This piece is in continuation to “Social Media is your best friend”, published in Score Magazine Last Month. Though this article can be treated as a standalone read, do check last month’s issue for a complete overview of the topic.

Social Media seems, on most part, a marketing tool that relies on ‘viral luck’ or ‘organic acceptance’ to most young artists. Planning and scheduling is more or less ignored for social media and is approached more spontaneously. When in truth it is actually a carefully planned process to make it look organic and spontaneous.

Here are some tips to help you plan your social media strategy and get some noticeable results. Let’s pick up where we left off last month,

#1 Never tell them everything at once – Unless it’s a gig post, don’t cram everything in one post or in one day’s story. Leave the audience on a hanging note where they get a sense of closure at the next post. No one is expecting Emmy standard cliff hangers, even if the audience forgets about the last post, the follow up will be a delightful reminder and also gives the appearance of consistency.

#2 Identify your target audience and collaborate – Identifying your target audience on the basis of demographics and mutual interests is crucial. This will help you realize potential collaborations with other social media creators. For e.g. Audiences that like electronic music are most probably also tech enthusiasts. Lending your music to a tech reviewer for their videos in exchange for a simple shout out or tag to your artist entity exposes it to their entire viewership.

#3 Be diverse and put up more than music – Music is your main product. But filling up your entire profile with just your performances, noodling and studio sessions will make your profile look like a strict advertisement of your Artist Entity. People don’t want to follow a page that only advertises its product.  Diversity in your content with the right hashtags will attract a diverse audience. Perhaps a shot of your amazing meal while on tour attracts a foodie who likes your kind of music.

“We have recently come to understand that our fans and people in general are interested in knowing the artist as much as the music. Thus, our interview series and the recent podcasts have initiated conversations among the fans and has had the biggest impact thus far.” – Abhay Sharma (Saxophonist for Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Adnan Sami and The Revisit Project)

#4 Tag and Credit – Posting a photo that was shot by someone else? Tag and Credit them. They will feel ingratiated and will engage in the post. The post will also show up on their feed attracting their followers.

#5 Follow similar artist and brands you use – An underrated but effective way to network online. It also works your profile into the algorithms and presents you on ‘explore’ pages to other audiences. Tagging and following the brands of the gear you use will also help in the same regard and may also land you endorsements.

#6 Follow Trends and Challenges – Got a new feature in your social media app after the last update? Use it! A new online challenge is making the rounds, participate. Following trends will always help to immensely increase your visibility to random audience.

“The most important aspect of social media that a lot of artists ignore is using new tools. All social media platforms or apps have regular updates that come with new tools and features that one could use to amplify reach. These tools should be wisely used by artists to reach out to their fans and build more audience. An artist should know his/her market and work on ways to strengthen and multiply the same using social media. More fans/followers = more views or plays on your music.” – Zaeden

#7 Hashtags Rule – Never underestimate the power of hashtags. They drive the algorithms and push you to the front.

#8 Rule of 3 – You don’t have to be on every platform out there. Concentrate your efforts where you can manage and integrate with ease. Without a team specifically handling your social media, lax in your consistency is inevitable if you’re trying to be present everywhere. For musicians right now, Instagram, Soundcloud and Facebook are sufficient.

-Mukul Jain (Proprietor/Chief Engineer at Ferris Wheel Studios)