Fascinating article about Justin Bieber, the teen idol, last weekend in the Globe & Mail. His fame, starting with a YouTube video, has been constructed using social media.

He [Scott Braun, Justin’s manager] continues to cultivate Justin’s following on YouTube and on Twitter. “If I see he’s not Twittering, I tell him, ‘Get on your Twitter.’ Because it’s how his fans relate to him. They made him, you know? The moment he disappears from them, they feel like they’ve lost that kid from YouTube that invited them into his living room. (…)

It likely takes him a matter of minutes to copy a message such as this one sent by fan @GillianLovesJBx to his Twitter home page – “@justinbieber Do u respond to a simple I Love You? :)” – and then reply, for all the world to see, “I love u 2…i love all u ladies :).”

But that small amount of effort can produce immeasurable rewards: Fans blessed with a bit of attention will turn around and encourage others to buy his albums, post messages when they request his songs on the radio, and talk about how much they want tickets to his shows.(…)

His image and his Twitter personality make him seem ultra-accessible, but it’s not so easy to get to Justin Bieber in person. Universal Music Canada’s Mr. Lennox says that was part of the label’s strategy.

via How Justin Bieber got so big – The Globe and Mail.

What it means: Bieber has close to 3 million (!) followers on Twitter and he manages to make “you” feel special. He understands that it’s all about conversation and not about broadcast. It’s real. Can you imagine the marketing power that this engagement brings? Now, if you’re used to broadcasting, how do you change to a conversational model? That’s your new challenge.