There’s quite a buzz around K-Pop or Korean pop and the hype is real! I wonder if there’s anyone who must not have heard about the hit track of 2012 “Gangnam Style” by Korean artist and producer PSY.
Taking a recent example would be the growth of BTS and the influence the band of 7 members has made across the globe. Being a K-Pop enthusiast as well as a marketer, I couldn’t help but be in admiration for the digital marketing strategies the billion-dollar industry has used to reach so far.
So, in this blog, I will be sharing my observations on Digital Marketing strategies used in the K-Pop industry. (Secretly hoping you will be a fan too!)
Marketing Strategies used by K-Pop Industry
Mind you when I say this, some of these strategies have helped create Guinness world records. Despite the language barriers, it has fared well across the world, drawn attention, and has built new fans as well. These digital marketing strategies even worked throughout the time of the pandemic, ensuring constant business for the industry.
Here are the marketing strategies that you can draw inspiration from to incorporate into your business.
Powerful and Consistent Online Presence
Over time, social media had become one of the most lucrative spaces for promoting products and artists. The K-Pop business made the most of this window of opportunity by developing its own innovative strategies for attracting and retaining fans in the digital realm.
K-Pop artists' prominence on social media platforms is a key differentiator between them and other modern musicians. Internet communities like YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook are used to inform admirers of upcoming performances, new albums, tour dates, and merch. Weverse and V LIVE are only two examples of the apps used by K-Pop labels to increase their artists' exposure to their fans.
When it comes to communicating with their fans, many K-Pop groups use a unified social media presence rather than separate profiles. This way, followers may keep up with the group's activities without having to follow multiple pages. Even other brands have made use of these K-Pop groups in for brand building by incorporating influencer marketing strategies.
Read our blog on “How to use influencer marketing” to know more.
By centralizing the band's updates and information in one place, they can reach more people and get more people engaged with what they're doing better than ever before. This builds high quality traffic not just on social media but on their website and other online pages as well. Further, this strikes an excellent harmony between accessibility to fans and confidentiality for creators.
Experimenting Concept Strategy
Initial themes rarely persist throughout a career for a K-Pop group or musician. There's always something new to look forward to with each unique style of a comeback.
When running a business, it is essential to establish a unique brand story that stands out from the crowd and makes your product or service memorable to customers. The networking and trust-building opportunities it provides are invaluable to any company's long-term success.
BTS, the globally recognized Korean boy band, frequently engages in extremely experimental activities to pique its fans' interest. A key takeaway about marketing from K-pop is the value of trying new things. In a similar vein, Blackpink, the popular female group, recently released a song called “Ice Cream” with American pop star Selena Gomez.
Hype building through Teasers
Auditioning is a key part of the K-pop industry's process for forming new bands, and many agencies organize open auditions throughout the year. These hopefuls are recruited as talents and put through a rigorous training regimen before making their band or solo debuts.
The management team will begin promoting the act months before its official debut using various video marketing and social media marketing strategies. They now use information such as teaser videos, rehearsal videos, and behind-the-scenes videos to generate buzz about their upcoming performances. By the time they make their debut on a variety show or music channel, they will have built a following and promoted their brand extensively in advance.
Korean record labels would release teasers for fans like concept films, pictures, and short videos months before an album's scheduled release. Media outlets often cover this, creating interest in the performers.
Such strategies can be used by marketers across industries to raise the profile of their products and encourage their audiences to interact with them. Customers are more likely to buy a brand-new product or try a new service if they are given a sneak peek at it before it is released.
An Interactive Community Building
K-Pop group, BTS, has one of the most dedicated worldwide fan following. Adorable Representative of M.C. Youth (ARMY) is what the members of BTS call their devoted fanbase. K-pop stars keep in touch with their followers through social media and concerts to keep them interested and increase their audience size.
The agency typically holds a contest within a few of weeks following a group's debut for fans to submit ideas for the official fandom name. The only thing that can keep fans interested is regular communication between them and their favorite artists through social media interactions, live videos, personalized videos, etc. This is evident from the fact that joining their official fan club grants them access to a plethora of benefits, including a wealth of products and behind-the-scenes videos.
Customer satisfaction is crucial to your business's survival. Make your consumers feel heard and valued by taking the time to learn about them and talking to them. The key to success is maintaining a steady stream of repeat consumers. As a general rule, if you treat your consumers with loyalty, they will return the favor by remaining loyal over time, thereby increasing their purchases.
Wrapping Up
To stay ahead of the competition and relevant to viewers, Korean entertainment industry have realized the need of tracking market trends. Marketers would be wise to take a page out of the K-Pop industry's book and learn a thing or two about how to increase the visibility of their own businesses by analyzing the methods used by the industry's most successful companies.
If you are looking to build your business using effective marketing strategies like the ones mentioned above, your opportunities are wide. You can use video marketing, inbound marketing, affiliate marketing and many more digital marketing strategies for your business.
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