As a musician you probably didn’t sign up for all the other stuff that goes with it, like marketing, all you wanted to do was create music. But the fact of the matter is that there are a lot more components to being a musician that you might think.
Marketing is actually a major part, because even if you create awesome music, if you don’t know how to spread the word then it is pretty much all for nothing. Marketing does really have the potential to make or break your music.
Some people these days decide to go with a label (if that is possible and they get signed) while others are independent (either by choice or because they haven’t got a label yet). If you are with a label then they will pretty much do all the marketing for you and you can just sit back and hopefully people will listen to your work.
If you are independent, then you will have to do a lot of the grunt work yourself, hire people to help you or you might be lucky and have friends and family that are willing to help. Here you probably don’t have the same amount of resources behind you (as an artist signed by a label would). But at least you will have more control about the message you send out to people and where.
Social media is probably one of the best places to get your music out to the masses. As a whole, social media is an extremely powerful tool and you need to be really careful on how you use it. There are a stack of different social media platforms available to broadcast your music, Facebook, Snapchat, Tik Tok, Instagram,or Twitter just to name a few.
It is important that before you even start posting you do research to get a better understanding of who your target listener is, and what platform they are more likely to be using. Many people use various social media platforms on a daily basis, which is great because you know you have the potential to reach so many people.
However, you don’t want to stretch yourself too thin by posting on every single platform available, so you should look to focus on the ones that you think will have the most cut through. By just focusing on a few, especially to start with, you can improve the quality of your account and really take time to connect with your followers.
As things change and progress you should certainly look at new social media platforms that can help you along the way. You never know, with the help of social media you could end up hearing your songs on the radio one day.
So how exactly does social media work and how can you, as a musician, benefit from it? Well, have a read on below at the guide to social media for musicians:
Fully optimised profile
First things first, you need to ensure that your social media profiles are fully optimised. When they are completely optimised it makes it easier for people to find you, and isn’t that what you want?
This includes some simple things like ensuring all your information is up to date, having a link in you bio to your latest or most important creation (like a new song) and that your profile picture is sized properly so that people can see it.
If you aren’t sure where to start when trying to create a professional and optimised profile, then a tool called Canva can really help you stand out from the crowd. Social media is all about visuals and Canva can help you create eye popping images that stand out from the rest.
Post regularly
This is one of the most important things when it comes to social media, you will never build a solid online following if you don’t post often enough. In the same train of thought, if you post too often then those following might lose interest and unfollow you. It is important that you work towards striking a good balance.
You also shouldn’t stop and start your posting either, look to keep it consistent. This means that you can’t post every day for a couple of months, then radio silence, then try to pick up again from where you left off a few months ago. Regular posting is vital for the success of your profile.
There are all sorts of different posts you should be making; it is a good idea to have a good variety going. You should also look to post all your upcoming events on your social media accounts as well. This will give your fans the opportunity to say whether they are going to your event or not as well as get more important information.
Respond to fans
Yes, it is important that you post regularly and have some variety in the type of content you are giving your fans. But if you get fans engaging with your profile or posts it is important that you actually respond to them. Remember, anyone can say whatever they want about you on social media, may to be positive or negative.
As you are essentially building your brand through social media, you need to be careful with the way you respond to people, even if they have said something negative about you. You also just shouldn’t respond to all the positive comments, you also need to tackle the negative (but hopefully you will be able to put a positive spin on it!); that way you can showcase that you truly care about your fans.
Be active
Not only do you have to create your own posts and respond to fans, it is also a good idea to be fully active on the social media platform/s of your choosing. Yes this does sound like a lot of work, but if it helps you build your following then it is certainly worth it. By being active on social media it helps to keep you at the forefront of people’s mind, and it can help to further spread the word.
By keeping active on social media you can like, comment, share other people’s (or artists) posts, follow other profiles, join groups and discussions, send people private messages, etc. By just staying active, it can help build up the reputation of your own profile and brand.
Behind the scenes content
This part is pretty important, so it justifies having its own section. Behind the scenes content can be a great way to connect with your fans on a more personal level. Show them things that you do on the weekend or what you are cooking for dinner. By building more personal connection it can help people relate to you better.
As a musician, your fans probably already think that they know you on a personal level, so it could be nice to show them a less processional or polished side to yourself. Show off your funny or goofy side, it will really help to bring fans in. This could be in the form of images or videos to show what you like to do every now and then, or what your typical day looks like.