Elvis Presley: The King of Social Media

Top 50 Elvis Presley Hits Inspire Social Media

Elvis Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) indelibly changed contemporary music as traced through the over 700 tracks he recorded during his career. In honor of the thirty-fourth anniversary of his death, here are the King of Rock and Roll’s Top 50 hits and the social media lessons they contain.

  1. Hound Dog. Do you stalk people on social media platforms? Do the people you follow perceive that your actions are creepy? While following and engaging with others on social media networks is expected and encouraged, as in real life, you need to respect people’s boundaries.
  2. Suspicious Minds. Social media assumes a level of transparency in your interactions. As a result, there’s a level of trust that helps to overcome doubts.
  3. Mystery Train. While Elvis sings about the fact that even a runaway train can’t take his gal away, on social media, it’s hard to keep an air of mystery. Being open and above board are the basis for interactions.
  4. Heartbreak Hotel. By building your social media tribe, you don’t need to feel the sense of desolation Elvis expressed in Heartbreak Hotel.
  5. I Just Can’t Help Believing. This Elvis song could be an ode to social media where positive contributions to the greater community and a pay-it-forward mentality makes everyone feel welcome.
  6. Suspicion. This song’s focus on a victim points to the need to use social media responsibly.
  7. Good Rocking Tonight. This song could be dedicated to some of the more active social media meetups and Twitter chats like Sunday night’s BlogChat.
  8. Doing the Best I Can.  Social media platforms can require time to get used to the protocol. That said, it’s important that you contribute to the community in a positive way.
  9. One Night. For marketers, social media is about having an on-going relationship not a one shot promotion.
  10. Tomorrow is a Long Time. Elvis’ cover of the Dylan song. On social media, information gets transmitted in real time as well as in lapsed time. For a business with angry customers, twenty-four hours can seem like an eternity, especially if the customer’s communication goes viral.
  11. Can’t Help Falling In Love. Social media platforms are important for building relationships over time that are both personal and business (although falling in love is rarely the objective.)
  12. Little Sister. On social media platforms, it’s important to be supportive of newbies and others who may not have your level of knowledge. Again, pay it forward.
  13. Don’t Be Cruel. Another Elvis ode that emphasizes treating others well on social media platforms. Remember you don’t know how others will interpret your words and actions.
  14. It’s Now Or Never. Social media demands that you take a stand. It’s not a place where being wishy-washy is tolerated. That said, take time to think through the implications of your actions since words travel straight from your brain through your fintertips.
  15. Polk Salad Annie. Just as the name of this song makes no sense, the same may be said of many social media handles that are attributable to common names or strange abbreviations.
  16. All Shook Up. With its ability to communicate in real time, social media brings news home almost instantaneously. Think of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami and the Egyptian revolution.
  17. Please Don’t Stop Loving Me. On social media platforms, this translates to follow me back and don’t block or unfollow me.
  18. Blue Moon. It’s the second full moon in a month that’s come to mean “rarely” as in the phrase once-in-a-blue-moon. With the current time spent and level of interaction on social media platforms, it’s hard to believe that any engagement is rare.
  19. Crawfish. On social media platforms, it’s possible to find like-minded people who share your interests or needs. It’s the law of large numbers at its best and the means to connect.
  20. A Mess of Blues. Just as Elvis is feeling blue, social media platforms can expose your heart to pain. You’ll see how people who don’t know you react without understanding your perspective. This is why it’s critical to have a social media tribe.
  21. That’s All Right. Social media’s technology enables users to connect with family, friends and others who help support you in difficult times.
  22. Long Black Limousine. While Elvis sings about a poor southern singer whose gone too soon, social media provides the means for everyone to build their following. While social media is egalitarian in approach, the reality is that star power builds followings on these platforms.
  23. Guitar Man. Many musicians take advantage of various social media platforms, especially YouTube to help build their following and to get noticed by established labels.
