The Ocean Agency

Every DJ has heard this: In this day and age, just about anyone can “DJ” a party. All you have to do is make a playlist and hit play, right?

WRONG.

Every social media marketer has heard this:  Anyone can be a social media marketer, all you need is a blog, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn account.

WRONG AS WELL.

Interestingly, the keys to being a successful DJ and social media marketer are surprisingly similar:

1) Initial Research

Both marketers and DJs need to know their audience. Who’s coming to your party? What kind of music do they listen to? What special personal touches are you going to throw in to go with the theme of the party?

2) In Depth Research:

If you’re a DJ you gotta stay on top of what people are listening to. That means checking top 10 lists, taking notes of songs that kill at bars and parties etc.  You are a constant sponge, soaking up whatever music is successful and trying to understand why.

As a social media marketer you stay on top of the latest trends, you follow successful campaigns, you study metrics. You begin to understand what works and what does not. Much of the way that a DJ knows not to play Jay-Z at a Nascar themed party, you know that a brand who only uses Twitter to talk about the weather and promote its own blog will not gain much traction.

3) A Plan

Ultimately, a playlist is a marketing plan. You have picked out songs that you think will elicit a certain reaction out of people– dancing. In the same way, a marketing plan is meant to coerce a certain behavior out of people- whether it be to buy a product or visit a website.

The best playlists have music that is adaptable, prepared for any party situation. What if only 10 people show up, would you know what music to play? What about 400?

It is the same with a marketing plan. The plan needs to be carefully created while still remaining adaptable to a myriad of situations.

4) Monitoring/Listening

No one is perfect. Even the most carefully crafted playlist or marketing plan will have something that may not go over so well; You know, like that time you decided to play “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” expecting girls to start dancing, but all you got was blank stares. How about the Twitter contest you started for a client that did not gain a lot of traction?

Once you put the plan or playlist into effect you need to monitor the results and react in real time. What songs are making people dance? What’s the mood of the crowd like? Are people asking for requests, if so, do they differ from the type of music you are playing?

As a marketer you are also gauging reactions. Who is interacting with the campaigns? Are people reacting negatively, or failing to react altogether?

5) Adaptability

Once the plan is in place, and you have monitored reactions, you need to adapt. If no one is dancing, throw on a request, or play a song that you know always kills on the dance floor.

If your marketing campaign is failing to gain traction, switch it up! In today’s world of marketing adaptability and listening are paramount. Be engaged, be smart, and be genuine.

The best social media marketers and DJs both know how to research, plan, listen and adapt.

Do you agree? Is social media marketing like DJ-ing a party?