Artist Marketing, Branding, Entrepreneurship, Facebook, Instagram, Social Media, Twitter, Youtube
With every new year comes a whole lot of new year’s resolutions; these can often be hard to stick to, and sometimes are even difficult to come up with in the first place. So for all of you artists out there, we’ve put together a list of 5 relatively simple to follow social media new year’s resolutions that will be sure to keep you stress free, all while helping you earn new fans and followers!
Spend 30 Minutes Per Day on Social Media
Seems simple enough, right? Spending a minimum of 30 minutes a day on social media can help you see a dramatic change in your online presence. Use this time to check your major social platforms, talk to current followers, reach out to potential fans/collaborators, and post new content. Dedicating this small amount of time every day may not seem like much, but it can really make the difference in the long run.
Engage More With Your Followers
Why do you think it’s called social media? If you’re only using your social channels to post content, you’re only fighting half the battle. Engaging and conversing with followers and fans on social media is an absolutely crucial way to build your fanbase. Respond to comments on your posts, thank followers for sharing your content, and use hashtag searches to find relevant posts and accounts where you can create your own conversations.
[Tweet “Why do you think it’s called social media? If you’re only using your social channels to post content, you’re only fighting half the battle.”]
Find Your Best Social Platform, and OWN It
Although being present on multiple social platforms and having a huge following on various channels would obviously be ideal, it isn’t a necessity – especially if you’re just starting out. Do some research to find out who your core demographic is, and what social platform they typically use the most. Also think about which platform would be best to promote your specific type of work and reach potential followers. For a rundown on different popular social platforms and what each is best for, take a look at our post here.
Learn a new Social Platform
This one may seem a little overwhelming, but partnered with our first resolution idea, it’s quite easily achievable. Many platforms make things simple with user-friendly interfaces and designs, and there are more than enough tutorials and articles on the internet that are available to help with almost any problem you may face. Just be sure to learn a platform that is going to work with your goals as well as the artwork you’re creating. Not sure where to start? Here are a few suggestions for up and coming social networks that speak to artists. If you’re a musician, have some fun with Musical.ly , the social network dedicated to music lovers. If you’re an actor, YouTuber or any kind of content creator who loves live video, check out Hype, which is a combination of Vine meets Snapchat meets Facebook Live! If you’re looking for a professional platform to showcase your creative work (think LinkedIn for artists) Behance, is a great tool to display your portfolio while connecting with other artists.
Put Some Money Into Paid Social Ads
Paid advertisements on social channels are an amazing way to boost your follower growth, as well as put your work in front of eyes that may have never seen it otherwise. And the best part about paid ads, is that you get to choose exactly how much money you want to spend, and exactly when you want to stop. With only a few dollars a day, you can put out content that can help you see a significant change in the way you use social media.
Hopefully this list puts your mind at ease a little bit when it comes to thinking of that New Year’s resolution; just stay focused and stay determined and you’ll be sure to see results. But most importantly, Happy New Year!
Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Social Media, Twitter, Youtube
One of the most important things when it comes to social media marketing is knowing where your target audience lives online. Every social media platform has its own benefits as well as specific purposes that make it unique. While being able to effectively use more than one is ideal, it isn’t realistic for a startup. Do you have the time or resources to focus on more than one platform? If not, taking the time to properly focus on one is better than having a poor presence on many.
We took a look at five of the biggest social platforms and gathered data on average user age, gender, and more to make finding your best social media platform a walk in the park.
Key stats:
- 1.9 billion unique monthly users
- 83% of online women, 75% of online men
- Primarily ages 18-49
Facebook is an excellent social media platform for building a community and engaging with followers. Being able to like and reply to followers’ comments and posts promotes healthy customer relationships and feedback. It is also a great platform for posting multiple kinds of content all in one place. If you plan on sharing a mixture of content including photos, videos, updates and general news, then Facebook is the place to be.
Pros
- Central hub for a variety of content
- Different forms of engagement (likes, loves, wows, comments, shares etc.)
