Social media is an extension of our personality, our business card to introduce ourselves to the world, and a huge opportunity to communicate with people from any part of the world with access to the internet. If you are a musician and want to build your social media following, look at the eight tips we have for you.
Most users check their social media accounts several times every week. Many of us are on social media multiple times during one day. Users expect new content every time they grab their phones and open Instagram, so you must stay active and create that new content for them. In other words, don't post a video and abandon the account for two months. Instead, set a timeline and write down when you will post so that your profile is always updated, and there's something new to watch. Are you going to post a new video every Tuesday? Perfect! If you are consistent, your followers will be more likely to support you and engage with your content.
It can be a challenge to stay active on social media, so in an attempt to create more content, a prevalent mistake is to post the same image or video multiple times. Don't do this.
If you play the guitar, don't post 10 identical pictures of you playing the guitar at your friend's birthday party. There are many types of content that you can post on your social media (small videos, throwbacks, behind the scenes, portraits, rehearsals, and many more).
Don't feel bad if you ever think that you are running out of ideas on what to post. If that ever happens to you, take advantage of the tools to create surveys on Twitter and Instagram, where you can ask your followers what type of content they would like to see or what kind of content they enjoyed the most. That's the best way to receive feedback because it comes directly from your audience, and they will let you know if they have any suggestions.
Try to have a diverse range of content on your social media platforms. This way, your followers won't be tired of your posts, and more people will follow you.
Hashtags are a great tool to find people in social media. The hashtag #Musician has more than 30 million posts on Instagram! Not using hashtags means closing the doors to an enormous range of followers looking for social media users like you! Use hashtags that describe your style, your identity, and your type of music. That way, people who have similar interests will find you and will follow you.
However, it is important to choose your hashtags wisely, don't use hashtags just because they are trendy if they don't go with who you are and what you are doing. But if you can produce content that aligns with trendy hashtags, go for it! For example, you can definitely post an old picture with the hashtag #tbt, which means Throwback Thursday, or if you pick an outfit that is super cool and that you are very proud of, you can use the hashtag #ootd, which stands for Outfit of the Day. So, in simple words, embrace hashtags in a way that aligns with your personality, your style, and the type of posts you like to share.
There are thousands of musicians all over the world. What makes you unique? What is the message that you want to share with your audience? You should answer those questions with awesome content that describes your own personal story. Be true to yourself.
Many celebrities use social media as a tool to show the world their personality, who they are besides their career, what they do on vacation, how they play with their pets and many other "normal" things that their followers can relate to.
This is extremely valuable because followers are not engaging with the musician or the actress or the journalist. They engage with the person. You are much more than your career, so share that with your followers. Share who you are as a person and give your musician persona a little break. You don't have to be very personal when you post about you; it can be as simple as posting a picture of a book you are reading, a podcast you are listening to, your morning hike, your delicious organic breakfast, or your new pair of boots. Most artists do a really good job of balancing posts of their professional and personal life.
It is very important that when you check out your competitors, you don't compare yourself with them, remember point number 4! Looking at other competitors is essential to know what type of posts you like and what posts you don't like. Look at the way other musicians interact with their followers. Do they respond to comments? What kind of content are they sharing? Who do they follow? There is so much that you can learn from looking at other people's profiles, so do that regularly to find inspiration and know what other musicians are up to.
Think of some of the greatest duets: Jay Z and Alicia Keys, Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, and Beyonce. The power of collaboration is HUGE. It may seem as musicians should compete against each other to be the best, but the truth is that you don't have to compete all the time. Find musicians that you admire or that you like. Follow them, connect with them, give them constructive feedback, and stay in touch with them. It will be tremendously helpful for you to network with as many musicians as you can. You never know who's going to help you to bring your career one step further!
A common mistake is to assume that all social media platforms are the same. They are not! Instagram is mostly image-based, Twitter is mainly text-based, Facebook is a combination of both, and it is the leader in social media with more than 2.5 billion active users.
It is crucial to produce content based on the platform that you are using. Each of the platforms has its own benefits, so take advantage of them, because you might find new followers on Facebook who don't have an account on Instagram or vice versa.
If you let your audience know that you are reading their comments and listening to what they are saying, they will like you even more! Take some time to respond to some comments and messages. Your answer can be as short as a "thank you!" or an emoji. If you feel that you want to interact with your audience a little more, take advantage of the live stream tools, and set up a Q&A on Facebook, Instagram, or Youtube. You can also answer direct questions from your followers through Instagram stories. Whatever tool you decide to use, take this opportunity to show your personality and be kind and grateful to your followers.
Remember to take your social media presence seriously. Many careers have started with videos and content on social media. You never know who is watching. Stay as active as you can across all your social media platforms, and don't underestimate any other platforms that may come out along the way. Finally, don't get frustrated if you don't wake up tomorrow morning with 800 new followers; it is a process that takes time and patience. It is part of your work to be consistent, kind, and communicate effectively through social media. Are you ready? Good luck!
