Social Entertainment Marketing: Everything You Need to Know

What Is Social Entertainment?

First things first, what exactly is it? How does it differ from social media entertainment or other forms of popular entertainment marketing? The truth is, it doesn’t differ from these things at all––it actually combines them. In the past few years, we have watched the changing ways that users interact with content. For the majority of social media history, brands were tracking followers and growth rate as key metrics to measure success. Now that social media has come of age, brands are looking to measures such as video effectiveness, saves, shares, and virality to gain a deeper understanding of how content is received by users.

That’s where social entertainment marketing comes in. Follower growth is still important, but ensuring users are entertained is now essential to capturing and retaining their attention. The best way to do that? Video. There is a reason channels like TikTok and YouTube are seeing their popularity reach all-time highs––and why Instagram is shifting towards a video-centric model with Reels. Users are looking to be constantly engaged and entertained by long- and short-form videos that capitalize on trends, give users a peek behind the curtain, and most importantly, create a fun and interactive experience for everyone involved.

Social entertainment changes the script for consumer engagement, moving away from passive engagement, and turning viewers into active fans of your brand.

Why is Social Entertainment Marketing Important?

Social media entertainment is important because it is interwoven into almost all of our digital experiences in 2024. 56.7% of people in the world use at least some form of social media every single day, and TikTok surpassed Google as the most popular website on the Internet in 2021. It is imperative that brands keep up with what their consumers want, and what consumers want right now is to be entertained. Success on social media is no longer about who follows who—it’s about what type of content captures users’ attention and leaves them wanting more.

What Are Forms of Social Entertainment Marketing?

Now that we’ve defined this new era and why it’s important, let’s discuss the details. Essentially, social entertainment marketing can refer to any form of content that is being published or streamed online in order to entertain its viewers. Predominant trends include long or short-form videos, live streams, and any other form of content that allow for a deeper connection between creators and viewers. While TikTok and YouTube have this type of content on lock, don’t let yourself feel limited to just those channels. Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook are all taking leaps to meet their platform counterparts in the age of video, introducing features such as Stories, Idea Pins, and live-streaming, to name a few.

Creating an immersive and interactive experience that users feel like they are a part of is the key to a successful entertainment marketing strategy.

The Future of Social Entertainment Marketing

The future is now. But that doesn’t mean that entertainment marketing isn’t going to continuously evolve moving forward. Brands can expect the focus on video content to be the centerpiece of social entertainment moving forward, just as the previous era of social media entertainment was defined by stunning static visuals. User interest in video content only continues to skyrocket, as it is more fast-paced, dynamic, informative, and fun than past forms of content. The more interactive content is, the more likely it is to make an impression — and in social entertainment, users are able to remix, stitch, duet, and repurpose content in order to be a part of the story your brand is telling. The marketing landscape is more engaging than ever, and this is proven by TikTok having an engagement rate that is five times higher than other channels.

There will also be a requirement for brands to be more authentic. TikTok has allowed brands that have historically been seen as more “corporate,” like Duolingo, Barkbox, and RyanAir, to push the envelope by hopping on trends and showing the behind-the-scenes of the business. This type of content brings more humanity (and oftentimes, humor) to a brand, allowing users and consumers to create a more emotional connection with the story and products.And there’s one last thing to remember: creativity will always win. Users are always looking for something they haven’t seen before, so don’t be afraid to think outside of the box — or blow the box up entirely. This is an era of experimentation, and trends change daily. Stay ahead of the curve by understanding new platforms like Lemon8 and their impact on social entertainment. Marketers that are prepared to act will find the most success.

How Dash Hudson Can Help with Entertainment Marketing

The most difficult part of this new social media entertainment marketing era is knowing where to start. Brands need powerful analytics in order to unlock their creative entertainment marketing potential and publish content that wins audiences over. Dash Hudson is the modern social marketing solution for global brands, and users have access to in-depth insights for the top social channels in the world:

Instagram & Instagram Reels
TikTok
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest

Dash Hudson’s suite of tools, including Dash Hudson’s Predictive Vision AI, LikeShop, Community & Sentiment Analysis, Dashboards, Campaign Reporting and Relationships, allow brands to analyze and fine-tune every aspect of their strategy.

Need more? Check out our Social Media Trends report to learn about social marketing trends, emerging technologies, and what brands can expect in the future of consumer and entertainment marketing.

How is social media a form of entertainment?

The term “entertainment” can be defined as an activity that gains meaningful attention from an audience. Simply put, social media is a form of entertainment because it gains attention from an audience through various forms of content. Social media is one of the most popular forms of entertainment marketing because of how readily available it is to those with phones, tablets and computers.

How does social media affect entertainment and entertainment marketing?

Over the past decade, social media has had a massive impact on entertainment and entertainment marketing as a whole. In the past, many used television, cinema, or music as their main source of electronic entertainment. But once social media entered the chat, users were given the opportunity to curate their own entertainment, and to see exactly what they wanted to see, when they wanted to see it.

Social media has also democratized the entertainment industry. Before, only a privileged few had the opportunity to provide entertainment. Now, with the adoption of social media entertainment, anyone with a device can be considered a creator or entertainer.

What is the most popular social media?

The list of most popular social media channels is always in flux. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram have all been near the top at one time or another, but the most used social media platform in the current year is TikTok. There are projected to be almost 108 million users by 2024 in the US alone.

What is an example of entertainment marketing?

While there are many different kinds of entertainment marketing, a popular example would be campaigns or posts involving influencers. Influencers are a natural, but effective way to create engaging and entertaining content for your brand, especially on channels like Instagram and TikTok. These channels, paired with the right brand and influencer, work entertainment marketing magic together.

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