Building momentum through conversations.

By Jochen Cloetens on 4 January 2012 in New (ways of using) Media | 7 Comments

Time for confessions, I love Iron Maiden! Not only for their great output of timeless heavy metal classics, but surely for their unique brand management over time as well. Like many major bands, it might not surprise you Iron Maiden is more than just the artists. It is a serious business with well thought out marketing budgets.

However, while many major bands still use traditional promotion pushed through various new media channels, Iron Maiden seems to understand the power of conversations. Next to their advanced experience marketing programs (join singer Bruce Dickinson on board of his Boeing 747), presences on Google+, Facebook and Twitter, they dare to reach out to the fans in a unique way. Let’s explore what happened earlier this week.

Building Momentum

Building momentum is a proven marketing technique and easy to execute on a maintained Twitter and/or Facebook account. With little effort, static announcements can be turned into vivid conversations. A technique that is clearly well understood by Iron Maiden’s marketing machine.

The story started with the following official tweet on New Year’s Day.

Few minutes later, a small banner on the official Iron Maiden website appeared :

Simultaneously, another teaser was spread through the official Iron Maiden Twitter account:

Real Conversations

These official messages increased the attention of the Iron Maiden fans and various rumors rapidly started spreading around the internet. Many other bands would then continue either teasing (classic promotion) or do nothing (lack of a plan). Not so with Iron Maiden.

The official @IronMaiden Twitter account — with nearly 125.000 followers — was used to counter most false rumors, to keep the conversations positive and to reassure their fans it would be ‘good’ news. Iron Maiden had a voice and talked to the fans. Real conversations started and made the community buzzing. The teasing was now done by the fans, not by the brand; the art of great momentum building.

Don’t Disappoint

Although the outcome may not have pleased all Iron Maiden fans (an announcement about a small studio sideproject started up by Iron Maiden guitar player Adrian Smith), it certainly increased conversations about the band, kept the brand alive and helped promoting the sideproject at little cost.

But beware: bad momentum building can result in negative conversations. If your community or brand positioning is weak, avoid the mountain to give birth to a mouse. Make sure you have something to announce of great importance to your fans before you start developing such promotional tactics. Avoid teasing non-events or non-news.

5 Points to Keep In Mind

Building momentum through conversations is great to trigger your community and engage your fans. Five points we can learn from the Iron Maiden case:

1. Building momentum works only as an integrated part of a long term strategic marketing plan. (Iron Maiden started Twittering officially early 2009 and maintains regular contact with their online fans.)
2. Don’t tease your fans with non-news. Avoid the mountain to give birth to a mouse.
3. Have a communication/promotion plan ready. Which channels to use? When to announce? Teasing period?
4. Have a content plan ready. What to tease? What kind of tips to give away?
5. Be present and talk with your fans. Expect your community to ask questions, answer them. Don’t sit and wait.

Tags: brand, conversation manager, event promotion, Facebook, Iron Maiden, music, music promotion, social media, Twitter

7 Comments to Building momentum through conversations.. Click to add your comment now!

jochen Cloetens (@JochenCloetens)
January 4, 2012

Building momentum through conversations with Iron Maiden. Check my blogpost. http://t.co/wGVMI5tY via @cleverwood

Pieter Maenhout (@PieterM23)
January 4, 2012

Building momentum through conversations. http://t.co/0y6SshTV via @cleverwood cc @JochenCloetens

Jonathan Loriaux (@jloriaux)
January 4, 2012

Building momentum through conversations – http://t.co/kAxJIM7i – by @JochenCloetens – #envracemm #socialmarketing

Christelle Deliens
January 4, 2012

Building momentum through conversations. http://t.co/LlYEmroa via @cleverwood

jochen Cloetens
January 5, 2012

How veterans Iron Maiden stay strong with todays online marketing. http://t.co/VnFBl2qe #socialmarketing #musicmarketing #metalheads

Tomas Sweertvaegher
January 5, 2012

RT @JochenCloetens: How veterans Iron Maiden stay strong with todays online marketing. http://t.co/hdvN0OPZ #socialmarketing #musicmarketing

Olivier Beaujean
January 7, 2012

Listening to Iron Maiden ;-) RT @JochenCloetens: How veterans Iron Maiden stay strong with todays online marketing. http://t.co/On70g5vg

Speak Your Mind