Five Social Media Lessons from the Spice GirlsBy Steff Moore

A local movie theater recently showed Spiceworld.

Being a huge Spice Girls fan in my tween years (before I discovered the world of heavy metal), I was keen to go along.

And as I was sitting in that theatre, sucking on a Chupa Chup (who remembers these?) and laughing along at the girls’ encounters, I started thinking about the Spice phenomena and what made them so successful.

I realized what made the Spice Girls one of the most successful pop bands of all time are the same tactics used by the most successful social media campaigns.

Go Big or Go Home

“They’ve got fire in their eyes, hunger in their bellies… and great big shoes on their feet!”

Big hair, big shoes, big attitude – that was what the Spice Girls were all about. From the way they dressed to the songs they sang and the antics they pulled, they didn’t do anything by half. They had a sound and an attitude that was new, fresh, and unique – and they were dedicated to living that attitude whatever happened.

And while you don’t need 12-inch platform sneakers and a sequined catsuit to succeed with social media (although it really could help …) you definitely need to dedicate yourself to giving it 100 percent. This means figuring out what exactly you want to offer your clients and fans, and then exceeding their expectations.

Just because you’re serious about business doesn’t mean you can’t have a bit of fun with your branding. Do away with dull, boring logos, branding, and copy – and try something unique. Do something different from your competition and reap the rewards.

Deliver Real Value

One of the main reasons the Spice Girls were so successful was because they weren’t just another pop band – they created a movement.

“Girl Power!” gave many of their female fans the confidence they needed to make changes in their lives, and as such, inspired fiercer loyalty to the group then perhaps their music alone would warrant!

In the same way, customers connect with their favorite businesses because they want the “extras.” Use your social media to add value through promotions, extra content, or just personal interaction with fans.

No matter whether it’s a confectionary company posting a weekly recipe on their Facebook wall or a clothing company that gets their Pinterest fans voting on the styles for the new collection, there’s always a way to involve fans and reward their advocacy by giving them something extra.

Have a Sense of Humor

Victoria: “It’s always the same. I never know what to wear.”
Mel C: “It must be really hard for you, Victoria. You know, trying’ to decide whether to wear the ‘little Gucci dress’, the ‘little Gucci dress’. Or… the ‘little Gucci dress’.”
Victoria: “Exactly.”
Emma: “I know! Why don’t you wear the ‘little Gucci dress?'”
Victoria: “That’s a good idea. Thanks, Em!”

Using humor in your social media strategy humanizes your brand, showing you can relate to everyday situations encountered by your customers and gives customers and fans a way relate to your business. Humorous content is shared more often than the dry, serious stuff, so start thinking of ways to add some humor to your social media.

Remember: Using humor is a risk – comedy is subjective. Some customers and fans might not respond as you’d hoped, while others will LOVE you for it.

Carefully consider the target market for your products or services and which style of humor will be appreciated best.

Build Relationships, One Fan at a Time

The Spice Girls were known for being extremely friendly and caring toward their fans, often spending hours signing autographs and chatting.

They also had magnetic personalities, charming the media and attracting the attention of even more famous celebrities. This personality- and relationship-driven approach enabled them to conquer the charts and remain in the public eye.

One of the biggest concerns with social media is how much to share – the danger of bringing too much of your personal life into the public eye. This is where the Spice Girls had a stroke of genius – they created personas (Scary, Baby, Ginger, Posh, Sporty) based off their personalities.

Approach social media by creating a persona for yourself or your company. If your brand were a Spice Girl, what would its name be?

You Need a Schedule

Imagine juggling rehearsals, recording, writing music, news conferences, TV appearances, interviews, photo shoots, fan experiences, sleeping, and the rest of your life?

In order to keep the Spice Girls at the top for so long, there was a huge team of people behind-the-scenes ferrying them from event to event, keeping them looking fabulous, and making sure they never disappointed a fan or missed an opportunity.

You probably don’t have a loyal staff of groomers, assistants, and managers, but that shouldn’t stop you running a well-oiled social media machine. With apps such as Buffer that allow you to schedule updates for days in advance across multiple channels, you can maintain multiple social media accounts without having to check in on them every hour of every day.

Although your company may be far from the world of catchy pop songs and platform shoes, you can learn a lot about engaging with fans and driving your social media strategy from the 90s phenomena of the Spice Girls.

Is it time your social media had a dose of Girl Power?

Steff Moore

Steff Moore is head of content at WorkflowMax – a cloud-based workflow management system ideal for small-to-medium size agencies. Their software integrates with Xero accounting and offers job management, reports, invoicing, timesheets, and time tracking - all the tools your agency needs. She lives in Auckland, NZ.

View all posts by Steff Moore

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50 responses to “Five Social Media Lessons from the Spice Girls”

  1. Does anyone else have Spice Girls songs running through their head now?

  3. One of the things that strikes me, which you mention, is how meticulously organized successful bands, such as Spice Girls, truly are. “Posting five tweets a day” or “getting some photos on Instagram” isn’t enough. They (or their handlers) know exactly what will happen, when it will happen, and why it will happen (or what the desired outcome should be).

  5. Steve Bitter says:

    “Get with my friends”?!?

  6. Arment Dietrich, Inc. says:

    you know it Steve Bitter!

