This clown knows more about social media marketing than most marketing directors, social media managers or agencies. Social media is about raising awareness, grabbing peoples’ attention and keeping them engaged. Here are 5 things this clown knows about it.

He may not even have a Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn Instagram Snapface, Facelink or Instaface account, but here are 5 things this clown knows about it.

1. He knows his audience and what they like
This clown’s career is built on understanding his audience. He knows how to make them laugh, make them cry, build suspense, thrill them and above all, make them care. He’s an entertainer.

He understands they’re not all the same but, they’re coming together for this shared experience. A five-year-old doesn’t have all the same wants and needs as a 50-year-old but they both like cotton candy, they both like magic, juggling and pratfalls and they both like this clown.

Lessons:

• Give your social media relationships reasons to care
• Understand who they are as both individuals and as larger groups
• Identify commonalities and play upon them

2. He knows how to manage a shared experience
This clown doesn’t entertain just one person at a time. He knows that one-on-one clown experiences are weird and creepy. This clown attracts a crowd, plays to an audience and keeps them engaged.

He thrills them, delights them but most importantly, he interacts with them, and knows what they want to see and be a part of.

He understands that he’s not always the center of attention… his audience is. He brings up volunteers and makes them part of the show. He puts a funny hat on them, gives them something to do and for that moment in time, they’re the center of attention… they’re the stars.

Lessons:

• Play to large groups but single out individuals
• Elevate them to rockstar status
• Others will notice and want to get involved

3. He knows how to laugh at himself
This clown has a sense of humor about everything he does and doesn’t take himself too seriously, unless he’s the sad or scary kind of clown.

He understands the expression “laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you cry alone.”

This clown tries new things and if they don’t work out, and people laugh and point at him, and that’s ok. As long as they’re buying stuff and telling their friends what a great time they had, he’s happy.

If someone mocks him or throws a candy apple at his head, he smiles. That’s what clowns do. He’s not afraid of criticism. He knows how to handle hecklers. That smile painted on his face isn’t to fake you out, it’s just a reminder to him to keep smiling.

Lessons:

• Have a sense of humor about social media marketing
• React to negative feedback and criticism with grace
• Remind yourself to have fun and keep smiling

4. He learns from his mistakes
When this clown tries to jump over a pack of angry bears on a tricycle, lands on the bears and gets mauled, he learns not to do that again. Clowns being eaten by bears scares children, and word spreads that this is not the clown to have at your kid’s birthday party.

Next time, he straps a rocket to the tricycle and makes sure he clears the bears. That and a little good PR, and he’s back on the birthday circuit. That’s how this clown thinks.

He’s in it to win it.

If he drops the balls he’s juggling, he picks them up, adds one more plus a chainsaw and keeps juggling. When he screws up he does something bigger to keep his audience happy and take their attention off his faults. The show must go onward and upward.

Lessons:

• Learn from your mistakes and keep going
• Problem solve by trying new things
• Keep building on what you’ve done before

5. He keeps it fresh
This clown adds new tricks to his act every show. Sure, not all clowns do, but this clown understands that the quickest route to living in a trailer in Camden, NJ is to get lazy. If twenty of him stuffed in a car gets old, he adds ten more or attempts a smaller car.

He knows how to raise the stakes and keep his audience thrilled, laughing or on the edge of their seats. If hiding in the barrel doesn’t cut it, he runs straight at the bull, and as he’s being launched through the air and into the stands he smiles, because he knows he left his footprint… his big, size twenty clown shoe footprint.

Lessons:

• Keep adding new tactics and fresh content
• Don’t get lazy
• Leave your mark

So take a good look at where you are with your brand, business or organization’s social media marketing, and start clowning around.