Social media is a great way of connecting with fans, both new and existing. I can’t recall the number of artists I’ve found via Facebook and Twitter recently who I would now consider to be some of my favourites.
When used well, these networks can enhance your audience’s experience and can turn your fans into ambassadors. When used badly? It can end up being a waste of time and you could risk alienating potential fans.
I’m finding that I’m coming across more and more artists falling into the latter category on Twitter, so I thought I’d throw some friendly advice out there:
7 Tips for Happy Tweeting:
1. Don’t blindly message people asking them to listen to your track. If I receive a @ reply asking me to check out a track and see that you’ve just sent that same message to 50 people before me, I’m going to ignore it completely. Etiquette goes a long way.
2. Get to know your audience. If you’re following people in their hundreds to grow your follower numbers, make sure that you get to know a little bit about them before telling them all about your latest track. Read their bio and have a look at some of their tweets to find out if they’ll be interested first!
3. Get involved. Strike up conversations with influential people and those you find interesting. The more conversations you have, the more likely they are to follow you back.
4. Bear in mind that engagement is more important than follower numbers. We all want to have a mass following, but at the end of the day, it’s quality over quantity. That goes for your tweets, too. If you don’t have anything worthwhile to say, it’s better saying nothing at all.
5. Don’t retweet every mention you receive. There are few things more annoying than seeing someone retweet everytime they’re mentioned. It comes across as very narcissistic and is a turn off for many.
6. Share useful content. Don’t keep tips and tricks to yourself – let the world know about it! People will thank you for it, and you’ll build a positive reputation.
7. Be thankful. Do show gratitude whenever possible, and when people help you out, thank them. A little love goes a long way.
