__twocolumncontent.jpg)
It all starts with creating connections, both on and offline, to humanize technology and earn loyalty, says Dot Lung, known as the “Mother of Social Media Dragons.”
“The audience is not very loyal—they can jump from one brand to another. They’re very picky these days. But one thing that will last the test of time is a community,” Lung said. “Building a community around shared opinion is much more powerful than selling a product.”
Based in Barcelona, Lung will make her Promax speaking debut at this year’s Europe conference in March. Through her interest in human behavior and knowledge of all things social, Lung aims to empower creative people to make digital magic, build a future together, and get their work seen.
Emerging technology, such as virtual reality and 360-degree video, are also essential pieces to the future of digital marketing, said Lung, who’s organically grown Instagram accounts to more than 50,000 followers. She believes that similar to iPhones, Facebook lenses, and social media filters, we’ll soon be using virtual and augmented reality in our everyday lives. It’s also the future of product marketing, she said, using Kylie Cosmetics’ recent marketing tool as an example.
In 2018, the cosmetic line launched an Instagram face filter that allowed users to virtually test and take selfies with seven colors from Kylie Jenner’s Lip Kit, lipstick, and lip gloss collections.
READ MORE: Allure
“As we move into the future of buying online and ordering everything from Amazon, which is sad but true, there’s going to be a demand for people to develop augmented reality products,” Lung said. “That’s the future of product marketing.”
And the same goes for 360-degree video, a concept that Lung believes can have a greater impact not only on marketing, but on creating deep connections with consumers. Lung, who co-founded the virtual reality development studio 360VR.Barcelona, realized the impact of the medium while watching a 2015 Facebook video that provided her first surfing experience.
“It was so realistic ... it was almost a simulation where you feel like you’re in the pipe with him,” she said. “This was such an immersive experience … it really moved me and I realized the power of 360 video via your mobile phone that everybody has. This is a very powerful tool to connect, create empathy, and connect humans on a deeper level.”
[The 2015 video posted by GoPro on Facebook.]
Lung’s “Dragons” methodology is yet another way for marketers and social-media strategists to create effective content that sticks. The formula—inspired by her last name that means “Dragon” in Mandarin—leads to the creation of viral, evergreen content and the organic growth of followers. This is the basis for Lung’s 25-minute session in Amsterdam.
“It’s used to grow community and really enhance your engagement,” Lung said about the strategy. “If you have all parts of the element in your content, you have more opportunity to reach more eyeballs.”
As Lung’s career, knowledge, and strategies continue to grow, she strives to share these concepts at universities in Barcelona, via online courses, and now, at Promax Europe. She hopes teaching will cultivate creatives, inspire them to try something new, and help them realize the depth of social media and marketing.
“Social media is a marathon; it’s not a sprint, and we really have to go deep,” she said. “The main word for my whole talk is ‘connections.’”
Catch Dot Lung’s session “How Social Dragons Hacked the Instagram Algorithm” March 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 11:55 a.m. at Promax Europe in Amsterdam.