Social Media Strategy For Independent Music Artists

It is extremely important to build a successful social media strategy for independent music artists to succeed in 2023. This can be difficult though, and deflating when it isn’t successful. But just because you haven’t had success yet, doesn’t mean you still can’t moving forward. Or if you are having success, you can also boost that success by learning more. The most important aspects of social media, no matter which platform, is to consistently post, and create audience engagement with your fans and followers.

Below, we’re going to go over the most important aspects of building a good social media strategy for independent music artists. We will discuss the pro’s and con’s to the top networks as well. Then, talk about how the social media algorithms generally work and how to go viral. Finally, we will give some content ideas for you to use in your promotional strategy.

Most Important Factors of your Social Marketing Strategy:

There are several social media strategies that independent musicians can use to promote their music and connect with their audience. Here are some of the most effective ones:

1. Choose the right platforms: Not all social media platforms are created equal. Consider your target audience and the type of content you want to share, and choose the platforms that are most likely to reach your audience. For example, if you’re targeting younger listeners, you might want to focus on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
1. Really, you want to be on all of them, but you’ll likely focus more of your energy on some platforms over others.
2. Make sure all of your pages are completely filled out, with quality profile pics, bio’s, and links back to your website or link tree.
3. Page consistency, use the same profile pic on each social page, and if possible, have the same handle on each page.
4. Link back to all of your social pages from your website / link tree.
2. Consistency: Regularly posting content is key to building a following on social media. Create a content calendar and stick to a consistent posting schedule to keep your audience engaged.
1. DAILY POSTING! Don’t just post when you release a song, make daily content. Make sure what you post creates interaction and conversation. The most comments it drives the better. Don’t just post “Follow me”, post conversational and natural content.
2. Use hashtags: Hashtags are a great way to increase the reach of your posts and get discovered by new fans. Research popular hashtags in your genre and use them in your posts.
3. Share behind-the-scenes content: Fans love getting a behind-the-scenes look at their favorite artists. Share photos and videos of your rehearsals, recording sessions, and other behind-the-scenes
4. Promote your shows: Social media is a great way to promote your live shows and get more people in the door. Share flyers, post updates about the show, and consider offering a discount code to your social media followers. Give your audience a glimpse into your creative process.
5. You can automate your postings through services that you can easily find in any search engine.
3. Engage with your audience: Social media is a two-way street. Respond to comments and messages from your fans, and engage with other musicians and industry professionals in your genre.
1. Post polls that your audience can respond to, this helps you learn about your audience and interact with them.
2. Post give away’s and contests, to win free merch, music or show tickets.
3. Collaborate with other musicians: Collaborating with other musicians is a great way to expand your reach and connect with new fans. Consider collaborating on a song, hosting a joint livestream, or even just sharing each other’s music on social media and tagging eachother. Sharing is caring!
4. Go like and comment on other posts every day, it will increase your visibility and your odds of gaining new followers.
4. Know the algorithm: Each social network has it’s own way to valuing content. Different content is more beneficial for each social page you’re on, so keep that in mind.
1. The most important thing to know, is that quality content will do better of course. Make sure you’re posting good images, use Fiverr and Canva to create quality images.
2. Consistency and engagement are the 2 most important factors, so make sure you’re constantly posting engaging content.
3. Follow trends, hop on certain hashtags that fit your brand.
4. You can build organic traffic through the algorithm, which is free, or you can invest in to advertising through these networks to produce guaranteed exposure. You should be focusing on both. Find 5 star promotion for your social pages here.

Remember, building a following on social media takes time and effort. Keep at it, be authentic, and don’t be afraid to experiment with different strategies to find what works best for you. Each musician has a different brand their trying to promote, your social pages are the biggest asset to marketing and building this brand.

