Introduction:
In my last post, I discussed how Netflix uses Twitter to engage their audience. In this post, I explore what else Netflix is up to on other social media channels. I wasn’t surprised by my findings.
Spoiler Alert! Netflix tends to get things wrong.
But, I was happy to know that I could take my findings, as well as my classmates’ results to guide you all to the best practices for your social media page. Here is what we found:
- Write A Good Bio, And Go From There
I’ve mentioned the overconfident practice Netflix partakes in by changing their bio almost every day on Twitter. Their bios are usually quoting popular shows on the network…
Exhibit A:
but news flash, Netflix… nobody knows or remembers the quotes that you are using in your bio! The bio, “we are all making mat this year” would have absolutely no meaning to anyone who hasn’t seen the show, Cheer. I’ll digress, even though I could go on about this.
I was not surprised to see that Netflix carries over its poor biography habits to Facebook. According to my classmate, Valerie Ward, Facebook is no different in their approach to assuming everyone knows who they are.
Netflix’s Facebook Bio:
Look closely, or you’ll miss it. The bio is a whopping two sentences long full of mundane information.
I will give Netflix’s Twitter one thing, and that is, they are providing more information on Facebook about what they offer on their service. However, this bio is dull, so dull that I almost fall asleep reading it every time. The bio is thrown together, and it is incredibly generic. In her most recent blog post, Valerie writes, ”If I didn’t know anything about Netflix and read that, I would not feel very motivated to purchase a subscription. It definitely does fit with the about section on the website.”
Here’s what you can do to show up Netflix’s biographies:
SproutSocial explains the importance of defining your networks or themes. If you want people to respond to your brand, they need to know what exactly your brand is. Don’t leave your audience guessing. Tell people who you are, but do it creatively and uniquely to anyone else.
- Engage With Your Audience
In the audit I conducted featured in my last post, I mentioned Netflix does not utilize Twitter to respond to its audience. A lot of the time, Twitter is the leading platform for most businesses to respond to customer complaints and overall feedback to customers. Netflix is not one of these businesses. Although Netflix is excellent at responding through retweets and likes from pages that paint Netflix in a positive light, they fail to comment back to people who are not so happy with them. Community engagement is imperative, and I was hoping to see that Netflix was using Facebook to respond to its audience. Unfortunately, all hope was lost when I read Valerie’s week-long audit of Netflix’s Facebook page.
After a week of posting content, Facebook did not respond to anyone. They were radio-silent, and they didn’t feel the need to respond to anyone’s comments. Valerie states in her audit that 70,000 people commented on one post, and there was no interaction on Netflix’s side. Like I said in my first blog post, Netflix is cocky. The attitude they give off by not responding to their community makes it seem like they are above the rest when they are leading by a feeble example. Hootsuite explains that a brand must respond to all comments and mentions—promptly to be considered as a brand that utilizes best practices.
- Post Exclusive Content Everywhere
When it comes to the actual content, Netflix is a homerun. When I compare Netflix’s content on Twitter to the content featured on Facebook, it is entirely different. This is good! Exclusive content on every platform is what every brand should be emulating. On Twitter, Netflix provides a variety of images, gifs, memes, and retweeted content. On Facebook, Netflix provides completely different pieces of content. Therefore, Netflix is increasing the likelihood that their content will be higher on their followers’ news feed. The Facebook page likes to focus on trailers that have a better chance of circulating through the accessible pages on people’s timelines.
Also, both Netflix’s Twitter and Facebook use the best practice of posting at ideal times. For instance, both platforms feature content between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Both platforms garner engagement by posting during this period. People know that they are guaranteed content when they log on at that time period. Also, they are guaranteed original content during this time period on each platform. Even better!
Conclusion:
I was not shocked to see Netflix’s mistakes, and good practices, carry over to each platform. It should not be hard for Netflix to change its bad habits, but it is all about attitude, and whether or not they want to change. Fortunately, we can use this multi-million dollar corporation as an example to learn from. No one is perfect, but if you put in the effort to maximize your presence on social media, you should have no problem advancing your brand. Don’t. Be. Lazy.
So what do you guys think about best practices? Do you think Netflix is an excellent example to learn the Dos and Don’ts of social media? Do you have a favorite brand you follow on Twitter or Facebook? Leave me a comment below. If you like this post, please share it!
Hannah Jordan's Social Media Blog 