When a business pumps out content as fast as Netflix does, how on earth do they keep up with making sure customers know all that’s available to them? Fantastic digital marketing — that’s how. When it comes to a modern digital marketing plan, no one knows better than Netflix about how to reach an audience and tailor its strategy for maximum reach. Here are ten things you can learn from Netflix’s digital marketing strategy.
1. They’re Customer-centric
These days, a positive customer experience is a valuable currency, and it’s something Netflix does very, very well. Their marketing strategy and overall user experience are geared towards making sure their clients are having a great time. You’ll learn more about the details in a couple more sections.
2. Their Plan is Integrated
We said modern, but Netflix’s strategy is actually a perfect blend of both traditional and new marketing strategies. This is what allows them to reach such a vast audience. They use multiple tools and channels (see #6: Social Media) to hit every demographic. As you could guess, this is important considering nearly everybody and their dog has access to Netflix, whether they’re six or sixty.
3. Netflix’s Marketing is Personalized
Personalization is one of the main reasons Netflix succeeds with its marketing. Consumers have less and less patience for flipping through options to find the right fit for them. They want those suggestions to pop up. No two users’ home screens look the same because of their personalized marketing strategies, and consumers love it. Netflix has a massive budget to create fancy algorithms that achieve precisely that. Luckily, however, deep pockets aren’t the only way to achieve personalization.
4. They Use Machine Learning
Like we said… Algorithms… EngageBay explains the success of email marketing and modern marketing the best:
“They’re both built on a very solid foundation. That foundation is data.”
Netflix leverages a massive amount of data in its marketing strategies. This leads to more personalization and a better customer experience. To be successful at marketing in the modern age, capitalize on all the information you have access to before creating campaigns.
5. They Know That Experiences are Everything
We’ve already talked about the customer experience, but here, we’re talking about experience in a different way. Do you remember the movie Bandersnatch? Netflix put out a choose-your-own-adventure movie that let their audience literally run the show. Some of their marketing campaigns also involve experiences that make them unforgettable. For example, when the newest season of Stranger Things was released, Netflix created an augmented reality ad on Snapchat so users could walk through one of the character’s homes decked out for Halloween.
6. Social Media
Social media is a must for any modern digital marketing plan. You’ll notice Netflix has a heap of followers across several platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. That way, they can use the excellent ad algorithms of the platforms for collecting — you guessed it — more data while also reaching numerous different audiences with personalized content. Using social media for digital marketing also helps with the next three sections.
7. Netflix Knows Humour
Humour is huge — it just needs to be appropriate. Netflix has mastered the humour aspect of their accounts and often posts things like memes using content from their shows. Humour makes customers relate to the content and also want to stay in the loop with jokes and can ensure ads have a huge reach… Without them having to spend a dime. Wit goes a long way.
8. Memes
Memes are directly related to both humour and social media. Luckily for Netflix, they have a massive amount of content from which they can create memes from. It’s a short, snappy, and fun way to make people engage with your ads and maybe even share them (if they’re funny enough or relatable enough). Another great thing about memes is that they’re a common way people communicate and express themselves these days. By using memes, Netflix’s marketing strategy stays relevant.
9. They Stay Relevant
There are two ways to look at relevance. Relevance in staying with the times and current events, and relevance to the calendar and different holidays. If Thanksgiving is coming up, Netflix starts pumping those holiday classics and lists of must-watch post-turkey movies. Did something dramatic happen at the Oscars, perhaps? There’s a Netflix show-based meme for that.
10. Netflix is Creative
Finally, Netflix is undeniably creative with its ad campaigns. Innovation is key to staying relevant. Besides the Snapchat AR ploy for Stranger Things, Netflix also did fun things like put up a “Netflix is a joke” billboard and stick transparent stickers with an image of a rolled-up dollar bill and cocaine residue in clubs to promote Narcos.
Are you looking for someone to create fun, witty content to freshen up your digital marketing strategy? We know a guy. Book a call with us, and we’ll figure out the best modern digital marketing plan — fit with content — for your business.