  7. I agree with Clay – it’s amazing how this “natural” thing with pop bands ‘just happens’ – their style, their personalities, their “way with the fans”, etc.. When really, it’s a massively orchestrated and well thought out strategy – and it works!! Brands need to embrace that same thinking and planning in their marketing, communications and social strategies. Amazing what we just learned from the Spice Girls! LOL

  8. jasonkonopinskiI’ll tell you what I want what I really really want…  😛

  9. JRHalloran jasonkonopinski So tell me what you want, what you really really want….

  10. Well, obviously it’s a very successful strategy. How else would a band like One Direction make it if they weren’t doing the same meticulous things the Spice Girls did in the 90s? 
    Great thoughts on how they created a “movement.” I don’t really see One Direction creating a movement per se, but they have the branding down. 
    It’s often hard to create a “movement” when you work for a small company with a small following, but if you can find it, that would be your company’s calling.

  11. LSSocialEngageJRHalloranjasonkonopinskiIf you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends…

  12. aimeelwest says:

    Yes!

  13. Laura Petrolino says:

    And now I will have spice girl’s songs in my head FOREVER!

  14. Laura Petrolino says:

    do you want to make a music video with me Aimee West?

  15. Aimee West says:

    They were such a fun group. My daughter loves the movie to the point we had it on VHS and now DVD! We actually just watched it a few weeks ago.

  16. Aimee West says:

    Laura Petrolino as long as my daughter Autumn West can be in it then Yes!!! Just let me know where the set is.

  17. Laura Petrolino says:

    Done!

  18. Laura Petrolino says:

    It’s funny, do you know how often people tell me that I remind them of sporty spice….

  19. SpinSucks says:

    maxwelllauren What I really, really want.

  21. Aimee West says:

    Must be the high Ninja kicks.

  22. This is really an excellent comparison. And to be honest with you Arment Dietrich land is not that far from the pop world of Spice Girls, especially with jasonkonopinski on staff.

  24. The social media lessons from the Spice girls were clearly stated. Social marketers really should have a lot to learn. Creating value and building strong loyal relationships are key lessons that make the all-girl musical band a success. Of course social marketers should learn from this approach with ease. 
    This comment is shared in kingged.com – the Internet marketing content syndication website where this post was found.

    Sunday – Kingged.com

    http://kingged.com/five-social-media-lessons-from-the-spice-girls/

  25. I will have you know people were tweeting me Spice Girl song lyrics all day long yesterday. I blame you!

    Reading your list of things the Spice Girls had to do made me exhausted. Now I know how business leaders feel when I show them everything we do online. we have to remember it’s not an overnight success. It takes time, patience, and care.

  27. LauraPetrolino JRHalloran LSSocialEngage jasonkonopinski  f you wanna be my lover, you have got to give/Taking is too easy, but that’s the way it is.

  28. Oh, what do you think about that now you know how I feel … If you really bug me then I’ll say goodbye…

  30. Very few people know I was the sixth little known Spice girl……”Old Spice.”

  31. Arment Dietrich, Inc. says:

    Tell me what’choo want…. ^lb

  32. SpinSucks says:

    kateeidam We’ve had Spice Girls songs in our heads since yesterday. ^gd

  33. kateeidam says:

    SpinSucks can’t lie, I’m kickin’ it a bit old school now with Spice Girls Pandora station…If you want my future, forget my past

  34. @kateeidam SpinSucks Kate…we are sworn to secrecy.

  35. workflowmax says:

    Robb Wexler You cam up with the line “forget my past …” except you wanted it to be “forgot my past …” 🙂

  36. workflowmax Robb Wexler Steff..I forgot that. Thank you.

  37. workflowmax says:

    jasonkonopinski We all do, mate. We all do – Steff

  38. workflowmax says:

    ClayMorgan They are a very well-oiled machine. But that’s the point. It’s a business, and they are the product. So there is a team of people behind them making sure that product gets the best exposure it can. That’s our job 🙂

  39. workflowmax says:

    JRHalloran Definitely, it’s hard, and it’s also not something a lot of people set out to DO specifically. It’s an organic thing – you can’t predict it. But I think doing something that’s different from the status quo is a good beginning.

    If I talked to my tween niece, I’m pretty sure she’d say One Direction was a movement. I wouldn’t agree, but that’d be what she’d say.

  40. workflowmax says:

    She was my favourite!

  41. workflowmax says:

    ginidietrich I fully accept all responsibility.

  42. I STILL HAVE SPICE GIRLS SONGS GOING THROUGH MY HEAD!!!! I might never forgive you!

  43. mikesbloggity says:

    StephAnnGee I watched Spice World this weekend….twice.

  44. StephAnnGee says:

    mikesbloggity Roger Moore’s finest role. “The headless chicken can only know where he’s been. He can’t see where he’s going.” #Deep

  45. SpinSucks says:

    StephAnnGee Mmmm…I love Chupa Chups ^gd

  47. I just read an entire blog post on the Spice Girls. Umm, I can’t remember that being a bucket list item, but clever parallels explained throughout.

  48. DanielleWarby says:

    Thanks heaps for this! I was so inspired that I wrote an article of my own: http://daniellewarby.com/what-the-spice-girls-can-teach-sportswomen-about-social-media/ – and I was REALLY grateful for an excuse to use footage I had of Aussie Olympians raving about the Spice Girls performance they saw in London at the closing ceremony of the Games.

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