In an effort to keep pace with the ever-changing world of social media, some artists may have allowed Facebook to slip off the wagon a bit, but the growing popularity of Facebook Live presents a golden opportunity for artists and bands both when it comes to ensnaring new fans, and bringing in additional revenue.
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Guest post by Raquel Dixit of the Symphonic Distibution blog
As the fast paced world of social media continues to change, some of us may have begun to put Facebook on the back burner as new updates on Snapchat filters and Instagram Stories overwhelm the average day-to-day social media user.
However, as an aspiring musician, Facebook might just be your new big break. As of early 2016, Facebook’s video live option was released and has been growing in popularity ever since.
More and more users are becoming aware of it’s profitable potentials through growing a fan base. In fact, some artists report making thousands of dollars a year off of this innovative new tool. Every time a user goes live, all of their friends and followers are alerted via mobile phone applications. This method gets attention to these videos faster than some of the most top organic results.
To get started with promoting your music, check out these tips on why to use Facebook Live.
1. Connect with your fans
It’s important to keep a personal connection with all of your fans. By discussing personal stories, being “real” on camera, and interacting with fans in the comments sections, you can build relationships and build your fan base. Be sure to announce where your performances are and call out certain cities. You never know what different locations your fans could be watching from. You can also consider having Q&A Sessions. By allowing fans to type questions into the comments section and then calling out their username and answering it, you are continuing to build fan/artist relationships. It’s fun and personal!
For more on interacting with your fans check out this blog post .
2. Add a tip jar
Using websites such as digitaltipjar.com allows users to add a link in the comments section with the option to add online tips for an excellent performance.
3. Promote yourself
By linking your social media sites, you can promote yourself to a larger fan base, even those that may not be on Facebook as often. For example, by posting an Instagram photo of yourself and captioning it, “Check out my Facebook Live performance tonight at 7:00pm est.!” you should expect to have more viewers on that post. Using visual content is always a great way to promote your work to fans.
4. Have unique weekly updates
The key to this idea is consistency. By creating some sort of themed idea or “mini series”, fans will be able to keep up with weekly updates and it will attract more attention as time goes on and the fan base grows. Here are some fun examples:
- Flashback Friday Songs
- Craziest Fans On Tour
- Artist Collaborations
- Internet trends such as #OOTD or funny tutorials/ v-logs
- Challenges/ charity contest
- And more!
5. Tease new music
You can have mini performances of upcoming songs, practice sessions in the studios, cover songs, and more. Fans will love getting even the smallest snipet of new music releases, especially when the sample is performed live.
6. Take advantage of the simplicity of social media and having all necessary tools in your pocket
With a growing app industry, basically all the tools an artist needs to record and publish a song to the public are right at their fingertips. This makes it extremely inexpensive and super convenient. Thanks to technology, you can share your music live today for practically nothing and in fact, even make money off of it! So what are you waiting for?
While there are many advantages to having Facebook Live if utilized correctly, sometimes users can make rookie mistakes. If you are new to the game be sure to avoid these common issues users face, that could put you at a disadvantage.
- Having bad audio and visuals. This looks sloppy and users may not be able to understand what is going on.
- Being uncomfortable and procrastinating with new social media updates. Proper marketing through social media is one of the key factors to being a successful musician. It allows for promotion and sales.
- Waiting for a large audience. Just begin to play comfortably and it will attract more users to login and watch. When they see you are comfortable with your music, they will be more compelled to stay. In fact, Facebook Live videos are watched longer than videos that are not live.
- Do not try to oversell yourself. If you are constantly mentioning merchandise or checking out the store page, fans might feel pressured. This will just make you look desperate. Just be yourself and do not beg for attention.
Keeping up with the rapidly changing world of social media interfaces and applications is an essential tool for an up and coming musician looking to rise to stardom. By understanding how Facebook Live is making profits and growing fan bases, users can take advantage of this modern day marketing technique while staying up to date with the latest social media trends. Users love to see live video updates of almost anything; including your latest mixtape release, eating last night’s pizza for breakfast, or your current tour in Spain.