The title may say “Social Media Tips for Band and Musicians” but a lot of what I listed below is applicable to anyone running a social media page for their business. Use these suggestions as a solid base for your social media and expand upon it. If you’ve got any specific questions regarding your business page, don’t hesitate to reach out, I love talking social media and marketing strategy – louie@bmusedimaging.com
Make a plan
- Take a look at the analytics of the platforms you mostly frequently engage on and make note of the posts that have seen the most engagement.
- Look up bands that you think are similar to yours, 3-5, and see what they’re doing write and what’s working for them. Take note of what isn’t working for them as well. Apply their success to your platform.
- Research: Spend some time looking up what’s trending on various platforms and how it relates to your band. For example Live-streaming is a great way right now to engage with fans and spread your music organically, how can your band take advantage of that without it sounding like an infomercial?
Know when to post
- Most social media platforms will tell you, at least in the most basic way, when the best time to post to your account. Find that time and build that into your social media strategy.
Be consistent
- This rule applies to not only how often you post, but with the copy and content that you post.
- The old saying “too many cooks in the kitchen” can apply to social media as well. If multiple band members are going to be posting on the same platform, make sure you’re all on the same page as to when and what is appropriate to post.
Don’t just promote the band, diversify your content
- This can be a behind the scenes video of a rehearsal.
- Spotlight on a local venue you like to play at that has something newsworthy happen.
- What it was like to write a popular song of yours.
- Explain the the recording process; parts of it that most might not know about.
- Keep in mind, the process of being a musician is familiar to you, but mostly unfamiliar to the general public, so getting a peek into the musical world may sound mundane to you, but it will most likely entertain and intrigue the average person.
- Have a content brainstorming session with the band and come up with as many ideas as you can. Not all will be great, but you’ll find enough to build on.
Unlink your social media accounts
- Or edit your posts when they’re posted to other platforms.
- Create posts for the platform they’re in. Example: short and concise on Twitter vs a little more depth on Facebook/Instagram.
- Tons of Instagram handles and hashtags on Facebook looks messy, lazy and won’t engage your fans on the platform.
Delegate, divide and conquer
- Divvy up posting and responding responsibilities among the band.
- Managers, if you have one that’s hands on, can be involved here too.
- Make sure they understand the message and content you’re trying to achieve.
- Hold them accountable; if they’re going to take on the responsibility, then they need to be held responsible.
Take the time to engage your fans
- When a fan takes the time to leave a comment, message your page or share a post you’ve created. Take the time to reply, like and engage with them. That’s how you make a super fan.
Do some “social listening” after a show or event
- Check your various social channels and see what people in attendance are saying and sharing.
- This means searching hashtags related to the event or your band.
- Fans, especially first timers, will probably spell your band’s name wrong, check for the common misspellings.
- Re-share your favorite posts/pics.
- Always give credit to whomever made the post or took the picture.
Create a promo schedule specific to high profile events
- If applicable, as the venue you’re playing for their media contacts so that you can reach out and get some digital ink going.
- Set a budget for the promotion, use things like bitly and the various social media analytics to track the success of your campaign.
- Give yourself enough time to build up the promo.
- Less than a week, unless you put serious money behind it, won’t get you a ton of return.
Use your Event Page to connect with fans, but be creative with what you post. Keep it interesting and engaging.
- Remember that everyone who has RSVP’d to your event will get a notification when you post, so don’t abuse that power.
Pay to promote your shows
- Doesn’t have to be a lot, the dollar goes a lot further than it use to when it comes to advertising.
- Use your promoted posts to subtly promote multiple things, for example: use a music video to promote an upcoming. That gets people watching your video and making them aware of the upcoming show. Again, be creative about this though, don’t just say “here’s a video, we’ve got a show coming up”. Talk about what the video means to you, or a funny story that happened on set or anything interesting and then say something along the lines of “you can see these shenanigans live at wherever the venue is tonight”.
- Get a gig poster professionally done and work with a graphic artist that can give you several different digital formats for the poster so the sizing and proportions are correct on your various social media accounts.
Cross promote/interact online with other bands/venues etc..
- Great way to get exposure and another way to diversify your content.
- Great way to build relationships with other successful people in the industry.
- Great way to show you’re committed to promoting a show or event that you’re a part of.
Don’t expect people to care if you don’t give them a reason to care.
- Telling your fans what you want them to click or show up to rather than why you want them to click or show up, will almost never work.
- What will the music make them feel? How much fun will they have and why? Will this music transport them to another dimension? Will it bring them back to the time on the first day of 9th grade when they found money on the ground in the cafeteria and instantly knew that high school/life might not suck as much as they thought? Be creative!
Be as genuine as you can be
- People will feel much less like you’re trying to sell them something (and much more inclined to buy your music/gear etc..) if you present yourself as genuine, unique, and legit about your music. Why not show a little personality and package things up with a joke and a wink. Who knows, people might even end up loving you!
Get them emails!
- Emails, to a band, can be worth anywhere between $5-$10, so it’s worth your time and effort to establish and grow your email list.
- Look at the merch you have or could have and see what fits in the price range of $5-$10 and give that away at shows/online to fans in exchange for their emails.
Keep track of your progress
- Give yourself a monthly or quarterly report card.
- How many posts did I make?
- What worked, what didn’t work? Why?
Always adapt and adjust
- This applies to both paid and organic posts
Update your website weekly or as often as you have shows/special event
- Someone visiting your website for the first time most likely won’t return again if the information they’re seeking isn’t up to date or readily available.
Update your photos everywhere you have control over at least on a quarterly basis
- This is especially important if any members of the band have left or changed.
Does your bio reflect who you are as a band right now? Does your website? Does your logo? Does your EPK?
- If everything I just listed is older than 6 months, at least take some time to read through it all and update as needed.
Some examples of musicians I think are doing a great job managing their online presence: Jackie Venson, Hardcore Sex and Tameca Jones to name a few.
You can DIY everything above, but it may be smart to have a professional help with the planning and, if you’ve got the budget, the execution as well. My company, BMUSED Imaging, works with all types of bands and brands, creating and executing well thought out social strategy. If after reading through all of the above you feel like you could use some guidance, please don’t hesitate to reach out – louie@bmusedimaging.com