As the way we access and listen to music continues to evolve, it has made social media an essential means to promote and share — especially when it comes to brand new artists and talent. The reach opportunity that social media provides can literally launch a new career almost overnight — it’s that powerful.
From a fan’s perspective, it allows them to feel more connected to their favorite artists and get a behind the scenes look into their lives. While many musicians are extremely talented at what they do, they aren’t up to speed on social media promotion, as they are focused on their music.
Tony Fountain, Founder and CEO of NOW Entertainment understands the importance of social media and how it is one of the most effective means of promotion and music distribution. Here are three keys to help you effectively promote your music using social media.
Offer an incentive to share content promoting the album.
By leveraging the artist’s following, you can get new music in front of a much larger audience with very little marketing cost. “Most fans will do anything that an artist will ask of them, and the response is even better when you give them incentive to share,” says Fountain.
Something as simple as randomly selecting a dozen followers that share a post for a free album download or giving out merchandise can amplify the reach tremendously. “Often times you can leverage a contest to receive the kind of impressions and traffic that would otherwise cost thousands of dollars a day if you were running social media paid ads,” adds Fountain.
The more popular the artist, the more traction you will see right out of the gate. The newer the artist, the sweeter the incentive will need to be.
Use video posts to make the message personal and direct from the artist.
While you will experience some success just posting links to where new music can be heard, you should be taking advantage of video content to really see the best results.
“By posting videos, it allows the artist to better directly connect with his or her fan base. Instagram stories, for example, can be filmed in mere seconds and the fans feel as if the artist is speaking directly to them. Since it’s more personal, if they ask for something, the response will often be far greater. The ‘swipe up’ feature on Instagram stories is very powerful,” says Fountain.
Even the busiest artist can find a few seconds a day to shoot a few pieces of video content, which can then be distributed across all of his or her social media profiles, from Instagram and Facebook to Twitter and Snapchat.
Don’t flood feeds with non-stop promotional posts.
“The biggest mistake many new artists make is bombarding their followers with promotional posts.” Advises Fountain. “People are following their artists to stay up to date on what they are doing, but more so to get a glimpse into their life.”
The smart play is to really let your fan base into your life. Share sneak peeks and make the followers feel as if they are on the road with the artist and part of their daily activities. This is how you create a very loyal following.
Then, when you do drop a promotional post, the following is going to feel such a connection to the artist that they will do whatever is asked, whether it’s visiting a specific URL or sharing a post. Building that personal connection is the biggest component of a loyal and responsive social media following.
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