Social Media Lessons From Queen B

Queen B (AKA Beyoncé) released a surprise album, “Lemonade,” right after her HBO special debuted this spring. Leading up to the event she did not participate in any interviews, pose for any magazine covers, or guest star on any late-night talk shows. Instead, Beyoncé and her publicity team took to social media to promote the release of her visual album. Through the videos and photos that were posted to her accounts, her loyal followers, dubbed the “bee-hive,” were tipped off, setting the internet on fire.

Let’s take a look at the social media marketing lessons we can all learn from Queen B:

• Give them what they want. Beyoncé’s social media accounts are full of candid pictures of her family and behind-the-scene videos. In order to find out what your followers really want, analyze your top performing posts and research the most engaged followers to find commonalities.  
• But also give them what they need. Not only does Beyoncé utilize social media to give her fans a glimpse into her fabulous life, she uses the platforms to promote her campaigns. Videos and photos of her new clothing line and details about her tour and album are weaved in among her personal posts. Your followers need a mix of content containing your core messages but also highly-engaging posts, so figure out a system that works for your brand.  
• Control the message. When rumors speculated that Beyoncé and her beau, Jay Z, were going through marital problems, Beyoncé and her team flawlessly dismissed the rumors by announcing she was going on tour with him, allowing her to bypass traditional media and fully control the message she wants presented.  

Now let’s all channel our inner Sasha Fierce and create social media content that would make the Queen proud.