Seven lessons Social Media Executives can learn from Game of Thrones finale

Game of Thrones aired its final episode on Monday, May 20, 2019.

Eight seasons in, and the greatest show in the history of TV, Game of Thrones, has come to an end.

The show which has been on HBO since 2011 rolled its curtains on May 20, 2019 after a successive award winning run for the cast and crew.

The show trended on twitter each Sunday and Monday due to the large following it has received over the seasons.

For Social media managers and executives, here are some valuable lessons from the Game Of Thrones season finale that are a definite salute.

Enjoy the criticism

As with most finales, majority of Game of Thrones viewers have their own version and fan theories of how the show should end. The Game of Thrones season 8 has disappointed many who have even signed a petition dubbed “Remake Game of Thrones Season 8 with competent writers.” to have the final season redone. 

Just as in a campaign where users may feel they deserve to walk away with certain perks or have a favorite contestant, learn to enjoy the criticism that will come to a popular campaign you may be running.

Let people tag your brand

From GOT fans coming up with parody hashtags to criticise the show, as a social media executive, be ready and foresee both the good and bad parodies that may come off of your campaign. Use them to leverage your campaign if you can.

Use meaningful teasers

In the social media world, teasers are important and almost impossible to avoid in the process of a campaign. One thing about the Game of Thrones Season 8 teasers was how relevant they were to what was coming. This got people on edge and the reason to tune in was more prevalent, the teasers worked.

For whichever campaign you have or about to launch, think of a teaser that is relevant to the campaign. People do not have the attention span to wait for weeks if you are not interesting and captivating them from the teaser phase.

Keep it short

If you follow the Game of Thrones twitter account, one thing stands out: their captions are short and do not give anything away.

The short descriptions may vary on a platform basis and as per the campaign you are doing.

Check out how they posted on twitter vs what they shared on twitter all the important details to make you curl in a sentence or two plus the most relevant tag.

Be theme specific

The tags used on the show are episode specific which makes it intense and identifies each Game of Thrones momentum as an individual

#ForTheThrone was used on the season debut. #NotToday was when Arya Stark did her magic and #GameOfThronesFinale speaks for itself.

Not many may have the luxury of using different tags for the duration of a social media campaign but one tag that is identifiable to followers is key to a successful campaign.

Show the human side of your campaign

Cutaways and behind the scenes shots always give your audience that feeling that your brand is human and has experiences while being a brand.

These photos of Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke on set gives the audience an insight into who they are as actors and friends.

Use social media features

Last but not least, social media has evolved and is supposed to be fun to the audience and enjoyable to the campaign manager. The Game of Thrones series has provided many gifs that we will use for a while. You can create a gif on giphy and other free tools. These gifs are what the Game of Thrones social media team has used to their advantage and so should you.

Bonus tip

Wrap it up. Your followers will remember you for it.