  24. Jailhouse Rock. Some social media platforms are set up to prevent spam and limit your communications. For example, Twitter won’t let you send more than 100 tweets in an hour or 1,000 in a day. When you do, they put you in Twitter Jail and prevent you from tweeting for a period of time. ( Yes, I’ve been there!)
  25. Love Me Tender. Treat everyone with respect on social media. It’s just a good policy for living.
  26. That’s Someone You’ll Never Forget. When it comes to social media platforms, you want to put your best foot forward because you don’t want to be unforgettable in a bad way. If you’re not sure of how you’re coming across, ask some friends and colleagues you trust for honest feedback.
  27. Any Day Now. Social media platforms enable both instantaneous communications and asynchronous communications. As a result, most participants expect to hear your response quickly.
  28. Burning Love. This Elvis song about overwhelming passion translates to having employees who are social media evangelists for your brand and/or business so that their feelings come through their social media interactions.
  29. Viva Las Vegas. With Location Based Services, you can check-in in Las Vegas or anywhere else.
  30. An American Triology. When it comes to social media, the three main platforms are Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. With Google+’s meteoric growth, it’s likely that it will unseat one or all of these platforms.
  31. Trying to Get You. Social media is all about engagement! ‘nuff said!
  32. A Fool Such As I. When you make mistakes in social media as in love, the best course is to own up to it like the King did.
  33. Reconsider Baby. While the power of Elvis’ blues may not come through on social media, you need to be open to new ideas.
  34. Trouble. Since social media provides every consumer with their own megaphone to amplify their message and discontent, businesses must monitor the landscape 24/7 and have a Crisis Management Plan in place to take action when appropriate.
  35. I’m Leavin’. With social media, you’re able to share your location and activities to a broad audience.
  36. Are You Lonesome Tonight. By contrast, on social media, you don’t have to be alone. At any hour of the day or night, you can find others to interact with, either across town or across the pond.
  37. In The Ghetto. Here’s where social media’s social conscious hits its stride.
  38. Return To Sender. While few social media users still use old-fashioned postal mail to which this song refers, social media runs on email to keep members abreast of what’s happening and coming back for more.
  39. She’s Not You. While this song involved a love triangle, on social media platforms, you need to be open to new connections and relationships.
  40. The Girl of My Best Friend. This title is ready made for social media where everyone is less than six degrees away. Who do you want to connect to?
  41. I’ve Lost You. With the power of relationships on social media, you have to work to not get found. On the other hand, on social networks, you can be overly zealous in your communications and turn someone off so that they block your messages.
  42. Baby Let’s Play House. While not the intended song reference, many social media platforms use game mechanics to engage participants and keep them coming back.
  43. Always on My Mind. With many social media platforms, you’re able to see who’s on the system so that you can communicate in real time. Therefore, unlike Elvis, you don’t need to keep thinking about them.
  44. I Need Somebody to Lean On. With your social media tribe and other social media groups, you always have a community to help you whether it’s words of support or information.
  45. His Latest Flame. On social media, you need to be true to your friends and others. Further, you shouldn’t use social media as a gossip conduit.
  46. It Hurts Me. As a social media participant, sometimes you need to grow a thick skin because you can unintentionally get hurt by how people say something.
  47. Way Down. Is this what you think of your social media standings as measured by Klout and other influence trackers?
  48. Love Me. On social media, participants accept you for the value you provide and your engagement.
  49. Too Much. Like Elvis and other rockers, sometimes too much social media interaction is too much and you get burned out. At times like this, you need to take a break and unplug.
  50. You’ll Never Walk Alone. Build your social media network and you’ll always have real people ready to support you.

Regardless of which Elvis Presley ballad’s your favorite, one thing’s for certain, they all ring true with human feelings that are at the core of social media.

Are there any other Elvis Presley favorites that you’d add to this list? If so, what are they and what’s the social media lesson they contain?

Happy marketing,
Heidi Cohen


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