What Black Dynamite Can Teach us About Social Media

by Dan Martell on Aug 17, 2010
bd-t

He is the greatest CIA agent that the CIA ever had, a decorated Vietnam war veteran, and he’s super bad. He’s a master of Kung Fu, an active revolutionary, and he will not hesitate to waste a fool. He is Black Dynamite – righteous defender of justice and children.

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Black Dynamite’s 2009 movie, “Black Dynamite,” follows the “veritable one-man-army” on his quest to find out who killed his younger brother Jimmy, clean the drugs off the streets, and uncover the biggest conspiracy in American government. Though he may never have used a personal computer, his legacy teaches lessons for social media that every jive turkey in the game can learn from. So if you crave social satisfaction, than dig these laws for interaction, guaranteed to put your traffic in traction.

Use a Bold And Daring Persona

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In crime fighting and social media alike, it doesn’t pay to talk like a jive sucker who isn’t confident in the value of his work. When Black Dynamite walked into Chicago Win’s pool hall and found himself surrounded by a gang of thugs, he might have felt a tinge of doubt, but still he stayed and fought it out. This persona of overconfidence in yourself is often helpful when when it comes to social promotion.

The spokesperson of the ultra-successful Old Spice social campaign knew this rule well. Rather than simply telling you that Old Spice is a strong deodorant, he spoke with a bold attitude about how it will help men attract women, battle wild animals, ride motorcycles, and other clearly exaggerated claims. Though everyone understood it to be humor, it created a cult fascination around his personality. Similarly, if you want to attract fascination and zeal, you have to create a bold and daring look and feel, can you dig it?

Take It Straight To The Top

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As a newcomer to social media, it can be hard to attract the interest of thousands of users in your market. This is because you have no authority yet, but dig – if you can visibly interact with a prominent social figure you will attract a storm of new interest in your blog or channel. There are several ways to do this -

  • Invite a top blogger to write a guest post on your blog.
  • If your business is local, get a public figure, such a mayor or well-known business owner, to interact with you on Twitter or Facebook.
  • Network with users that already have big audiences and get them to repost your content, or interact on your account.

Never be afraid to contact relevant people no matter how big they are – Black Dynamite didn’t even stop when his quest led to the White House. Gaining a new audience is a challenge, but teamwork with popular people can help. As Black Dynamite himself once said, “It may be bigger than me and and it may be bigger than you, but it ain’t bigger than me and you, can you dig it?”

Choose Your Words Carefully

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When it comes to delivering your message over social media, you must be both brief and evocative. You might feel like you have a lot to say, but Twitter and Facebook limit how much you can type, and most people don’t want to spend a long time reading a book’s worth of text on your blog. After all, they just met you, sucker – how do they know if you’re worth it yet?

You can’t waste time beating around the bush, you have to deliver the goods – rip it up from the ground and tell them exactly what’s going down. Just as Black Dynamite could charm the clothes off any woman he pleased with a few choice sentences, you must decide not only what you want to say, but also how you will say it.

Interact Personally and Get Everyone Involved

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Companies who do social media wrong believe that they can just speak from their tower and everyone who follows them will hush up and listen, but this is a mistake. Building a close-knit community where every user feels they belong is accomplished through personal interaction, a skill Black Dynamite knew well. When B.D. solved the mystery behind Anaconda Malt Liquor, he didn’t just stand up and tell his crew what was going on. Instead, he led an impassioned game of questions and answers that eventually allowed his entire crew to come to the answer together.

This is what you must do in the social media world. Interact rather than self-promote and preach; exchange ideas instead of being a leech, and address your commenters individually to increase your reach.

Be Smooth, Never Desperate

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Black Dynamite knows he’s so cool he can make ladies gasp with a wink and a smile, so smooth he can fight crime in a suit with a perfect hair style. Black Dynamite would never harass a girl for a date, never wait for other cats to tell him hes great, and when he knows what he wants, he never hesitates.

This is how you must be with your social media campaign. There is nothing worse than following a new blog or Twitter account, and instantly being harassed several times a day to sign up for new offers or read new posts. If you have to beg your audience to share your content or get involved with your company, you are taking the wrong approach. Instead, keep your cool and focus on sharing ideas that people will naturally want to discuss.

