What Musicians Need to Know About Social Media
Whether you love it or hate it, social media is here to stay. It remains one of the most effective ways creatives and musicians can market themselves.
A recent study in The International Journal on Media Management found that social media is still the primary source of content when it comes to musicians they follow, and that a musician’s social media presence gives fans a sense of affinity.
With these findings in mind, the key to successful social media marketing isn’t just about updating fans on new releases. As a musician, social media grants you an opportunity to build a community with your fans.
Here are three ways to do just that.
1. Don't be afraid to go live
Speaking of a sense of affinity, there are few things more exciting to a fan than seeing their favourite musician host an impromptu livestream. Vulture‘s list of upcoming livestream concerts proves that this is the future of social media engagement. After all, everyone who watches gets a front row seat to your show! You can also opt to vary it up and go live and show your fans how you record songs, do a quick Q&A, or even just check in on them. Before you begin livestreaming, do a video recording test run to see that all your acoustics and equipment are coming through. While a bad connection can’t be helped, these necessary maintenance checks can help make the livestream as smooth as possible.
2. Share some playlists
Sharing your own favourite music is a great way for fans to get to know your style and influences. If you’re a bit hesitant to share your personal playlists, try and create some around special occasions: think summer holiday picks, lazy long weekend songs, and the like. Posting a holiday playlist is also a fun and easy way to get in on this trend, with Gala Bingo’s own playlist of the UK’s most famous Christmas songs is the perfect example of a well known brand looking to spread some Yuletide cheer. As documented in the Gala Bingo article, sharing a quick story about your music picks also adds a personalised touch. While updating social media can be a drag, sharing your playlists is a fun break from your usual routine that can get you excited to start posting!
3. Optimise your profile
In order to promote your music the best way possible, you need to have an effective Marketing and Social Media plan. On the back end of things, you’ll want to make sure you’ve optimised your profile to get real-time data analytics. Switching to an Instagram Business account is worth your time as it’ll allow you to see analytics such who are your audiences, when most of your followers are online and which kind of content have the most engagement. You can then use this info to schedule your posts – particularly if you’re looking to launch a new album or release tour dates – or promote your music directly via ads, that are a powerful tool to gain visibility.
On the subject of new albums and tour dates, make sure this info is also readily available. You should always be including your website link and list of tour dates as part of your bio for easy reference, or you may want to have an Instagram highlight that stores all this info.
Music thrives on social media, so it’s not enough to just have an updated Spotify account (even though that’s super important, too). These three tips can help you make the most out of social media while also keeping things breezy and fun!