The PROS & CONS of each Network for Musicians

There are several social networks that musicians can use to promote their music and connect with fans. Here are some of the pros and cons of each platform:

Facebook:

Pros:

• Large user base, making it easier to reach a wider audience
• Ability to create a dedicated page for your band or music project
• Easy to share photos, videos, and updates with fans
• Opportunity to connect with other musicians and industry professionals through groups

Cons:

• Organic reach for business pages has decreased significantly in recent years, requiring paid promotion to reach a larger audience
• A lot of competition for attention, making it difficult to stand out
• Algorithm changes can negatively impact visibility

Instagram:

Pros:

• High visual impact with photos and videos
• Good engagement rates with fans through comments and direct messages
• Large and active user base, particularly among younger generations
• Use of hashtags and geotags can help with discoverability

Cons:

• Focus on visual content may not be suitable for all types of music
• Limited options for sharing music directly on the platform
• Can’t link back to your content via posts and reels, just through stories and your bio.
• Algorithm changes can impact visibility

Twitter:

Pros:

• Fast-paced and immediate communication with fans
• Ability to connect with other musicians and industry professionals easily
• Good for sharing short updates, announcements, and engaging in conversations

Cons:

• Limited visual impact compared to other platforms
• Character limit can make it challenging to convey more detailed messages
• Algorithm changes can impact visibility

TikTok:

Pros:

• Highly engaging and addictive, which can help increase visibility and reach.
• Algorithm favors content quality and engagement, rather than follower count. Can organically grow a fan base fast.
• Music-focused content performs well on the platform.

Cons:

• Limited link capabilities, which makes it more difficult to drive traffic to websites and streaming platforms.
• Short-form content may not be suitable for all types of music and artists.
• Trend-based nature of the platform can make it difficult to establish a consistent brand identity.

Ultimately, the best social network for musicians depends on their specific goals, target audience, and type of music. It’s important for musicians to experiment with different platforms to see which ones work best for them, and to stay up-to-date with changes in algorithms and policies that may affect their visibility and engagement. Also if and when a new network comes by, jump on it. The earlier you jump in to a new trend, the easier you’ll grow a big following.

How to understand the algorithms and benefit from them:

Social media algorithms are constantly changing, but there are a few strategies that musicians can use to take advantage of them:

1. Post consistently: Algorithms favor accounts that post regularly, so it’s important to maintain a consistent posting schedule. This will help keep your content in front of your audience and increase the chances of engagement.
1. Yes, we will keep pushing content consistency. This will increase your “Time Decay Vector”, which is basically the term they use for post recency.
2. Utilize hashtags: Hashtags can help increase the discoverability of your content, as users can search for and follow specific hashtags related to your music. Make sure to use relevant hashtags in your posts and stories to increase visibility. Such as your genre and whatever fits with your brand.
3. Engage with your audience: Algorithms prioritize accounts that engage with their audience, so it’s important to respond to comments, messages, and tags. This will help build relationships with your fans and increase the chances of your content being seen.
1. Engagement is the second most important part of the social algorithm after consistency.
4. Use video content: Many algorithms prioritize video content, especially on platforms like Instagram, TikTok and obviously YouTube. Use short-form videos to showcase your music and engage with your audience.
1. The longer somebody views your video, the higher it’s ranked in algorithms. Likes and shares aren’t as important as view time.
3. The first 3 seconds are the most important, it’s how you hook people in and the general attention spam before swiping.
4. Creating short form, mobile friendly, vertical content is the most important right now. This became massively popular with TikTok, and now Facebook / Instagram reels are copying it.
5. Collaborate with other accounts: Collaborating with other musicians or accounts can help increase your visibility and reach. Partner with other accounts to create content, cross-promote each other, and tap into their audience.
6. Paid Promotion: While organic reach is important, paid advertising can help increase your reach and target specific audiences. Use targeted advertising options to promote your music to people who are most likely to be interested in it. This is guaranteed traffic, which is worthwhile.
1. Each musician will have a different target audience. This will be specific to your genre, or brand that you’ve built.

It’s important to remember that algorithms are always changing, so it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and strategies. Monitor your analytics to see what’s working and what’s not, and adjust your strategy accordingly.

How can an independent musician go viral?

Going viral on social media can be a game-changer for a musician’s career, but it’s also unpredictable and difficult to achieve. Here are a few tips on how a musician can increase their chances of going viral.