Love What You Do

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People can always tell when you’re only doing something for money. If your readers get the sense that you don’t like talking to them and are only looking to squeeze dollars out of their pockets, they’ll label you a jive turkey and move on to the next guy. This is why you must love what you are doing to be successful with it. The best social media marketers have a passion for networking and love exchanging ideas with new people, and their readers know this.

Black Dynamite was an expert fighter not because he felt like he had to train for other people, but because he truly loved Kung Fu. When he found out the kids in his neighborhood were falling victim to drugs, he told his friend, “Ever since I was a boy, all I knew was how to fight. Fight, fight, fight. And when I got tired, I would fight some more.” This is how you must feel inside to be truly great at your social media.

Present Value Before Requests

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Finally, you must always remember to give your audience something of value before you make any requests. Everyone from Kung Fu Island to the CIA knew Black Dynamite’s reputation as the man who will stop at nothing to enforce justice and set things right. Because of his tremendous history in war and the revolution, he need only ask for assistance and a team of crime fighting goons would assemble at his back.

If you approach social media by asking your users to sign up to all kinds of news letters and buy products from you before you give them reason to believe you are a man of value, you will lose your audience fast. To win at this game, you must first give your users useful information, valuable insights, or free trial offers to prove your worth. Only once they are turned into true believers in the power of your company can you begin to make requests and get favorable responses.

Can you dig it? I think you can…

  • ajmsocial

    Very funny but effective showing what Social Media is all about.
    Congrats!

  • http://twitter.com/HazelNieves Hazel Nieves

    Wow Dan! This is my first time coming across you fool. Man you knows your story telling don't you? I loved your hip points and insight and yo sho nuff funkkay way you laid down the 'don't gimme no lip potato chip' facts on how to be a righteous social media marketing fly!

    Can you tell I was digging you here Dan? Thank you…loved it!:)
    http://www.strategicbusinessdesigner.com/

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  • tomnz

    Haha! This was great. I think we can all learn a lot from Black Dynamite ;) … epic film!

    http://tom.net.nz/

  • Hamby

    I think @filthyrichmond nails it, completely.

  • SaggySow

    Wow, no way. That dude is just too cool!

    http://www.be-anonymous.se.tc

  • http://www.flowtown.com Dan Martell

    Damn straight!

  • http://www.flowtown.com Dan Martell

    Thanks!

  • http://www.flowtown.com Dan Martell

    Hazel, thanks – appreciate the comment + love the site .. you share / write great content!

  • http://www.flowtown.com Dan Martell

    I like to keep it fun .. thanks for the comment.

  • Dollar Bill

    All aspects of life and business would be greatly improved if we all just took a moment to ask, WWBDD?

  • J Man

    Great Job!

  • TrickyDick

    This goes all the way to the top. And when I say top, I mean the tippy-top.

  • http://twitter.com/HazelNieves Hazel Nieves

    Thanks Dan. I'm now a fan of yours and subscribed to Flowtown. Let me know if you ever get out in the Nashville area will ya? I would love to take you to eat some amazing Southern food, listen to some live blues and have you meet some of my fellow business Dynamites!!

  • http://twitter.com/HazelNieves Hazel Nieves

    Thanks Dan. I'm now a fan of yours and subscribed to Flowtown. Let me know if you ever get out in the Nashville area will ya? I would love to take you to eat some amazing Southern food, listen to some live blues and have you meet some of my fellow business Dynamites!!

  • Natalia_Lola_X

    on of the best posts my eyes layed eyes upon! You’re slick, Rick!

  • Natalia_Lola_X

    one of the best posts my eyes ever layed eyes upon! You’re slick, Rick! You have to be worth the follow on Twitter ; )

  • http://twitter.com/wendysoucie Wendy Soucie

    My son forwarded this post to me since I work with B2B companies on social business relationships using social media as a channel. I know this movie has graced our living room a number of times without me spending much time to watch. With the perspective you have shared I will watch with a new interest. the parallels are just perfect.

    Wendy
    xeesm.com/wendysoucie

  • http://goldmayer.net/ goldmayer

    I came across your page and found the blog really engaging. It not only got me reading but was also very informative. I am hoping to get more such worthwhile content to read. I will subscribe to your site right away. Please keep posting more.

  • Anonymous

    hey my dad is named Black Dynamite too
    Black Dynamite “he he shut up little girl”

  • http://www.facebook.com/bdynamite Black Dynamite

    Lovin’ it!

  • http://www.flowtown.com Dan Martell

    ;)

  • http://www.flowtown.com Dan Martell

    ;)

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