This week on Sonic Avenue, we’ll be discussing the insights into what artists are doing wrong on their social media, and how to fix it.
Social media is here to stay. And now, more than ever, it is extremely important for artists to have it.
Social media platforms are one of many ways to promote artists and grow their audience. It may sound easy, but it’s quite a lot of work. All this can’t be done overnight–or can it? Let’s get into it!
- Lack Of Consistency
First things first, is consistency, because consistency is key. Social media platforms, such as Facebook or Instagram, might function and look differently, but they are there for the same purpose. To promote. If you want to grow your audience, you need to promote yourself with concise information.
To stay consistent, you can write short, medium, and long bios depending on the platform you are using. Short bios contain one sentence all about you, medium bios are a couple of sentences about what you play and why, and a long bio is a full in-depth story of your band. Which bio you choose to use depends on where and what platform you use.
To defy your brand and stay consistent, you can explain what you do, target people with specific words (the genre you play, for example), and link your website. Consistent linking is also very important for your audience to explore and potential followers to expand. Make sure you have the correct linking for each platform. The link you add on Facebook isn’t going to be the same on Instagram. Double-check if you’re not sure!
- Vanity Metrics
Vanity metrics, in short, are the number of followers, likes, and comments you have on each post on your social media. These analytics are not a determining factor of your success. Every artist is different, with different goals and ideas they want to pursue.
A lot of artists want their music to be listened to, others want their merch to be bought, and some people just want to play shows for a huge audience. Social media is there to help, so use them to your advantage.
- Putting All Your Eggs in One Basket
TikTok may be the hottest thing right now, with all the googly-eyed teenagers searching for trendy new challenges, but it’s not the only thing out there. If you focus on only one platform, the chances of growing your audience and reaching your goals are very limited.
Let’s say you put all your content on TikTok, then the platform slowly collapses for whatever reason. All the content you have built on there will vanish, and you have to start all over again. This is the reason for balance, even on your social media. A key point to remember is that no platform is the same, they should all be treated differently, but with equal content and work put into each.
- Selling Too Much
As it is mentioned before, social media is very helpful and important for promoting yourself and your music, but you should not promote yourself too much. Asking people to click, attend, buy, or follow is not creating valuable content. If you provide meaningful value from your content, your goals will quickly be accomplished.
An easy guide to follow for balance in your content is the 70-20-10 rule:
- 70 percent of your posts should include brand-building content. This means posts that help form your band’s image; what, how, and why. This reaches your audience in an emotional and personal way.
- 20 percent should consist of shared content from trusted sources. In the musical sense, this means collaborations or connections with the music industry. This includes your band’s inspirations, festivals you’re going to participate in, other bands you have toured with, and links to interviews and/or reviews of your music.
- 10 percent should be made up of self-promotion. This includes asking fans to attend your show, buy your merch, share your tour with friends, and listen to your music on digital platforms such as Spotify or Apple Music.
- Not Being Social
For you to gain fans, you need to reach out to your followers and communicate with them. Socialize! I mean, it’s the 21st century, people! As a band or artist, it will help tremendously if you respond to people on DMs or comments.
Your fans are looking for that interaction online, even if it is to complain about your music. Replying to your audience will show that you pay attention and are dedicated to your band or music.
Bonus Tips: Understand your analytics, they will serve you as a guide to success. Use the tools that each platform provides, they will help you more than you think.
Header Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash
