It’s no use giving yourself a name that’s already been snatched up. Do a bit of research on Google, Soundcloud, Facebook and other major platforms before committing to a name for your act. Sharing a name with an existing artist could be detrimental to your success when it comes to promoting your brand online and could lead to more problems in the long-run.
Take into consideration what sort of content you want to share with your audience before you jump on board multiple social sites. Having multiple social media accounts with little to no regularly activity can be harmful to your brand. If photographs and videos are your forte, Instagram should be your go to website. If you don’t have the time to post regular updates to Twitter then hold back before creating an account.
Keep in mind that content can be shared across multiple platforms however, your fanbase doesn’t want to be bombarded with repetitive posts via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Try to think about the type of posts which work best on each social site and tailor your posts for each platform.
Whilst your music is your main selling point, your personal brand will play an important role in attracting an audience online. Research artists similar to yourself to get inspiration and ideas. If art, design and photography are not your strong point, keep it simple and don’t rule out paying someone to take professional photographs for you.
Social media exists as a method of connecting with people and the more sociable you are on a platform, the more people will interact with you. This doesn’t mean posting about everything and anything. Be selective with what you post but aim to post at least once a week. If you don’t have music related content to post, consider discussing other things that interest you, for example music that you’re listening to right now, gigs you’re attending, issues of interest to your fan base. If someone takes the time to interact with you, make sure you reply. Reply to every single message or comment without fail.
Even those that passionately hate the world’s largest social media network should put feelings aside and hop on the bandwagon when it comes to Facebook. Having a facebook page is a great way to collate all your social links together in one place, making them easily accessible to potential fans, media and record labels. Whilst Facebook algorithms are continually changing, Facebook artists pages are continuing to rate highly in Google searches and for the meantime still rate highly as one of the top social media platforms for musicians.
Stef is an integral part of the marketing team, and is here to help promote what’s going on at SEM. Working across all social platforms and the blog, she is here to help you reach a wider audience with your music. Get in touch if you’d like to share tracks, videos or information about events are you planning.
SEM Student Success: DJ So Wright