Effective Use Of Social Media

In my meetings with artist’s I am seeing a huge disconnect when it comes to social media. It seems that that everybody knows the importance of social media and everybody thinks they are making the most of it. But very few artists are.

If you don’t read anything else I have to say at least read this.

SPAM is not effective social media marketing.

Don’t look at your Facebook and MySpace pages as a way to get new fans. Look at them as opportunities to build a unique identity for yourself and way to maintain an already existing fan base.

Your social media pages should exist so that you have something to show people when they come looking for you. Don’t use them as tools to track down random strangers by the thousands and attempt to add them as your friends. That tactic is annoying and most importantly it’s not conducive to building a professional image.

Also, don’t destroy good relationships with other artists by using their social media “walls” as a place to paste up your own announcements and images to attract audiences. It’s tacky and is no different than spraying a graffiti image of your band’s logo on another band’s billboard ad.

What you should do

Write an interesting blog

The key word here is interesting. Nobody cares what you had for breakfast until your as famous as Katy Perry. But right now, people do care what your songs are about. Describe what it’s like recording in a studio, going on tour, writing songs about your most personal experiences. Everybody wants to be a rock star so bring them along for the ride so to speak.

Post Self Taken Pictures

I wouldn’t recommend breaking the illusion and posting pictures of you lying around your house in your pajamas. But posting some backstage photos from a show, the studio, or anything else that makes your look like a certified pro is good for business.

That’s all for now. Remember, your building a reputation not destroying one. Keep it up.