Must and will are a thing of the past, as you are finally putting out the music you knew you could do all along. You’ve proven to yourself that you can do it. Now what? Cricket. You know the old saying: If a tree falls in the forest but nobody hears it, does it make a sound? Of course, but that is the point. Just like the rest in life, there is no point putting something out into the universe if you do not know how to get other people to interact with it. Social media and self-promotion are the name of the game for being successful, and this is particularly true for music. If you want to get more exposure, we can help. Read on for suggestions on how to get more people to follow your music.
Target Other Band Followers
As a musician, band, solo artist, and music festivals that you follow on social media may be in the hundreds or even more. Use that to your advantage by following their followers, particularly from bands similar to yours. It may not occur right away but you’re going to get a good percentage of those fans to follow you back. This is particularly true if you interact with them regularly. Social media and, specifically, Twitter are very tit for tat. You’ll gain fans and sure enjoy yourself in the process.
Adhere to Best Practices for Social Media
As everybody knows, social media is where aspiring artists of every kind draw attention. So if you have signed up for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and the like, do you think you are done? Far from it. Again, your fans and followers want to feel that they benefit from following your page, so you need to give them something for free—whether that’s actual music or information is up to you. And really, a combination of the two might be for the best.
Online surfers are visually stimulated more than the rest, so make sure to engage them with photos and videos that are appropriate to what you and/or your band are attempting to represent or portray. Don’t forget to peek behind the curtains, so backstage shots and impromptu jam sessions are at all times great. You also need to post regularly. Based on Inc. comproposed as follows:
- Facebook: 1 post per day
- Twitter: 15 Tweets per day
- Pinterest: 11 Pins per day
- LinkedIn: 1 post per day
- Instagram: 1-2 posts per day
Rub Elbows With Music Influencers and Bloggers
From yoga and running to cooking and travel gear (and more), there’s an influencer for that. Influencers are people who deliberately or unintentionally become some sort of expert in a certain online genre. These people are often early influencers too, so they know when something is going to be cool before it is really cool. Every field has it, and music is definitely no exception. These people are often compensated in some way for trying a new product and then perhaps sharing their review of the product. Find out who are the influencers in your music space and reach out to them. It’s their jam (pardon the pun), so fear not.
Share Your Music Online
If you want to be a musician for life, you want and need to make money to stay afloat. Starving artists are cute for a while, but we all need to eat. Therefore, the idea of submit your music sharing it for free may not be thrilling, but it is often necessary when you are first starting out. It’s a numbers game and you need it listen more. Think of it as planting a seed. And once those seeds start to grow (i.e. your music is shared by fans), your garden will be abundant. And do not just throw it out there and be done with it. Consider doing something interesting with it, like adding visuals to your music by creating it online music visualization.
One really is the loneliest number. The harsh reality about music (and, really, any field!) is that you need a powerful and loyal online following. Try these tips and watch your fan base grow.
