination. Make the customer beg you for more info.

Example: If you own an ice cream shop and come up with a new flavor, don’t just post “Hey, this is our new flavor – come try it today.” Create a mystery around it – take photos of the mystery ingredients or post videos of employees trying it for the first time and have them describe it (without giving it away). This creates a buzz around your following and will make the big reveal an event!

Talk To Your Followers As If You’re In The Room With Them – Yes, your message is being read by many people – but those people aren’t all in the same space. Most likely, they’re reading your content alone.

Example: The way you speak to a stadium of people is very different from how you speak to one person in their living room. Make a connection by being as intimate as possible. Make them feel like you’re giving them and only them an exclusive peek into your brand.