- Biggest social platform
Cons
- Over saturated with other business pages
- Millennials are more present on other social networks
- Low organic reach means heavy reliance on boosted posts and ads
Key stats:
- 1 billion unique monthly users
- 55% male, 45% female
- Primarily ages 18-49
YouTube reaches more 18-49 year olds than any cable network, and it is an absolutely critical place to be if your brand’s primary focus is video content. User comments allow for followers to leave feedback, general brand and content opinions, as well as ideas for new video content they’d like to see. Another great thing about YouTube is that it is owned by Google, meaning it is given priority over other platforms in Google search results! So if you think that your brand would benefit mainly from video content such as how to videos, vlogs, or video reviews, then get on YouTube immediately.
Pros
- Biggest video platform
- Improves search results (owned by Google)
- Great way to build a community
Cons
- Strictly for video content and video content only
- High quality video content can be time consuming
- High volume of negative comments and ‘trolls’
Key stats:
- 600 million unique monthly users
- 38% of online women, 26% of online men
- 90% of users are under 35
Instagram is one of the fastest growing social platforms out there, with a primary focus on visual content. 53% of Instagram users follow brands, making it a great place for businesses to be. It is also a great platform for running photo contests and prize giveaways, using branded hashtags to get followers participating. If your startup revolves around products or services that would best be represented visually (retail, food etc.) then being on Instagram is a no brainer. But be careful! Visual content should be visually appealing, so having high quality photos and videos with proper composition, lighting and direction is key to keep up with competition.
[Tweet “53% of Instagram users follow brands, making it a great place for businesses to be.”]
Pros
- Fast growth
- Majority of users follow brands
- Huge millennial user base
Cons
- Not a big platform for users over 35
- Not the best platform for communicating with customers
- High quality photo and video content can be time consuming
Key stats:
- 317 million unique monthly users
- 22% of online men, 15% of online women
- Primarily ages 18-29
Given that Twitter is primarily a copy based social platform, it is fantastic for creating a dialogue with your customers. Regular news updates along with general questions and concerns can be main focal points for creating personable conversations with your customers. Not to mention, hashtags are huge on Twitter; they can be strategically utilized to improve brand awareness and allow customers to easily find you through relative searches. If your main focus as a brand is offering exemplary customer service, building relationships and creating engaging dialogue directly with your customers, then Twitter is the platform for you.
Pros
- One of the best platforms for building customer relationships
- Hashtags make it easier to be discovered
- Not a lot of resources required
Cons
- Low character limit when posting
- Can be confusing to new users
- User growth is stalling
Key stats:
- 300 million unique monthly users
- 70% female, 30% male
- Primarily ages 18-24
Snapchat is another one of the fastest growing social networks, and is also one of the most personable. With the ability to create real-time marketing efforts that cater specifically to your audience, Snapchat can give your followers a behind the scenes look into your brand. Geofilters can also be used to spruce up live events, getting fans and followers more engaged through the sharing of snaps with your custom branded filters. If events, constant sharable moments and regular follower engagement are a big part of your brand, then Snapchat is a great platform to get started on.
Pros
- Extremely fast growing
- Huge platform for millennials
- Great for creating personable posts
Cons
- Brand becomes more transparent
- Tracking success is more difficult than on other platforms
- No ability to like, comment, etc.
Hopefully this article helps you get off on the right foot when it comes to selecting the best social media platform for your startup. Regardless of whatever platform(s) you choose, just remember that nobody likes to be constantly delivered a sales pitch. Keep the majority of your posts personable and natural in order to promote engagement and attract new followers. This is social media, so let’s keep it fun!
Artist Marketing, Music Marketing, Snapchat, Social Media, Uncategorized
Snapchat is a quintessential app for “living in the moment”. Snaps are shared on the fly and in the heat of a moment without the attached worry of how many likes or comments they’ll receive, allowing for more realistic and unedited looks into people’s everyday lives. When using Snapchat as a musician, following this level of openness and transparency shows personability, promotes your art, and shows interesting content beyond your music that fans will be sure to love.
A Day In The Life
If people take an interest in your music, chances are they’ll take an interest in how it comes to fruition. Try snapping some footage of your process, and what goes into making your music what it is. This could come straight from the inception process in the form of songwriting or jamming, to actually recording and mixing the track with snaps of studio sessions and various instrument demonstrations.
