Social media has continued to be the leading brand factor for many artists and producers today so it's critical that we utilize it in the best way possible.
Many people who have ambitions of making a living off of music don't reflect it on social media.
That doesn't mean that you must portray a lavish over the top lifestyle by any means...more so your mindset and how you carry yourself online.
You see, how you perceive yourself is how others will perceive you as well.
If you don't prioritize and pay attention to the content you post and engage with your audience it will throw you down a rabbit hole of negativity.
Here's 5 ways to help you move correctly on social media platforms 👇
1. Learn To Take Professional Pictures
- As an artist, you may not care about much other than making music and that's understandable. Why do pictures matter? Your profile picture is one of the biggest first impressions you make when building an audience. It's hard to have your music given a chance when you don't look the part. Is there any mystique to you? Do you dress cool? Do you use memes for your avatar? Do you just take selfies? People look at these things and determine if you're an artist worth checking out. How you look will reflect in your music quality as well.
- Your brand has to have a message that aligns with it. What do you want your brand to represent? Granted, the music you make might not reflect positivity but you can still gain a large audience by simply tweeting positive and relatable posts to the masses. Even though people pay a lot of attention to negativity it is always 100% better to post and engage with positive things instead. You will surely gain new listeners who will resonate with your music down the line. Post content of you recording a verse, pics in the studio, music video teases, vlogging, ect. Keeping your audience fed with content is how you'll nurture a relationship with them.
- It's no secret that you can gain new potential listeners by stealing them from others. Are you cool with that? You have to understand that the music industry is highly competitive. These algorithms determine how many people you can reach based on niche and content worthiness. Be willing to win over new fans by any means. Identify other artists that inspire your music that way you can target the same fans of that artist and convert them into your fans. Your brand image, music quality, relatability, and consistent presence will determine your conversion rate.Â
- This is a no brainer but at the same time it goes over a lot of heads. As musicians and just humans in general we are conditioned to believe that even our best work will be great to everybody else. Simply, that's just not true. We must be able to recognize where our music is headed and how others truly perceive it. At times, it is necessary to compare in order to grow. Is the mixing and quality of your songs really good? Is your beat selection good? Do your songs have lyrics people can relate to and play back? Do your songs have structure and hooks? Are they catchy? Can you hear your songs being bumped in the whip? Reflect back on this and build a circle of people you trust that will give you genuine feedback on your music. This could be family, your producer, the engineer, friends, people online, etc. Don't be afraid of criticism when growth is involved.
- You're an "artist". Your music can really paint mental pictures. Define what projection you wish to take your music in and how you can express it creatively with visual content. This may take learning new skills or working with other skilled individuals. As and artist, you must grow and learn in order to adapt otherwise you'll get left behind. Once you master the visual aspect of your brand, your music will not have a choice but to be heard.