It has been interesting to watch the Voice unfold on NBC. I was interested to see how this show was going to try and surpass the extremely popular American Idol. One of the biggest ways that I see The Voice improving the reality show concept is how they are leveraging social media to improve the viewer experience and thus the viral sharing which increases the popularity of the show.
Integrated Social Media Into Every Part Of The Show
The Voice planned from the beginning to make social interaction a big part of the program. On the main website they created a bio for each contestant which included prominent Twitter and Facebook icons for viewers to follow them.
Giving the Artist Their Own Social Platforms
Up until now on reality tv shows it have been really one-sided. The contestant pleads for votes with those big puppy dog eyes peering into the camera after their performance, and that was it. Having each contestant create a Facebook and Twitter now gives them a platform to really interact and win over fans.
These contestants bio’s are not a stagnant story of who they were and where they came from, but instead they give the audience a real time feed of what they are thinking, feeling, and experiencing. This is the perfect recipe to allow viewers to get to know the artist and make them want to vote for them.
Encouraging Contestant and Fan Engagement Live
Now most people wouldn’t know that The Voice was doing all of this social interaction and probably wouldn’t care much except that they frequently take precious air time to go to the social media room during the show.
What do they do in the Social Room? They answer fans questions and highlight fans comments and tweets. Which inspires more people to ask questions, and the viral marketing effect continued to grow for The Voice.
Where does it go from here?
What else can shows do to engage with viewers?
Will be get overloaded and stop caring and interacting?
Look forward to your comments!