Social Media Secrets of the Rich and Famous

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By Hector Cisneros

I love the song dirty laundry by Don Henley which portrays the news industry as a system that lives off the glory and misfortunes of celebrities and the rich and famous.  However, this article is not about the dirty laundry of the rich and famous; It's about how anyone can grow an audience to a very large number by implementing marketing elements that are reciprocal to the fans it targets. Most social media articles about the rich and famous, only talk about who reached a huge following, not how they achieved their results. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore the principles of social networking that we have been espousing for several years now. So, get ready to absorb these social media principles as we unveil the evolved rules of social networking of the Rich and Famous.

When speaking of how the rich and famous grow their fan base, they generally fall into four camps;

1.    Those who leverage their fame and celebrity status, which makes it much easier to grow their following

2.    Those who use tricks and black hat techniques to rapidly grow their following

3.    Those who make it via sheer luck, grace or circumstance

4.    And finally, those who make it via consistent hard work

In many cases, the rich and famous achieve social media stardom (i.e., very large followings) by using all four methods. For example, a person may go viral because a picture or video was posted featuring them on social media, which through luck goes viral. This person may then begin to nurture that following with various types of social posts until managing their social following becomes too big of a job.  At which time they outsource the management task to another person or agency. This third party may use ethical means employing the principles espoused in this article, or they may use black hat tricks like buying followers (often used by some unethical marketing companies).

The rest of this article will provide my updated views on the principles I have laid out in the past, and I will include my insights about what has evolved in social media. I will also cover some of the technical changes that have taken place as well.

The Beat Moves On

Over the last seven years, I have written more than three dozen articles about social media

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marketing. A few of these were seminal in the development of our marketing methodology. In particular, I wrote an article called “Six Cardinal Rules for Success in Social Media Marketing.” This article's purpose was to highlight the differences between social networks and advertising because so much of the content at that time was about social media as a form of advertising. In fact, social media is not advertising in the analog sense of commercials at all. Social media sprang up as a means of allowing people to communicate with their friends, family, and co-workers. It allows people to expand their social connections in ways that have nothing to do with advertising. My infamous line of “no one ever joined a social network to be sold to”, still rings true today. The closest you could say was that social networks could provide great word of mouth. Fast forward to today, and yes, social media contains advertising in the form of paid ads, based on the subscriber’s profiles and keywords they mention. Having said this, the social aspects, i.e., the human connection is the most important part of social networking.

Is There a Secret to Social Media Success?

Sometime later I wrote an article called “Seven Secrets of Social Media Magnets.” This article discussed attributes of those who are influencers in social media. I laid out a set of principles, for the would-be social media celebrity wannabes to follow. These rules still apply today.  For example, you will see celebrities implementing my “add value rule” when they provide free access to items their fans were clamoring for. I have seen celebrities provide free music tracks, autographed pictures, music videos on YouTube and so on. If you’re talking about influencers, they always provide top quality content that is timely, useful, entertaining and authoritative plus free eBooks as well.

These influencers also follow rule number two, i.e., they are proactive. This is true whether

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we’re talking about staying ahead of the tech curve or producing content that is current, or just making sure their websites and social nets are mobile friendly. I would bet that many of their websites are also ADA compliant as well. The rest of the seven principles are almost always employed as well. Celebrities and influencers are almost always positive (Secret #3: Be Positive). Nobody likes a Debbie Downer and celeb’s go out of their way to project a positive image. They take the time to thank their fans as often as possible (Secret #4: Give Thanks).  Thanking their fan base publicly perpetuates the adoration that the fans give them.

It is also important for celebrities and influencers to “Be Consistent” - Secret #5. They also praise other leaders and influencers in their fields as well (Secret #6: Follow the Leaders). In fact, it’s not uncommon to have other leaders sing their praises. What better way to build your image than to have other big names toot your horn. It is also common for them to reciprocate.

Almost all celebrities and influential people use leverage to effectively utilize social media (Secret #7: Use Leverage to Multiply Your Effectiveness).  They will use aggregation software to make posts and then when the job gets too big, they outsource it so that someone can manage and coordinate their social posts to reach a huge audience. They will still engage in social media, and if they are smart, it is also closely managed, usually tied to live events like music, video, book and product launches.

In my article the “The Twelve Secrets of Social Media Success.” I delved into some of the

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technical aspects to make sure our readers did not misunderstand many of the basic elements and functions of social media.  For example, secret #2 states that, ”Social networks are best utilized as a word of mouth marketing medium,” not as an advertising venue. In other words, when someone posts how wonderful you, your product or service are, that is golden. No amount of money can buy that in advertising. On the other hand, pay-per-click ads running on social media are looked upon with skepticism! That article goes on to cover some of the myths like “Social Networking is Not Free,“ because even if you are posting content yourself, you are spending your time (and time is the most valuable commodity in the universe). Similarly, I was exposing back then how “Social Networks are not private.” Today this subject is making big headlines because of what happened in the last presidential election. Well, guess what folks, there was no privacy in the beginning of social media and there will be little privacy even after new privacy laws are passed. 