1. Create shareable content: Viral content is often shareable and relatable. Create content that resonates with your audience and makes them want to share it with their friends.
1. Stand for something. If you are about something that make your fans passionate, they will like, follow and share your content, which then catches fire.
2. Be interesting, stand out. If you’re unique, you’ll stick out in a very competitive field.
3. Make sure you’re posting stories on Facebook / Instagram. Anybody sitting there and scrolling through stories, is probably bored, and more willing to click through. Plus you can add links.
2. Utilize trends and challenges: Participating in viral challenges or utilizing popular trends can increase the visibility of your content and potentially lead to virality. Make sure to put your own unique spin on it to stand out.
3. Collaborate with other musicians: Collaborating with other musicians or influencers can increase the reach of your content and potentially lead to virality.
4. Be authentic and genuine: Authenticity is key on social media. Be true to yourself and your brand, and create content that reflects your personality and values.
5. Invest in advertising: Paid advertising can increase the visibility of your content and potentially lead to virality. Use targeted advertising options to promote your music to people who are most likely to be interested in it.
6. Consistent Posts: Consistency is important on social media. Post regularly and engage with your audience to increase the chances of your content being seen and shared.
7. Monitor and respond to comments: Responding to comments and engaging with your audience can help increase the visibility of your content and potentially lead to virality.

Remember, going viral is not guaranteed and often happens unexpectedly. However, by following these tips and creating quality content, a musician can increase their chances of achieving virality on social media. Independent artists best tool to being discovered is through social media, all of the artists that made it big without a label, did so by going viral on social media.

What kind of social media content can artists promote?

The best social media content for musicians to promote will depend on their individual brand and goals. However, here are some types of content that are generally effective for promoting musicians on social media:

1. Music videos: High-quality music videos can showcase a musician’s talent and creativity, and can be shared on a variety of social media platforms.
1. Right now the most important videos are vertical format mobile friendly ones like you see on TikTok and Reels.
2. Behind-the-scenes footage: Fans love to see what goes on behind the scenes, so sharing footage of recording sessions, rehearsals, or backstage moments can help build engagement and loyalty. Show your creative process and how you create your music. What inspires you.
3. Live performances: Live performances are a great way to showcase a musician’s talent and energy, and can be shared on platforms such as Facebook Live or Instagram Live.
4. Collaborations: Collaborating with other musicians or influencers can help expand a musician’s reach and tap into their audience.
5. Personal content: Sharing personal stories or insights into a musician’s life can help build a connection with fans and increase engagement.
6. Fan-generated content: Reposting content created by fans, such as covers or fan art, can help build engagement and show appreciation for the fan base. Also joining online contests that naturally breed interaction and engagement with your fan base are useful.
7. News and updates: Sharing news and updates about upcoming releases, tours, or other projects can help keep fans informed and engaged.

Remember, it’s important to stay true to your brand and goals when promoting content on social media. Focus on creating high-quality, engaging content that resonates with your audience, and the results will follow.

In conclusion…

Stay at it and don’t give up! It’s unlikely you’ll find immediate success. You might find something that goes viral. But even then, how do you keep your new following engaged? So like we keep pushing, be consistent and be engaging. Post quality content, find your voice, build your brand and you’ll find your audience.

Maybe you have the budget and you just want to focus on your music. Then go ahead and invest in somebody to manage your social pages. Or buy real advertising to boost your posts or through other promoters. Just be careful to never just buy followers, that’s often fake, and social network algorithms will notice this. Often anybody offering a guarantee of follows or streams, is fake. Anything organic and real, can’t be guaranteed. You just need to find something that’s recommended by trusted sources, and has good reviews.

Find 5 star promotion for your social pages here.

Not every post will be a hit, but stay active and it’ll pay off in time. Don’t worry about your posts not having a ton of likes. Just focus on producing quality content often. Plus, people have a short attention spam, which helps and hurts. But if you post stuff that ends up as a flop, it’ll be forgotten in no time and really doesn’t matter. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, so keep shooting your shot!