The modern musician must learn to juggle engaging audiences on social media while writing, recording, or performing songs. But, how do you use these platforms to grow your reach without getting frustrated? Here, we go over a few tips on how artists can use social media to build strong relationships with their fans by fixing some of the main problems they face while on these social media platforms.
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Tuesday, June 14th
Problem #1: Social media can be distracting
Overuse of social media can distract artists from their main goal: creating new music. Time spent posting stories or photos on your smartphone is time away from writing and recording.
Solution: Don’t put in more than you get out.
Social media platforms allow you to view your engagement. So, you can see how users interact with your content and compare that to how much time you invest into these platforms. So, ensure that the time spent creating videos and posting photos is worth it and that you genuinely build connections with audiences and fans.
Problem #2: Social media platforms are constantly changing
Remember Vine? A household name in 2015, and a year later, a ghost town. Everyone migrated to Snapchat, then to TikTok. Who knows what’s next, but each new platform with its moment of fame requires its own set of rules and proposes a learning curve.
Solution: Stick to what you’re good at.
This isn’t to discourage you from trying new things. But let’s say you’ve seen great engagement with your audience by posting photos on your Instagram profile. But, you feel the urge to be on TikTok ’cause “everyone is doing it.” Turns out that you might put in a lot of effort and energy and still don’t get the views you were hoping for… Hence, don’t abandon what’s been working for you just to stay on the cutting edge.
Problem #3: Social media might not build your career
Unless you do it well, social media won’t necessarily help you build your music career the way you might think. And the effort it does take to succeed past the millions of other content creators can be exhausting.
Solution: Be wary of imitating major artists.
You might see major label artists launch massive campaigns on TikTok to promote a new single. Or posting hundreds of videos in the days leading to a release. Or even flooding the platforms with videos of their “day to day.” And while it may look like they’re creating all that, the reality is that they have a PR team managing their social media accounts.
When you are starting out, any content you create has to be done by you alone. So, therefore, don’t feel bad if you can’t keep up with big names.
Problem #4: Social media can impact our mental health
Numerous studies in recent years have shown that overuse of social media — both as a content creator and a user — can harm mental health.
Solution: Don’t compare yourself to others.
Social media’s impact on our mental health stems from the “social” part. Humans are social creatures by nature, and it’s understandable that we look at others and see how we measure up. Hence, seeing other users post their best side means we instinctively think they’re doing better than we are.
Here’s the brutal truth: someone will always be better than you. And most of what you see on social media is an “edited” version of real life. Therefore, stay proud of your personal win and progress. Remember, everyone has their own path and timeline.
Problem #5: Social media is impermanent by nature.
How many of us in 2005 thought MySpace would be all but forgotten just a few years later? And when it was taken down for good, anyone who hadn’t saved what was on their profile to an external source lost it forever.
For artists, that meant fan contacts they had nurtured over the years, some of which were only on MySpace. That old saying “the Internet is forever” only goes so far, especially in the fickle world of social media.
Solution: Don’t use social media as your only medium of communication with fans.
Social media is a great way to connect with your fans! But don’t let it be the only way you connect with them. Instead, translate those relationships you’ve built into results for your music marketing efforts.
This article is a re-post, with minor modifications, of “How Musicians Should Use Social Media in 2022,” published on diymusician.cdbaby.com