More Myths Dispelled 

Other myths I addressed include: “the idea that you can leave your social network alone & it will naturally grow.” In fact, you must actively pursue and invite fans to follow you. I also stated that “Followers need your attention in a minimum of two ways,” #1 you have to acknowledge the fans and followers and #2, get rid of the negative riffraff. You have to actively invite followers and fans; you must promote yourself if you want your following to grow. Along these same lines was the myth that “Subscribing your company to the top five Social Networks was all you have to do.” In fact, not actively engaging followers and posting content to your networks is equivalent to neglecting them.  I also went into the importance of “giving your audience what it craves” because it’s all about them, not what you want. Posting ads just turns people off. If followers perceive value, they will follow. They will also share your post and become loyal.

After this, I moved into logistical issues for growing your audience. I went into the

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importance of looking professional at all times. This includes spelling and grammar checking and eliminating vulgar and distasteful language.  I further discussed the importance of simply saying thank you when appropriate and helping others in need. The last item I discussed was to employ the universal truth, “Ask, and you shall receive.” If you want fans to share your work, ask them to! If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

The following is a short list of articles I suggest you read for a good overview of what we profess are the quintessential social media marketing principles.

• 16 Surefire Tips to Grow your Facebook Fan Base
• Top 12 Marketing Secrets for Filling the Credibility Gap
• Top 18 Tips That Can Maximize Your Content Marketing
• Social Media Tips, Tricks and Best Practices from the Pros
• Social Networking Secrets & Best Practices: Part 3 - There is no Substitute
• Social Networking Secrets & Best Practices: Part 2 - Giving is The Givers Secrets
• Social Networking Secrets & Best Practices: Part 1 - Two Sides of the Same Coin
• How to Grow Your Twitter Flock  –  14 Surefire Tips for Explosive Organic Growth
• How to Use LinkedIn for Sales and lead Generation - 15 Surefire Ways to Grow Your Appointments, Connections & Sales

But Wait, There’s More!

Now I want to cover some of the items that most other articles will not mention, or they will sidestep these elements altogether. For example, “Having talent helps.” A video can go viral because someone does a cool trick or something funny or stupid, but long-term play usually requires talent. Also “Having good looks doesn’t hurt”! If you're good looking, it’s easier on the eyes and let’s face it; people would rather look at eye candy than mediocrity. Not that you can’t overcome mediocre looks, you just have to have more of the following elements in play. Along these same lines is “Being funny.” People love to laugh and being funny can be a strong asset. So can “being outlandish or provocative,” however, these items are usually good add-ons for talent, good looks and or being funny, versus just being outlandish or provocative. Also, there is no substitute for “Being Lucky.” Being in the right place at the right time with the right message is hard to beat. Nothing can beat grace when it shines on you, so take it and run with it.

A Few Final Tips

Make sure the platforms you use are “Mobile Friendly.” Be it a blog, video platform or

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social network. More traffic is generated by smartphones today than any other device. Make sure your posts are “Optimized for Keywords.” This includes using Hashtags as well. Also “Make it easy for people to share and comment on your post.” If you want something to go viral, make sure you remove all the brakes. Remember to “Remove Spam and Reply to Legitimate Comments,” especially on your blogs and video channels. This improves the user experience and adds a professional feel. And lastly, make sure you “Share your Testimonials” and “Recycle your Best Material by Reposting and Repurposing them.  Turn some material into eBooks that you can give away to your fans and followers as thank you presents.

Make sure you go back and read the original articles mentioned in this blog. In fact, by perusing all of the articles mentioned, you will receive a wider education on the principles that have made us successful. It will also give you the tools to be successful yourself. You can even type a search on our blog with the words “social media” to find several dozen more articles to round out your knowledge base.  There are literally tens of thousands of articles published about social media and how celebrities use it. Most cover the dirty laundry, few mention how they actually grew their following, and even less discuss the principles involved. This article provides this and more. Growing client’s social following and building their audience is what I do for a living. I hope you follow the principles professed, it will help you grow your fan base.

That's my opinion; I look forward to reading yours.

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This article provides more than two dozen principles that the rich and famous use to grow their social media following to very large numbers. The principles and techniques listed make it easier to grow your social following. These principles and techniques can help anyone grow their fan base into the 100k+ size without going viral or even being a celebrity.  There are also many links to resources providing the reader with everything they need to learn how to grow their social fan base.

If you feel your business is not marketing itself in the best way possible, we can help with guaranteed services that produce positive results, or you don’t pay. If you would like to have your videos rank higher, you can contact us at by dialing 904-410-2091. We are very good at creating videos in a cost-effective manner and then distributing them to large audiences for our clients. We also provide 27 different digital products to help businesses get their message out. You can also fill out the form in the sidebar of this blog where we will provide a free marketing analysis to help you get better results. Our claimed to fame is that we are one of a few companies who actually provide real guarantees.

If you found this article useful, please share it with friends, family, and co-workers. I recommend checking out the links on the blog, along with checking out other related articles on our Show Notes Page.  Also, don’t forget to listen to the BlogTalkRadio show on this subject. If you have a related useful comment or opinion about this article, leave it in the comment section of this blog. Also, don’t forget to plus us, on Google+ and share us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn as well.

Hector Cisneros is COO and Director of Social Media Marketing at Working the Web to Win, an award-winning Internet marketing company based in Jacksonville, Florida.  He is also co-host of the weekly Internet radio show, "Working the Web to Win" on BlogTalkRadio.com, which airs every Tuesday at 4 p.m. Eastern. Hector is a syndicated writer and published author of “60 Seconds to Success.”