But hey, you don’t always have to snap about your music! Let people know that you’re a human being; give them a glimpse of your life outside of music. What goes into your smoothies? What do you do to de-stress after a day of producing music? Fans like to know that their favourite musicians are people who they can relate to: people who take part in everyday chores and activities just like they do. So stop overthinking and let your snaps show your fans the real you!
Image Source
Previewing New Music
A great way that musicians can easily use Snapchat to promote their music, is by previewing new songs. This can be as simple as firing off a quick snap story of you listening to a track that’s currently in the works, or even recording a new track in the studio with your band.
Previewing new work creates a buzz. It gets your followers excited for what’s to come and gives them something to look forward to. Not to mention that sharing these quick snippets is essentially creating shareable content in the easiest way possible. If you’re already in the midst of recording or listening to an upcoming track, why not turn it into a shareable snap that can get people talking about your music?
Behind The Scenes Footage
If you perform live, giving your fans a behind the scenes look is a great way to create excitement and give them a VIP treatment of what goes on backstage. You can show them snaps of what it’s like to make sure your instruments are in tune and ready to go, how a sound check works, or even the various staff at the venue who are working hard to make the concert a reality!
This also goes back to being personable with your followers and shining a light on what life as a musician is really like. Even if your just cracking jokes in the green room or making small talk with the sound guy, most of your fans are likely unfamiliar with what happens beyond the stage, so let them into your world!
Creating A Geofilter For Your Show
This one’s more so for those with a bit of graphic design skills. But if you can pull it off, it can be a HUGE benefit to your live show and the promotion of your music. Ever noticed how when you go to a certain location, new filters directly related to that location pop up for you to use? These are called Geofilters, and they’re actually free for anyone to make! So making one for your show that features branded images and awesome graphics related to your band is a surefire way to get people snapping and sharing that they’re at your show! Pricing to use Geofilters changes according to size of duration and campaign duration.
This is a Geofilter!
To learn more about these Geofilters and how to create them, check out this great walkthrough by SocialMediaExaminer.
If you have extra marketing budget, look into Snapchat Lenses. Similar to Geofilters, a Lens can appear according to your geographical area. Here’s an example of how Ed Sheeran used Snapchat Lenses to promote his new single.
Snapchat Spectacles
Snapchat Spectacles are the newest and greatest thing to come out of Snapchat’s parent company Snap Inc. Spectacles are sunglasses with built in cameras (talk about 007) that allow you to take snaps hands free, from a high definition, first person POV.
Image Source
As a musician, these can be used to add an entirely different perspective to any of your snaps, with the most notable setting being live shows. Showing your fans what you see from stage is an awesome way to let your fans virtually walk in your shoes, and it gives them a much more intimate feeling of what it’s like to be you!
In conclusion, it’s truly best not to overthink it. As long as you remain tasteful and appropriate, your fans will be interested in what you post because they are already interested in you and your music; so get out there and start snapping!
Artist Marketing, Artist of the Week, Social Media
This week we got the chance to talk with the very talented Amara Strand! Originally from Bangkok and currently based out of Toronto, Amara is an artist who specializes in gorgeous watercolour work inspired by her passion for urban life, architecture and nature. Read on to learn more about her and her beautiful work, and be sure to check out her website and Etsy shop through the links at the bottom of the page!
What draws you to painting and sketch work?
Painting has always been my passion, it is a great way for me to express myself through my art. I also enjoy trying to help people connect with each other through my art. I really got back into painting and sketching again when I started my “Heritage Buildings Project” in 2016.
In 3 words or less, how do people describe your artwork?
Vibrant, Joyful , Inspirational.
What is one goal you’d like to accomplish in your lifetime?
It’s a hard question because I have so many goals that I want to accomplish in my lifetime. My most important goal is to share my art with as many people as possible. I would love to travel the world and sketch on location and have a real studio for myself.
What has been the most helpful social media platform for you to promote your art?
