5 STEPS TO SUCCESSFULLY PROMOTE YOUR MUSIC USING SOCIAL MEDIA

As an artist, it is normal to go through dry patches wherein creativity just does not flow as smoothly as it usually does. But what sets a professional music artist apart from the rest? It is the branding, the strategy, the execution, and the distribution. 

Thanks to the abundance of social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, etc., big record labels no longer hold the monopoly in the music industry. Artists such as Justin Bieber, Calvin Harris, The Weeknd, Shawn Mendes, Charlie Puth, Halsey, and many other artists claim-to-fame through social media.

The 5 steps to successfully promote your music using social media are briefly explained as you read on. 

Step 1: Formulating a winning strategy

Getting noticed through social media has its pros and cons. The benefit of getting free access to millions of people across the globe exists. But the challenge of getting lost in the ocean of content that exists today can make anyone doubt their capabilities and chances of standing out. 

The key here is not to stand out and go viral with one video. It is to create a branding strategy for your music and stay committed to it over time. Due to the availability of tools such as promo video makers, millions are creating content every hour of the day. Still, very few are persistently following a strategy to distribute content on social media.

Creating a brand

A few simple practices might appear trivial but are sure to boost your music’s visibility significantly. These practices will also enhance the ‘image’ of your brand. Since the attention span of an average social media user is critically short, your branding will urge the viewers to stop and watch your content.

Just how Universal studios and Disney-Pixar have their brand mascots and fonts in their pre-movie animation, you too can create a sense of familiarity and excitement amongst your viewers by following the undermentioned practices:

• Using the same profile picture across all your social media handles
• Use professional photo editing tools for professional-looking high-quality images
• Have a repetitive background theme- It can be the colours, set-up, a symbol, or anything that will have a brand recall effect on viewers.

Step 2: Deciding on Content Strategy

Unlike branding, your content across different social media platforms should not be the same. All social media platforms have their specific type of content that does better on that platform while doing poorly on other platforms. Each social media site has its own set of characteristics; individuals who use Snapchat are in a completely different mindset than those who use Facebook or YouTube; you must find a means to express your narrative across several platforms and mediums.

Three types of content that can be created with a promo video maker and be used to promote your music on social media:

1. Documenting: Documenting includes recording the natural flow of events around you that can be related to your music. The best example of documenting the type of content is Charlie Puth’s making of ‘Light Switch’ that reeled in hundreds of millions of views on TikTok and YouTube. 

1. Educating: If you are great at an instrument or with your vocals, feel free to drop a few technical details about your work or someone else’s work that you admire. Breaking down in technical detail what you or the other artists have done and how to replicate it is great content not just for blooming artists but also for music enthusiasts.

1. Entertaining: At the end of the day, people want to get entertained. There’s a reason why challenge videos, roasts, and shocking videos do so well on social media.

Tools such as Promo video maker can make a content creator’s life super easy. With such user-friendly tools, you can easily create reels and other forms of content and go viral.

Developing themes

Whether it's sports, politics, business, or music, great social media profiles have a theme running through them. However, themes do not have to be issues; they might be something you are enthusiastic about, such as a charity or something against which you are protesting. People will be able to relate to your material if you use these topics. Most social media individuals don't want to learn anything new or be convinced to alter their minds; instead, they're looking for material that confirms their current beliefs. This implies you shouldn't think to yourself, "This will be my topic because I believe many people will like it," but rather, "I'll determine my theme and let my audience discover me."

Step 3: Choosing the right platform

Each platform has its own set of advantages and disadvantages, and it is up to you to navigate them to deliver your narrative to your target audience.

Facebook: When you're just getting started, Facebook is the greatest platform to use because its advertising capabilities are the most robust and broad of all the platforms. You may share any type of content, including photographs, videos, text posts, and even live videos.

After you've published this material, Facebook allows you to pay to have your content and page advertised to a highly focused audience, which is the most efficient approach to reach new people.

Twitter: Twitter is an excellent venue for communicating with your audience and conversing with new fans. The platform's immediate nature enables brief bursts of activity and participation to debate the most recent developments.

Instagram: Instagram is the place to be on right now if you want to be popular. With hashtags to help you get noticed and Instagram stories and live videos to keep your followers interested, it's the cheapest and easiest way to grow an audience. Instagram is quickly becoming one of the most popular social media platforms for sharing content.

YouTube: It's all about getting favoured by the algorithm on YouTube. Many people believe that YouTube recommends videos based on the number of views, but it is really based on the number of minutes viewed. As a result, if people watch your films to the conclusion, you'll be rated higher than those who only watch the first 5 seconds before moving on to another video. This is why it's crucial to avoid purchasing phoney opinions.

Step 4: Strategising video content through different channels

Remember to provide value to your prospective followers with all of your material. 

Video-based content:

Videos are the greatest converting sort of content on most social media sites since they are appealing and cause users to stop scrolling and watching.

Videos are by far the most difficult to do properly; you must have a plot laid out for the video and enough character and energy to keep the viewers engaged until the conclusion.

Cover videos, if chosen correctly, maybe a great way to introduce your music to new fans by covering a song they'd want to hear. The most crucial aspect is the music selection. The most common error we see is artists covering current chart songs because they expect that people would be looking for that song and will listen to their cover, which seldom occurs. Collaborations are also an exceptional way of creating engaging content as you grow your network and followers altogether.

Step 5: Distribute your content

Using the tools currently available to you on each platform is the most sustainable technique for advertising your content. So, if you already have a fan following, you can share your material on social media. If you're posting on Twitter or Instagram, you may expand your reach by utilising hashtags.

Because word of mouth is the most powerful type of marketing, it may be a handy tool to have in your armoury. You may identify folks with large social media followings who will give you shout-outs and spread your work. Depending on the size and engagement of their audience, this might cost anything from £30 to £2,000. Always find an influencer with an audience that is interested in your material.