On Sunday night millions of Americans, and nearly a billion movie lovers worldwide, tuned in to the 85th annual Academy Awards. Though the evening was all about entertainment and celebrating the achievements in film making in the past year, there are key takeaways that we learned from this year’s Oscars that will help us in creating successful social media marketing campaigns.

Announcing the Nominees:
The 5 Lessons We Learned from the Oscars

1. Dress to Impress

Let’s face it, as much as we want to find out which film won best picture, one of the main reasons we watch awards shows is to see what the stars are wearing. From couture gowns and tuxes to priceless jewels, the attendees certainly dress to impress. Your social media pages should be no different. On Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+, make sure your profile picture and cover photo are aesthetically pleasing, complement one another, and are consistent with all of your marketing messaging and imagery. The same goes for your profile image, header photo and background on Twitter.

2. Make ‘Em Laugh

Even at this black tie affair, the Academy understands the importance of a good laugh. This year’s host Seth MacFarlane, the funny man behind Family Guy and Ted, kept the jokes coming from his opening monologue through the end of the show. Don’t be afraid to share silly jokes or cartoons that pertain to your business. Just make sure they aren’t off-color like some of MacFarlane’s wisecracks!

3. Handle Feedback Gracefully

Whether they won or lost, (most of) the nominees handled the news with poise. Follow their lead in responding to feedback from customers on your social media pages. Thank customers for their kind words and graciously apologize for any mishaps that may have occurred.

4. Keep It Brief

We all struggle to retain our interest as some winners drone on and on, only to be played out and cut off. We appreciate succinct, heartfelt acceptance speeches much more than their drawn out counter parts. In the same fashion, keep your social media posts short and sweet to ensure that your customers don’t lose interest.

5. You’re in Control

At the Oscars, William Shatner, in his famous role as Star Trek’s Captain Kirk, came “back from the future” to guide Seth MacFarlane in his efforts as a host, revealing sketches that were not so well received by audiences and advising him on more appropriate tactics. But you don’t need a fictional character from the future to tell you that you are in control of how your company is portrayed on social media. You control whom within your company has access to post for your social media page, what gets posted, and with whom you’d like to associate via following or liking their pages.

Though the Oscars come just once a year, they are a powerful reminder of just how we can use our social media pages to entertain and connect with our customers. Take these five lessons to heart and you’ll be a social media award winner!