Suppose you have the next Empire or Jurassic World on your hands – do you know how to market and promote it to its full potential? Entertainment is an inherently social experience; if you see a great TV show, you’ll likely be engaging with it on social media. With this thought in mind, a post from Beamly’s Jen Kavanagh on how to properly market to Millennials, “Five New Rules for Entertainment Marketing”, has great ideas on how to maximize campaigns. Here’s how affinities can take 3 of these rules even further:

1. Market to More than Demo

Potential viewers are much more than their age, gender, or socioeconomic status. Kavanagh urges us to find the most likely and loyal of viewers and those that will share the most on social media. She provides a fantastic example: marketing a new show that has people doing inspiring things. Audiences not directly connected with TV programs, but demonstrate an interest in TED Talks or are inspired by content from Upworthy boosts the relevance of your campaign. What makes this comment so astute is the underlying premise: marketers must understand their consumers as the multi-faceted people they are if the show or movie is to attract eyeballs.

Social affinities provide a looking glass that can provide the same insight on and off social media. Making connections in a fractured media landscape is key to conversion. Marketers that understand personalities and preferences create engaged and receptive customers.

2. Use Science to Perfect the Art

Qualitative insights are great, but they become even stronger when they can be supported by quantitative data. The piece points out that testing headlines and imagery for optimization remain important. However, without an understanding of what they actually mean to an audience – and a way to measure that relevance – your program or product could be interpreted by viewers in ways that you never intended, good or bad.

Even the most prescient understanding of consumers can benefit from some validation; marketers know their businesses better than anyone else, but having some way to quantify your customers and prospects’ interest is invaluable. Social affinities are one such prism – how many engaged fans does your program have, and with which other TV shows, brands, etc. are they engaging?

3. Kill the Press Site and Empower “The Collective”

It’s hard to imagine any show gaining traction without the ability to be shared by its would-be fans. Kavanagh points out that traditional websites that house and regulate TV programs’ assets act as a deterrent to this. Her solution is to distribute this content regularly and in snackable form; marketers should have content that is meant for sharing, such as GIFs.

If these writers, bloggers and fans are powerful assets – they keep enthusiasm and momentum for your program going when you cannot. Affinities can play a part in maximizing reach and shares by expanding the audience itself. This audience is at a critical juncture: beyond those who are just casually aware, but they have not yet decided to tune in or head to a theater near them. Affinities provide the chance for marketers to grow an expanded “collective”, strategically and tactically.

    If you could access entertainment preferences of hundreds of millions of consumers, how would that impact your campaign?

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