Cerebra

It’s done wonders for Justin Bieber, connected David Guetta with new fans worldwide and helped launch the careers of many struggling artists.

This “thing” I speak of is not something available to a select few. If anything, it’s free and accessible to anyone. It’s the Internet

While video may have killed the radio star the Internet gave birth to a whole new generation of cyber stars who have successfully launched and continue to promote, share and sell their music online.
So if all clicks lead to the digital platform why are so many musicians still struggling to get it right?

When I’m not handling content and community at Cerebra, I work as a DJ. It’s brilliant, but often very time consuming and keeping my profile up to date on social networks is sometimes quite a challenge. However, I do manage to strike a balance, and below are a few tips I found worked best for me, when starting my journey as a DJ on social media.

Clutter
The Internet can be a cluttered space to navigate through, particularly with music related content. New musicians have to find ways to stand out from the crowd – figure out how to do this even if it means being quirky or funny.

Content
So many new bands do social media wrong. From tweeting once every ten days to spamming their Facebook page, they are causing more damage to their brand than good.

Confusion
A new musician can easily be overwhelmed at the thought of trying to establish a strong social media presence. Where to start? Who will Tweet and Facebook for me? Am I doing it right? With no map or itinerary you’ll be surfing in circles for a long time.

Setting up your social media platforms can overwhelm you if you are not prepared. While bigger stars have a tech team from their record label to manage their platforms for them, what’s a newbie with no tech entourage to do? Do it yourself.

Similarly to writing or producing a song, tackling your social media strategy needs to happen one beat at a time. Play your chords right and you could latch onto a winning hit!

The Intro
Dipping your feet into the social media waters need not be an arduous task. Concentrate on the basics such as Facebook, Twitter, SoundCloud and YouTube and then progress onto the niche sites like ReverbNation, Band Camp and Last FM. Before setting up accounts on these platforms identify what it is that you will be saying and how your brand will come across digitally. Think of this as the “mood” of your song.

Layers
Branding is key, as anything you post online needs to look visually appealing. Uniformity is imperative so ensure that you have the same logo, bio, contact details and color scheme across all social media platforms. Having a unified theme will come across as professional and easy on the eye. We all see the golden arches and instinctively know its McDonalds. The same should be said for your brand.

Lyrics:
As important as the beat of a song is, the lyrics also add character. Think of your content as the lyrics. What you say and how you say it is vitally important.
Try to offer your fans a good balance of content. It may be your page, but it’s not all about you! Include music tips, news and share your favourite songs. Diversifying your content will engage your current fans and promote sharing, which in return will lure new fans.

Hit Repeat!
Devise a strategy for your social media presence and stick to it. Even if you are out gigging every night, keep your platforms up-to-date regularly. Scheduling your updates and using mobile apps can help prevent infrequent posting. Unlike a live gig, your fans on your social media platforms (hopefully) never leave, so ensure you always keep them entertained.

Singing in harmony
Although it’s tempting to duplicate your content on Facebook and Twitter, try to individualise the content. Don’t run the risk of losing fans or followers purely because the content is the same. Show some personality and cater each update for the platform.

Broken Record
Once you have completed the build phase, go back and look at what has worked and what hasn’t and revise your strategy. If your fans are not engaging with certain content then maybe it’s time to switch up a bit.

If done right, social media can become a valuable asset to any musician’s online brand presence. Besides helping you strengthen your bond with new and existing fans, it also helps share, sell and promote your music among industry peers and potential labels.