Social media is critical for artist development. As an artist, there are many ways to leverage social media in your favor. However, this means there are many pitfalls in the process as well. This article will discuss why your social media presence may be struggling and how to address/improve those weaknesses in your social media journey.
1. Lack of a Strategic Plan
You may not have a specifically laid out plan for which to start your social media journey. Working on social media in an amorphous way can work if you are simply using it as a private person. However, if you are an artist attempting to gain traction with your social media, then a focused and thought-out path is critical. There are many ways to do this. Begin with manageable goals and lay them out step by step for yourself – and remember, this is a process that happens over time. So, do not be discouraged if it takes some time to get the ball rolling. DCR can help with tailored and personalized services.
2. Purchasing Bot Streams and Followers
A huge danger in growing your social media is trying to cut corners and skip to the end goal. There are increasing amounts of services available that claim to sell you follows and plays. Rather than building followers organically and strategically, this involves paying online engagement. Essentially, robots will be playing your music on streaming services to make it look like your online stats are rising and improving. However, this puts your discography at risk and is a waste of money. Streaming services, like Spotify, are excellent at detecting purchased plays and will permanently remove your music if/when they discover the issue. Additionally, the plays are not long-lasting or sustainable.
3. Have Not Identified Your Target Audience and Most Valuable Listener
If you have not identified your target audience, then your social media has no direction or focus. Much like creating a long-term plan for your social media accounts, developing an audience persona is key. If you do not know who your social media is for, it will be harder to advertise, cultivate, and inspire audience engagement with your social media accounts. Knowing your audience will help you create content, maintain followers, and develop fans.
4. Posting Only to Advertise
If you are an artist or musician and you post only about upcoming shows, ads for your next project, etc., then people are not given time to learn who you are behind the ads. People that could be potential fans, or are current fans, want to know who you are as a person and an artist. So, when you only post to advertise, it does not give them enough to learn about you. Fully engaged fans are more committed to artists that share pieces of their lives and persona beyond simply advertisements.
5. Not Posting Enough and/or Posting Too Much
As confusing as this may be, there are disadvantages to posting too much because it can seem unfocused and repetitive. However, not posting enough can be bad too. If you post too many times in a day, you may stop your followers from seeing earlier posts because the newer posts get promoted in the algorithm. The best way to maintain social media for yourself as an artist is to maintain consistency. Do not post too much and do not post too little – keep everything consistent and targeted.
Here are some additional tips to keep in mind:
- Ensure you are using the correct platform(s) for yourself. Instagram ads work for artists and are great for growing brand awareness, especially before a release. If you are not using Instagram, it’s best to consider why and to look into using it.
- Facebook and Instagram both have benefits – it can just depend on what you are posting. Instagram is better for photos, videos, and reels. Facebook is best used for links and disseminating those links to your audience.
- More important than the platform is to figure out what your audience is responding to and what makes them like you. It is ideal to be yourself and stay relatable with consistent quality.
Social media can seem daunting. Luckily, there are many ways to use it to the fullest and many online resources to help you do so. DCR L.L.C. has countless resources to help, as well as many services that can help in specific ways. Good luck creating the presence of your dreams!