Instagram and Facebook are my two preferred social platforms that I use to promote my art.
What’s the most difficult part of promoting yourself online?
It is very time consuming and I am always searching for ways to keep my followers interested and engaged with what I am doing.
What advice would you give to other artists who are starting out?
Keep doing what you believe in and never give up. Put yourself out there, work hard and have fun along your art journey.
To see more of Amara’s work, you can follow her on
Instagram,
Facebook,
Twitter and
Tumblr, as well as visit her website and Etsy shop at the links below.
Artist Marketing, Artist of the Week, Social Media
It’s “Artist of the Week” time! This week we sat down with the talented Landon Abram to talk music and promotion. Landon is an upcoming Toronto based musician with a great sound and some stellar tracks already under his belt. Read on to learn more about him and his work, and have a listen to his newest EP through the links at the bottom of this article.
1. What draws you to creating your music?
So many things – storytelling is one. I feel like you can explore depths of an emotion or moment in ways that other mediums can’t. You’re simultaneously using lyrics, tone, instruments and length all as tools to create an emotional state in your listener. It’s a very fascinating art. Also it’s just really fun.
2. In 3 words or less, how do people describe your music?
Complex, dynamic, cathartic
3. What is one goal you’d like to accomplish in your lifetime?
I’d really like to get good at a martial art – like black belt level.
Black belt level
4. Do you spend time promoting your music online? If you do what has been most helpful for you?
I do but I struggle to put in consistent time. Treating it as a job helps; then I can’t ignore it. I’d rather be focusing on my craft, or going outside or something.
5. What’s the most difficult part of promoting yourself online?
I hate the self-focus. I love film, music and acting because you’re sort of removed from yourself and part of something bigger, while I feel social media depends on making your personality your brand. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, just not something I understand how to do, honestly.
6. What advice would you give to other musicians who are starting out?
I’m pretty new to this myself, but prioritization. Don’t focus on a brand or website or frills if you don’t have the content to back it up. If you don’t know where your own artistry is, and what your songs are going to be about, why bother with everything else? And I say prioritization because all these things are important, and they all need individual focus. When you’re making music, you need to focus on making music. When you’re trying to get your music out there, focus on that.
To hear Landon’s work, watch his latest music video for his song “Monday” here and take a listen to his newest EP “The Darker Side of It” through any of the links below:
Bandcamp : https://landonabram.bandcamp.com/album/the-darker-side-of-it
Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/album/2sxPPXZ92jpp5t6i17zEux
iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/the-darker-side-of-it-single/id1257908408
Apple music: https://itun.es/ca/4II-kb
Artist Marketing, Branding, Facebook, Instagram, Music Marketing, Social Media, Twitter
As all things slowly start to hop aboard the digital train, music promotion has already boarded and is finding its seat. Music streaming and digital sales are edging out physical merchandising and advertising more and more each day, and having an online presence for your music is now a must-have. But it doesn’t have to be so hard! We’ve put together a list of what we believe to be 5 of The Best Social Media Sites for Musicians to get you started. Let’s dive in.
Soundcloud is an enormous community of artists and one of the best platforms to share tracks, receive feedback, build a fan base, and find other musicians. Many artists such as Post Malone and Bryson Tiller actually started their careers off the backbone of Soundcloud and were discovered straight from the site itself. With the music scene shifting more towards streaming rather than direct physical sales, this is a great platform to be taking advantage of.
Some of the great features of Soundcloud are:
- Users can like and repost your tracks. Similar to Twitter, when someone reposts your track, it will show up on their personal stream and allow their followers to see it, ultimately putting your music in front of more sets of eyes – Score!
- Comments on tracks are time stamped at the specific time in the song in which they were posted, giving you a neat way of seeing what specific part of your track made people want to comment.
Real-time comments are one of the many great features offered by Soundcloud.
- Statistics on when your tracks are getting plays, reposts, likes and comments are free with any basic account. Paid accounts can offer more valuable statistics such as plays by country & city, the names of the users who are playing your music the most, and which social networks and websites people are coming from to get to your songs.
