5 Reasons You Should You Use Pop Culture in Your Social Media Strategy
When the term “pop culture” is thrown around, we tend to associate it with a wide range of popular behaviors, trends, and everyday activities. But what exactly is pop culture? According to Tim Delaney, a Sociology professor at the State University of New York at Oswego, pop culture “consists of the aspect of attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, customs, and tastes that define the people of any society.”
Pop culture is the food we eat, the media we consume, and the clothes we wear. It influences our social interactions and permeates our everyday lives. This is especially true in the modern age of the Internet and social media, where pop culture is pretty much inescapable.
Social media largely influences how we engage with pop culture because it is pop culture. Memes, trending topics, and fandom communities are all examples of how pop culture has expanded into online spaces.
Before the advent of the Internet, brands only had one shot at getting their message across with traditional forms of media. Marketing efforts were minimal due to time restraints and limited resources. However, social media provides brands with an opportunity to engage and entertain their consumers. Using pop culture in your social media strategy can achieve this and more.
Here are five reasons why you should use pop culture in your marketing efforts:
1. Keep your brand up-to-date and modern
Although this may seem redundant, pop culture itself is relevant. Maintaining a sense of relevancy is key to attracting a broader audience, and it keeps your brand’s content fresh. Whether it be a holiday or popular news that is trending, incorporating relevant information into your brand’s social media strategy can pique interest across the board.
2. Reach your target audience
As mentioned above, relevancy all comes down to the target audience you’re trying to reach. Are you interested in getting Millennials and Gen Z invested in your brand? Or are your marketing efforts intended for older individuals? No matter the demographic, pop culture will always remain prevalent to people of all ages and backgrounds.
Holidays, sports, and music are all instances of pop culture that resonate with everyone, but having a sense of what appeals to specific audiences is key to successful marketing. Because Gen Z and Millennials grew up using the Internet and social media, they have more niche interests than their elders.
Visual media such as memes and GIFS are vital if you’re trying to reach young people. They typically gravitate towards current trends and cultural phenomena. Traditional pop culture references, such as film and music, can invoke a sense of nostalgia if you’re trying to engage with older audiences.
3. It humanizes your brand
Social media users are looking for content that speaks to them and their interests. Depending on the scope of your brand, incorporating elements of pop culture will make your social media relatable and demonstrate that you have multiple dimensions.
The most effective way to humanize your brand is by injecting personality into your content. If a consumer engages with you, responding in a conversational tone will likely be more successful than responding in a rehearsed way. Wendy’s is the perfect example of this—after they began their Twitter campaign of “roasting” their followers, they received positive responses from fans and marketing professionals alike.
4. Your content is more likely to gain traffic
With pop culture dominating the social media landscape, trends are ever-present and constantly evolving. Social media trends can be anything from Tik Tok dance challenges to popular Netflix shows like Squid Game. Knowing what people are invested in at a given moment can be used to your advantage.
As a marketer, it’s best to capitalize on up-and-coming trends as they gain traction online. Of course, it’s essential to incorporate trends into your social media content only if it’s relevant to the message you want to convey. We don’t advise brands to brush up on trends solely because of their popularity.
5. It can help fill your content calendar
If you’re having difficulty finding inspiration, you can add variety to your content calendar by including pop culture moments. For example, the Super Bowl is an excellent time for brands to post on social media and respond to current events. Holidays and national events can give you an edge when you’re unable to brainstorm ideas for content.
Whether you’re having trouble finding inspiration for content or want to reach a broader audience, utilizing pop culture in your social media strategy is a fun and engaging way to get people interested in your brand. Keep in mind that all brands are different in how they engage with their audience: it’s possible to keep the tone of your content both professional and exciting and still achieve your marketing goals.
Pop culture is overwhelmingly present in our daily lives and is integral to communicating both in-person and online. Taking advantage of trends when they occur is an effective way to build interest and buzz.
If you’re hoping to integrate these methods into your marketing efforts but don’t know where to start, Online Optimism has you covered.