Music needs to be shared! Do you agree?
If you are an artist who is just starting out, social media is a great way to grow a solid fanbase rather quick. And what´s beautiful is that there are practically no limits. You can promote yourself locally or globally.
Here´s a little step by step guide for all Marketing newbies. I´ll give you some advice on how to build an image, how to build a fanbase and how to keep your fans engaged!
Let´s get started!
- Finding out who you are
The first step in any Marketing strategy is building a brand. That brand is you! So, before you open a facebook page, or a Twitter profile, here´s a little excercise for you to find out who you are and how you want to present youself.
Please take a blank sheet of paper and write down the following questions.
- What are my most important values in life?
e.g. being myself, making money, be a role model for younger people, create something beautiful, love, family life, friendships, being political, etc.
- What´s my purpose in life?
e.g. be famous, be a philosopher, improve the world, inspire other artists, grow a family, live the Amercian dream, be independent and happy etc.
- What´s characteristic in my music?
e.g. I mix country melodies with electronic beats…or: I always use a guitar as main instrument etc.
- What makes my art unique?
e.g. I have a very prominent unique voice, I write lyrics that mix comedy and tragedy, I only record live albums…etc.
Next, answer the following question:
Who am I making music for? Who am I adressing?
e.g. I am adressing romantic people, who love jazz and blues and enjoy listening to lyrics…Or: I adress young people, that like to party hard and dance and sing…
Or: I adress intellectuals that like to discuss philosophical ideas etc.
This will help you understand your ideal fanbase better. You need to know you you want to attract, in order to attract these peer groups!
What´s important is: Your brand needs to match with your ideal fanbases demands.
Once you have answered the questions above, try writing down 1 to three sentences that describe, who you are, why you do, what you do (what drives you), what your purpose is, who you adress and why you are different from other artists.
Here´s an example:
I am a young folk singer/songwriter, who writes songs, that make people reflect on topics from everyday life. My fans are good people, who are independent and fearless. They dare to go against the grain and they love literature, poetry and philosophy. My music mixes simple melodies with deep lyrics and rather dynamic rythmns. I want people to feel good and strong and worthy and ready to face everyday challenges. I want to start a conversation.
Your brand could also sound like this:
I am a rebel who likes to question social patterns. My music is very modern, mixing unconventional vocals with electronic beats. My fans are outlaws.
I help them find confidence and a place where they belong.
If brand one is what you feel fits your personality, you will from now on include this desciption in anything you do.
E.g. your website will include simple, serious colours (blue maybe). Your pictures will be beautiful, but also artistic. Intellectuals might like black and white photography.
Your main social media channel will be Twitter and Facebook. You will do a lot of videos that help you spread messages and reach out to fans directly.
If brand desciption two fits you better, then you can go wild. Your website includes splashes of bright colours, your look is crazy and maybe provoking. Your pictures show your face upfront. You always put yourself out there. You like snapchat and you post pictures and videos of your wild lifestyle. Etc.
I highly recommend that your brand mirrors who you really are. Don´t try to be someone you are not, as this will take away a lot of energy from you! You will always have to act out! It´s a general rule in life. Be yourself and show people you are gorgeous the way you are! Provide the world with YOUR personal perfume! Leave YOUR mark.
If you need more help with building your brand, feel free to send me a message. I help you analyze yourself and find out who you are or who you wanna be for a small fee of 89 Dollars.
- Once you are all set, you can start out on social media
I highly recommend setting up profiles on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and if you plan on reaching out to a young fanbase, also snapchat. These platforms are the most prominent ones (currently).
Here´s a quick strategy on how to build followers on each of those platforms:
Youtube: Youtube is one of the most prominent social media platforms for musicians. Producing videos is a great choice, as they combine images and sounds, which helps you show your personality without filters really. When filming a youtube video, try out different ideas. You may shoot a professional music video, or simply film yourself playing a new song in your living room. The more professional the video gets, the better!
If you film at home, you may wanna buy some lighting umbrellas to create a soft atmosphere (which will also make your skin look nice). You can find equipment for as little as 44 dollars in Amazon.
Now, all you really need is a cell phone video camera, a tripod and some patience. You can basically start filming now. However, a musician should also provide great audio. I highly recommend working with a mixer, that allows for you to plug in a mic, one or two instruments and your cell phone. Take a look at the go;mixer by Roland for example!
Once your video is shot, you may take a couple more shots from different angles.To give your video a twist, try editing it in Adobe Premiere…This will allow you to cut it and include different video angles, lyrics or special effects! There are no limits to your creativity really!
Facebook: Try posting content 3 times a week at last. You may include pictures, little videos, blogposts and tour dates. Facebook also allows you to advertise and collect e-mail adresses via so called lead campaigns. When playing an ad, make sure tot hink of your exact target group at first. If you plan on promoting a couple of gigs in your hometown, make sure only to target audiences that live in your city / town or village. Think of your audiences age, gender, interests etc. (remember how I asked you to define your ideal fanbase? ;)). If you want to grow an organic fanbase on facebook, make sure to engage people by commenting back on comments you receive and show them you are there. Facebook is also a great platform to promote gigs and events via event pages. They are easy to set up and allow you to sell tickets directly.
Twitter: The quick and easy platform. Great for spreading ideas, posting thoughts, news articles about you and your band, or simply share instagram posts. Twitter always displays their „trending“ topics. By including trend hashtags you may find ways to link yourself to a current trend topic, thereby becoming part of a big conversation. In ordert o gain followers, you will also have to follow other people. It´s basically a give and take principle.
Instagram: The most visual platform of all. This is ideal for posting lifestyle photos, little video snippets and behind the scenes stills. Make sure to follow a visual concept that fits your brand. E.g. post only in black and white. Or work with certain filters on every third picture etc. Think of something that sticks out and represents your brand!
If you feel overwhelmed by all these platforms and the workload (and the amount of time) that goes into it, just think of what you get out of it. It´s easy to gain momentum with little money. Always keep that in mind!
To make things easier for you, I´d like to introduce a great tool, that helps you plan all your posts and tweets. You may then schedule them.
Go to „buffer.com“ and download their social media management tool. This will allow you to post a variety of things on all of these platforms from one account. Save time logging in and off your many platforms, re-posting things and copying hashtags.
Buffer is the best tool I´ve found so far. It allows you to customize each post to the various platforms (e.g. 140 characters in Twitter).
Any more questions? Go ahead and e-mail me! I´m happy to help!
Also make sure to register for my newsletter!
Best
Katie
If you wanna connect, you can find me online here:
or contact me at:
kwellenberg@hotmail.com
mobile: +49(0)1721947870