Our key community management objectives for Amazon Music stem from a core principle: fans set the beat and tone of pop culture on social media, so we should always take a fan-first approach – because we’re fans, too! When we’re not celebrating music and fanning out with followers on our own pages, we go and meet fans where they are: the feeds, the FYPs, and most frequently in the comments of their favorite artists’ posts. It’s important that when we show up beyond our channels, we do so as true fans, and not as an outside entity with an agenda. Which is why we set goals that measure the engagement and sentiment on our outbound comments against that standard: Is Amazon Music one of the top comments? Did we earn more engagement than other brands or competitors? Do the fans accept us as one of their own? Are we building trust with fan bases that can be leveraged into conversions to grow our social following? Amidst all of these efforts, are we maintaining a healthy and engaged community on our own pages? These goals drive our strategy on a daily basis, and serve as a reliable foundation for fast-paced moments when music and pop culture… pops!
How do we bring a fan-first approach to life? It starts with being fans ourselves, while also taking the time to understand fan bases beyond the scope of our team’s personal interests. A common thread that runs through all socially active fandoms is support and celebration. They root for their favorite artists as if they’re lifelong friends, and they often see engagement from Amazon Music as a validation of their favorite artist’s reach and appeal.
Across all social platforms, this manifests in celebrating and supporting artists alongside their fans. On Instagram and TikTok, we prioritize interacting with not only fans, but also the artists themselves, by jumping into their comments when they drop a big announcement, achieve a big win, or are simply giving in the moment!
Our gameplan for X is simply to always be ready. X is the place where we can be most reactive, responding to news or trends as soon as they take off, or jumping into coverage on a big event or cultural moment. Fans on X are extremely online – they appreciate when we take more risks, share our take on a meme trend or prove that we’re in on the joke. We know that they’re constantly searching for mentions of their favorite artists, which makes our reactive strategy a great discovery tactic for potential new followers. In between big moments, we keep conversation flowing through engagement prompts that allow them to express their fandom, creativity and interests.
Of course, diving in with fans has its challenges. Fandoms, at times, can be competitive with one another. We always have to be aware of potential conflicts between fan bases, as well as the current sentiment within each of those communities. Are they butting heads with another fandom? Are they upset that their favorite artist isn’t getting enough attention, or perhpas lost an award nomination? We combat this challenge by being informed and aware through research and social listening. This preparation protects our brand, but also improves our output as we strive to show up authentically, as fans ourselves.
When measuring success, we keep our objectives and goals top of mind: Are we showing up as fans? Do the fans accept us as one of their own? In 2024, the answer has most often been a resounding, “Yes!” - as proven by the 3.8 million+ organic engagements on Instagram alone! There is no greater reward than a Taylor Swift fan calling Amazon Music a “Swiftie,” or a fan page using our community management in their own content. Those moments are goals in and of themselves, and they drive and inspire every exchange we have with fellow fans and artists across social media. Simply put, multiple fandoms have embraced Amazon Music’s presence on their feeds and in the comments, which is exactly what we set out to do.