Just like Soundcloud, Bandcamp is another one of the best social media sites for musicians, labels and fans to get together and share music. While Soundcloud is more social media based with commenting and reposting, Bandcamp is skewed towards creating a more well-rounded sales platform for your music and brand, and is home to more full length albums, merch sales, and more.
Some interesting features offered by Bandcamp include:
- Setting a price or a “pay what you think is fair” option for your music so that you can start making money off of your track instantly. You can even create your own discount and promo codes!
- New artist recommendations that can automatically put your music in front of new fans, ultimately growing your potential follower base without having to lift a finger.
- In depth statistics showing what’s being purchased and when, where fans are coming from and more. A paid account can even link your Bandcamp statistics with Google Analytics for some serious data collection.
- The ability to sell merchandise! You can bundle together your music and merch to make different packages available at different price points.
Although not directly related to music promotion, Facebook is an excellent platform to build a central hub for fans to reach out and have discussions, learn about upcoming shows, singles and more. With over 2 BILLION active users every month, it is also a great place to share content that has the potential to go viral.
Facebook offers many great page management tools that make it easy for you to highlight important info and find new fans;
- The use of a strong header image that shows upcoming singles, gig dates etc. is a great way to advertise important events without actually showing people an advertisement.
Here’s an example of a good promotional header image.
- The ability to pin posts allows you to pin popular content that is performing well to the top of your page where it can stay until you decide otherwise (perhaps a new video or single?)
- Pro Tip: Previous posts that have performed well can be used to grow your fan base by simply clicking on the ‘likes’ button to see who has liked the post, then clicking the ‘invite’ button to invite those likers directly to become fans of your page.
When it comes to directly communicating with fans, fellow musicians, and even labels, Twitter is absolutely one of the best social media sites for musicians to be on. Creating a dialogue and engaging with those that are most important to you is an amazing way to build your fan base, get in touch with other artists for potential collaborations, and even get discovered by labels (fingers crossed!)
In order to get on top of the Twitter game, knowing how to get the most out of the platform as well as it’s features is crucial;
- Start utilizing Twitter Lists. This feature allows you to categorize people/accounts into specific groups of your choosing. Make a group for labels of interest, number one fans, music blogs, favourite artists etc. so that certain people of interest can be found in one place with ease.
Twitter Lists is located in the drop down menu when clicking on your profile icon.
- Pay attention to trending hashtags! Stay current and be aware if any of the content you are uploading will naturally relate to trending topics.
- Reach out to other artists to build relationships, music blogs for possible features, and stay up to date on what your competition is doing.
- Insert links at the beginning of your tweets rather than the end; they are more likely to get clicked on that way. Also be sure to use calls to action! If you ask for a retweet, there’s a better chance you’ll get it.
[Tweet “Reach out to other artists to build relationships, music blogs for possible features, and stay up to date on what your competition is doing.”]
Instagram is one of the most popular and active platforms today, so not taking advantage of it would be a huge missed opportunity. Being the major platform for photo and video content, creating a brand for music on this platform and showing off behind the scenes footage of new song development, musician life, live performances and more is a great way to get your music heard.
Some important tips for using Instagram are to:
- Use relevant hashtags. Up to 30 hashtags can be included in a post and can easily be hidden in the first comment of your post instead of the caption to avoid the look of being too ‘hashtag-crazy’.
- Use the ‘story’ feature located at the top of the app to post a photo or video that lasts 24 hours and shows people what you’re up to in the moment. You can also start live videos from here!
- Follow other artists, labels, and music blogs. By now I’m sure you’re seeing a pattern. Building relationships is CRUCIAL on every platform and is one of the most important aspects of ALL kinds of marketing!
[Tweet “Building relationships is CRUCIAL on every platform and is one of the most important aspects of ALL kinds of marketing!”]
The world of digital music promotion can sometimes be a little overwhelming, especially when it seems like there is an endless number of websites and apps claiming to be the “be all and end all” for selling your work. But realistically, there is no one platform that is best to use, and instead you’ll find that creating a consistent presence across multiple platforms is the best method for successful music marketing. Hopefully this list gets you started off in the right direction, but if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to send us an email :).
