Blink Digital Magazine talent issue number 03 03 | Page 26

MUSIC EDITORIAL BIZNESS TEAM

TEN

SIMPLE

MUSIC

MARKETING TIPS

FOR INDIE

ARTISTS .

1

. Connect with your fans
Fans like to know what their favorite artists are up to . This simple concept is one of the reasons why interviews are a huge step in a band ' s promo . Take the time to tweet something about yourself or post a quick video of you in the creative process . One step further : retweet and respond to your fans — it makes them feel even closer to you . Take the time to give your fans a peak behind the red curtain .

2 . Keep Social Media Up To

date-Nothing is worse than going to a band ' s Facebook or Twitter page and their tour schedule is from last summer . You should be editing performance dates and venues the day you confirm them . Give people time to work around their busy schedules and allow them to make it out to your shows . Beyond tour schedules , ensure that content is updated frequently so that fans have something to look forward to each time they visit your page .

3

. Connect All Your Social Media Accounts-You should
be utilizing Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , and Youtube , and each of them should have accessible links to the others . Don ' t bite off more than you can chew , however . There are 100 ' s of social media websites — you don ' t need to use every single one .

4 . Don ' t Sound Like A

Generic Advertisement -
We all know that band who has a social media account that sounds like they are selling you something on every post or tweet . Be genuine ! If there is something you hate about a band ' s social media page , learn from their mistakes .
. Visuals , Visuals , Visuals

5People get bored of plain text all the time . Pictures and videos stand out and will make visitors stop and check out what you have to say . Instagram ' s entire model is based upon visuals . Take a picture in the studio or shoot a video with a quick message to your fans . In fact , photos and videos get a higher organic news feed ranking that pure text posts on Facebook .

6

. Post Regularly / Stay
Active- Nothing says " we don ' t care " quite like a band whose last tweet was two years ago . Every waking moment does not need to be spent on social media , but frequently posting is a great way to keep fans interacting with your band . n from their mistakes .

7

. Do not spam- Keep content original ! Posting the same status or tweet with the same text and same link every day is a huge no-no . Never let your fans question whether it ' s the artist or a robot controlling their social media page . However , reusing highly engaging posts down the road is totally acceptable .

8

. Give out Exclusives -
Giving out exclusives is a great way to give fans a reward for subscribing to your social media pages . Upload an MP3 online and post a link where fans who like your page can download it and put it in their music library . This is also an effective method for growing your email database .

9

. Automate what you can-
Automation is not always a bad thing .
Do some research and find a good tool for you that can help streamline your social media activity . There are some great apps out there that help you schedule tweets and your posts on your Facebook page .
You can`t rely only on Facebook / Instagram / Twitter
This one is a little outside of the realm but still very much a social media tip . Social media can ' t be all you do ! You ' re a musical artist , not a " Twitter Pic Of The Day " collective . Network with people in the industry , book shows , and don ' t put all your eggs in one basket . Social media is an amazing tool for indie artists , but it is not the be-all end-all . BONUS TIP – Email marketing is not dead ! As much as you can , be sure to capture data for a mailing list . ALWAYS collect at least email AND Zip Code or location , so that you can geotarget concert messages .
Source : http :// www . thinkswell . com
BDM TALENT ISSUE # 03
26