Everything around you can teach you something about marketing, even if it is not marketing related. If you ever wondered why a certain person is very famous or even a certain company is gaining huge popularity, then the answer is good marketing.
We have always noticed the amazing popularity of the K-pop band BTS “Bangtan Sonyeondan” and we found out that these 7 boys can teach other brands really important marketing lessons.
So, here are some marketing lessons you can learn from BTS.
What To Know About BTS
BTS is a K-pop band that has gained worldwide popularity and has been called a global phenomenon due to the success the band members have achieved. One of the factors that have made these 7 boys extremely popular is their outstanding marketing strategy.
Almost all people who are not familiar with the band always wonder why BTS is so famous and how they have this huge dedicated fandom “Army”.
The answer to these questions is that of course their talent and their outstanding Marketing strategy.
BTS has one of the best marketing plans that enabled them to go beyond just making music.
Their Outstanding Marketing Strategy
Aside from the amazing talent and good music that BTS own, the band follows a marketing strategy that enabled them to be an important pillar of the South Korean economy and culture.
The band has a strategy that enables them to always stay active and never run out of content until they managed to always make their audience wonder where they are if they disappeared for a couple of days!
The power of BTS has enabled them to be the global ambassadors of the international brand Samsung and both collaborated 2 months ago and launched one of the best campaigns under the name of “Unfold Your New World with Galaxy Z Flip 4”.
BTS also became the ambassador of Hyundai Motor and the 7 members took part in the brand’s “Goal of the Century” campaign for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Both BTS and Hyundai released another version of the band’s recent hit “Yet To Come” to be the World Cup campaign song. It was also stated that the band will sing live at the World Cup in Qatar.
Hyundai Motor also sponsored their recent concert in Busan to promote Busan Expo 2030.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyJ92oa0flc
So, it is fair to say that BTS has one of the most brilliant marketing strategies and marketers can learn many marketing lessons from the band.
Here are some of them.
1- Good Communication Creates A Good Reputation
As we have stated previously, communication is the key to any brand’s success and BTS members are the master of communication.
One of the things the band is famous for is how they communicate with their fans “Army”. When they first debuted, the band used to receive letters from their fans; they always look for other ways to stay in touch with them.
One of their habits is going live every once in a while and especially on their birthday to engage with the fans by reading their comments, they also have accounts on an application created by their record label HYBE called Weverse where they can reply to their fans’ posts and reply to their comments.
Also, when the band released their most recent mobile game, they created an account and started communicating with the fans there as well.
It is known that the band members always check what their fans are saying about them even if they don’t have the chance to communicate. In fact, one of the band members Jeon Jungkook used to use the Instagram “Ask Me” sticker to engage with Army and joke with them.
So, communication is definitely one of the best ways to build your brand’s foundation and build its reputation.
2- Expand Beyond Just Your Field
The band knew how to evolve beyond just singing and dancing; they expanded their business to reach as many people as possible.
If you think all that BTS does is create music, then you’re definitely wrong.
The band has a webseries called “Run BTS” and a television series called “BTS In The Soop” that show the real personality of the 7 members, which also was a very smart way in building a strong bond with their fans. The band also released various mobile games and the most recent one is BTS Island: In the SEOM.
So, expanding your business to be able to reach more people with different interests will definitely lead you to major success.
3- Know Your Target Audience Well
Ever since the band debuted, they knew exactly how to reach their target audience through their content/music.
When the band debuted in 2013, they were all teenagers, so their songs discussed the problems teenagers face and the insecurities they have. By that time, many of their songs discussed depression and lack of motivation, which is a common problem for everyone, teenagers or adults.
The band even created a song under the name “Pied Piper” to encourage their fans to study and not to be distracted even by their music!
So, the band knows exactly who their audience is and the type of encouragement they need to hear; the band even creates songs just to tell their Army how much they miss them and appreciate them.
So, studying your target audience and knowing them well, will help you create content that immediately reaches them.
4- Build A Strong Bond With Your Audience
As a brand owner, you can learn from these 7 boys how they are able to form a very strong bond with their audience/fans.
The band was able to build a very strong relationship with their fans; in fact, ARMY is the most dedicated and loyal fandom ever as they support every decision the band makes and even start charities in their name.
So, all of this along with good communication enabled the band to have a special bond that every other artist around the world speaks positively about.
So, the lesson here is being there for your audience or customers can be a strong factor in forming a strong bond with them and earning their loyalty.
5- Your Online Existence Matters
Another lesson BTS teaches marketers is why online existence is essential to any brand.
The members are active on social media and always post photos and stories on all their accounts; you can find them active on Twitter, Weverse, and especially Instagram. To have good communication with your audience you have to have an obvious online existence, which is exactly what the band is doing.
They try to exist as much as possible by even sharing with their fans the songs they’re listening to.
So, make sure you always stay active on your social media platforms.
6- Always Have Content To Provide
BTS always makes sure there is content for their fans. For example, when the band discussed they’d pay attention to their solo activities more than their group ones, they released new episodes of their webseries “Run BTS”.
Each one of the members is also releasing a photo book that includes a photo shoot, which concept is purely created by them.
Even when the band announced they will be joining the Korean military, they stated that each member will join right after releasing his solo album. So, by the second and third members joining, the first one will be finishing his service, which will also leave the fandom with content until they reunite again in 2025.
So, as a brand owner, always make sure you provide content to your audience so you can always be on their minds.
7- Have A Clear Message
8- Show Appreciation To Your Audience
As a brand, you owe your audience/customers a lot and this can be seen in how the band always shows appreciation for their fans.
This is the best thing about the band, the 7 members always thank their fans in almost all of their interviews and all of their concerts. As we mentioned earlier, the band even creates special songs for their fans in which they tell them how much they’re thankful for them and appreciates them.
With every award they win, they always thank them just like every artist but also make sure they post on their social media platforms thanking their Army.
Appreciation is the key to winning over your audience, it makes them feel that they are a part of your success and that you’re not denying their support.
In the end, it is fair to say that all of these points prove that BTS and their company have one of the best marketing strategies that everyone can learn and benefit from.
