4 Rules to Make Fictwitional Marketing Work for Companies

Do you have fictional characters following you on Twitter? I know I have at least 3. Last Friday, Betty Draper, a character from AMC’s Mad Men began following me on Twitter.

Then this week two more characters, Jane Siegel and Glen Bishop, started following me as well. Needless to say I was flattered and confused because I don’t think I have ever mentioned the show in my tweets before.

Fictional characters on Twitter are nothing new. The Joker, Bruce Wayne, and the Gotham City crew all showed up in September. (Holy microblogging, Batman!). Han Solo, Yoda, and Darth Vader all seem to be hanging out in Twitter space as well. The interesting part of all of this seems to be that all of these are fan characters. According to Business Week, AMC does not write for the characters; they are completely fan based. But why? Obviously brands are finding it hard to jump in the Twitool (Twitter+ Pool). With that in mind, here are 4 ways to help companies know how to put their characters on Twitter.

• Stay Transparent- Transparency is the key to a lot of things in Social Media. Just because your character is fictional doesn’t mean that he or she can’t be transparent. Look at Parker Whittle. He was transparent, but not enough to be accepted. In order for fictweeple (fiction+twitter+people, I’m good at this new word stuff huh?) to work people must immediately know that the profile is not real.  If they don’t know they are talking to a character, it won’t work.

• Be A Method Actor- What’s great about the Mad Men crew is that all the tweeple write like the characters. They talk about each other, make references to 1962, and don’t act as anything different (like the Internet). This commitment to the character reinforces your brand while maintaining Transparency. Staying in character may even help your writers/ marketers with the creative thought process which would provide your fans with more to love. It’s the circle of life.

• Interact with Your Fans- People will add characters because they like the show or are intrigued. Don’t start preaching to them about when the show is on. Instead follow #2 and interact. That’s what the people want. With trust and time, they may even see ways for your story and your character to grow.

• Have Fun- I love Ignite because I get to find all sorts of fun new sites, apps, and content. (Join the Team! ) And on one level that’s how a lot of people view it. Think of how much you could do with a new medium! If the Office can create awesome webisodes, why not Twit-sodes? Let your characters live outside the box and you will be rewarded. Make everything into a commercial and people will turn on you.

Currently I am following Betty Draper (she is also on LinkedIn), Jane Siegel, and the Joker. It’s a great way to mix in some fun messages with the workday.  Do you follow any fictional characters? Do you like them or hate them?