07 Dec Mindy Kaling Takes Social Media By Storm
Mindy Kaling isn’t the first celebrity author to use social media to market a book launch, but she just may have done it the best. Lord Alan Sugar launched his eBook, The Way I See It, live on Twitter Sept. 28, and Ozzy Osbourne harnessed the power of hashtags to launch Trust Me, I’m Dr. Ozzy just two weeks later. Mindy Kaling, writer and actor in NBC’s “The Office,” took an approach to her book launch that was hilarious, endearing and every bit Mindy: a three-pronged social media blitz leading up to and following the Nov. 1 launch of her book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns).
In addition to being a skilled comedienne, Ms. Kaling seems to have a talent for social media promotion. Her approach to Twitter, blogging and Facebook is both professional and down-to-earth, warranting a closer look at each social venue and the aspects that make them successful. Mindy’s recently increased social media presence isn’t just a make-shift plan to promote her book, it’s a carefully executed way of building relationships with fans and creating a lasting personal brand.
Mindy took full advantage of her preexisting Twitter account, @mindykaling. In a Nov. 21 interview with Bookish, Mindy explained her love of the micro-blogging platform saying, “Twitter is the most amazing medium for a comedy writer…. it’s a way of me getting out other comic ideas and immediately getting feedback.” The intrigue behind Mindy’s Twitter presence is that she doesn’t present herself as being follow-worthy just because she’s a celebrity. She’s extremely interactive with her more than 1.5 million followers, who include fans, media sources, publishers, designers, friends and other celebrities.
Drawing from her millions of Twitter connections, the actress amassed a grassroots following of her recently released book. Through constant updates, links to book retailers and articles, sneak peek content and information about book signings, Mindy has succeeded in promoting her book without sacrificing her lovable persona or annoying every last one of us with repetitive content.
Mindy’s well-crafted pre-release tweets contributed to the book launch hype. Content included an exclusive audio excerpt from Mindy’s book, a special book-related mixed CD, several book giveaways and many personal calls to action from Mindy herself. By connecting with publishers, friends and media sources, publicity about the actress’ book easily found its way to other Twitter followers and social forums.
Mindy spread word of her book launch by retweeting celebrities like Ben Stiller and Rainn Wilson, among many others. The compliments and referrals rolled in throughout November, and somehow Mindy managed to thank nearly every person who showed their support. This positively affected the actress’ personal brand and greatly increased the number of Twitter users seeing content related to Mindy and her new book.
Blog: ‘The Concerns of Mindy Kaling’
Mindy also incorporated blogs into her social media plan, expanding the buzz around her book to other social channels. For example, the Office Tally, top fansite and blog for “The Office,” tweeted about the chance to win a copy of Mindy’s new book. The actress is a writer and co-executive producer for the popular sitcom, in addition to playing the role of Hollywood-obsessed Kelly Kapoor.
Mindy successfully used the Office Tally to connect with Office fans that might not be on Twitter but religiously follow the show and websites associated with it. Mindy also linked to her own blog, The Concerns of Mindy Kaling, which was launched Oct. 3. Despite its relatively recent launch, the blog is already rich in content and personality. Mindy announced the blog via links on her Facebook and Twitter pages. She also maintains a strong social media emphasis on the blog itself, with Facebook and Twitter feeds and social sharing links.
The blog’s home page features a free excerpt of Mindy’s book and links to retailers selling it. An entire tab devoted to the book houses a synopsis, book reviews and more free excerpts. At first glance, it may seem like the blog is a social microsite advertising Mindy’s book. In fact, it’s a very well-rounded blog that’s updated frequently and actually reflects what’s concerning Mindy through photos, videos and anecdotes. The blog is full of links to sites that Mindy loves, and everything featured is easily sharable. Topics range from bloggers to fashion trends to the continuing series, “Things I Bought That I Love” — all written in Mindy’s humorous and refreshingly awesome voice.
Mindy’s Facebook page was launched at the end of September, presumably in anticipation of her book launch. Initially, this sudden dive into multiple social spaces made me expect a shallow treatment of each channel, with greater emphasis on pushing book sales than on forming a lasting and meaningful online presence. However, what I found was to the contrary.
It turns out Mindy’s sudden foray into Facebook and blogging was not a brief-lived promotional push. The comedienne and her team have remained dedicated to cultivating these social spaces with prompt and meaningful interactions with fans and businesses, as well as general ongoing hilarity. Her Facebook page includes links to articles on Mindy’s blog, videos of the actress’ TV appearances, interviews and information about upcoming events. Mindy even hosted a BFF Rights & Responsibilities contest on her blog that she cross-promoted on Facebook, thus raising awareness about her book and engaging fans in a unique way.
Social Media Success
After more than a month of careful observation, Mindy Kaling’s social media trifecta continues to be a success. The actress is well on her way to being a social superstar for several reasons:
- She maintains her unique voice and offers great humor that’s relatable to us mere mortals
- She takes advantage of the interconnectivity social spaces offer, such as cross-promotion and retweeting
- She constantly updates her pages, which is crucial to maintaining relevance and reader interest
- She provides readers with different types of content to keep things fresh and interesting
- She links to reputable, relevant sites very frequently
- She is a dependable social presence with regular responses, interactions and calls to action
Ms. Kaling has approached social media in a more human, and ultimately more successful, way than many other celebrities. The most apparent characteristic of Mindy’s online conversation is its humility, evidenced by the never-ending stream of thanks she posts to her friends, followers and fans.
It’s possible that a trained team of social media professionals planned and continue to maintain Mindy’s social profiles without her input, but I find that highly unlikely. She’s a comedic writer with a highly identifiable writing style and an apparent dedication to keeping it real. In either case, it doesn’t change the fact that Mindy is at the center of a highly successful social effort that others could stand to learn from.
What do you think about Mindy Kaling’s approach to social media? We’d love to hear your feedback in the comments sections below!
