When it comes to marketing your band via social media in 2018, interactive and personalized engagement is essential. Just as music is a form of personal expression, so too should connecting with fans be. Here we look at how direct messaging can help to grow your fanbase.
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Guest post by Naima Karp of The Cab Portal
In this day and age, social media marketing in music is all about being interactive, and engaging in a personalized, genuine way. Personally connecting with your fans isn’t just a good idea, it’s a necessity. Music is a form of personal expression and catharsis, and you fans understand and feel that.
Last year, I interviewed a successful teen artist whose gained hundreds of thousands of followers, partially based off of talent but also because of her reaching out to fans. She’s not an Instagram model - she’s a real, relatable person, and that’s what keeps fans coming back for more.
Mental health and bullying was an issue she focused on in her music and struggled with herself, and subsequently, thousands of fans reached out to empathize, ask for support, and just find a common point of connection on those topics. A lot of teens struggle with this, and teens were her demographic. It was a passion that rang true to her, but resonated equally with fans, and created a massive following due to that.
While helping people and giving back to the community is nice, finding a personal point of connection is a clever marketing tactic as well. And you can’t do that unless you personally reach out to your fans. A musician isn’t anything without a fan base, and if you’re smart, you’ll take that seriously.
You can’t fake authenticity - buying followers and attempting shortcuts will only get your career so far. But real connections and conversations with people will get your music out there, because they’ll remember you. And even though its’s 2018, word of mouth is still an incredibly strong way to grow an audience. Vibing with an artist creates an experience more memorable than listening to a track could, at times.
This will guarantee loyalty in terms of fans consistently coming to shows, listening for new releases, and checking in regularly for updates, more than a handsomely curated Instagram feed will.
Apart from making you more relatable and compelling, this also opens doors for you to reach out personally to people with larger audience bases who value engagement and can help grow your audience. A simple repost or tag from someone with hundreds of thousands of followers due to a cultivated online relationship can turn you from a nobody to an influencer and musician with clout in a matter of days.
Find creative ways to interact with fans, like seeking out artists and asking them to do album or single cover artwork that will help with cross promotion as well. Offer them free merch to spread the word, because it turns fans into walking billboards, and who doesn’t love free stuff?
Getting a little intimate and personal with fans is also essential. Rihanna, who is an A list star and musician, has a reputation of connecting with her fans personally and empowering them, by listening but also sharing her own experiences. Being a little vulnerable with fans goes a long way.
But keep in mind, just because it’s social media and you’re getting intimate with fans doesn’t mean you don’t have to remain professional. This is still you trying to grow your brand, and it ultimately is work. But work doesn’t have to be boring, especially when it’s promoting your ultimate passion and life goal!
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