Music Success in 9 Weeks: Week 4 - Social Media

This week it's all about Social Media and given the fact that this book was published in 2012 there are 4 years of growth that may not be reflected in this chapter so I'll do my best to fill in the blanks. The first point made in the chapter still holds true. Social Media = Engagement. And the bottom line is you kind of have to treat it like a living entity that needs consistent food (content) and attention (interaction with others) in order to grow. Hyatt refers to it as a garden that needs to be watered.

As an artist it can be overwhelming and tedious to have to maintain and manages all of these different accounts but if you give it conscious effort and energy it will produce more fans, increase sales and make you money!! It's worth it.

First let's get down some basics. What is Web 2.0? It consists of Social Networking Sites (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc) Wikis (where various people contribute information) and Tagging/ Social Bookmarking. All of these accounts should have the same user name if possible. All of mine are of course @PeterParker513 on Twitter and Instagram and facebook.com/PeterParker513. This way your name stays "Google-icious" (Ariel's made up word, not mine, lol)

Hyatt goes on to outline step-by-step how to create accounts and post content for Facebook, Twitter and Flickr as well as matching colors and photos to your brand. Given that this is 2016 I think we'd all agree that Flickr has become irrelevant with the popularity of Instagram so let's switch those two out.

When it comes to Facebook you should have a personal page and a Fan page. Yes, two separate pages. One for family and close friends and the Fan page for, the Fans! On your Fan page make sure you add a widget or App for playing your music and try to post AT LEAST once a day. I have ReverbNation band profile but you can also use RootMusic, FanBridge, Bandcamp or CD Baby Store.

(My ReverbNation Band Profile)

With Twitter you can post 3 times a day or more. Just keep answering the question "What's Happening?" Hyatt suggests. And try to avoid repeatedly telling people to "Buy My Album", "Come to my Show" "Follow Me" etc. you don't want to over-hype yourself, you want your audience to trust you. Twitter is also great for sharing links and trending topics.

Instagram is especially great for sharing "Behind the Scenes" or "Backstage" kinds of material. Instagram loves food and I regularly post my groceries, what vegetarian meal I'm eating and other things to do with food. I also love to post my sneakers, my weed and shots from my recording sessions. But really anything is fair game on IG. Just like everything else, keep it consistent and MAKE SURE YOU HASHTAG! You should have 3-5 hashtags that you always use on every photo that have to do with you and your brand. For example, I use #peterparker513 #plssaythe513 #pp513hustle and #hollywoodblvd. And then add in other relevant tags for your photo or pop culture to get people to see it.

Instagram photo of my dinner last week - notice my hashtags!!

Across the board, follow and friend people that are into the same kinds of stuff that you are, people that could become your fans and would relate to your content as you relate to theirs. Spend time each day liking other peoples photos, posts or tweets. Re-tweet, share and comment. The more you engage the more it will come back to you. Hopefully this a good overview and jump start for your social media adventures. The most important take away is to keep your posting regular and interact with others as much as you can! Oh, and have fun!