Facebook For Musicians: Getting It Wrong, And How To Do It Right

Hey guys. Today I wanted to talk a little about the social giant ‘FB’. How to promote your music on Facebook, and why the majority of musicians are using it in the wrong way. That’s right; A lot of people aren’t using it right! Furthermore, a lot of musicians have unrealistic expectations about what Facebook should be used for. You’ll know if this is the case if:

1. You have less than 100 Facebook fans and you feel there’s something wrong / it doesn’t work.

2. You regularly get people unliking your page.

3. You get notifications from Facebook threatening to ban you if you keep doing ‘xyz’.

4. You have a load of spam on your wall.

5. You… Get the idea. :)

Fear not though, as with the help of this guide, you should be able to turn things around. I want to first look at how Facebook should be used (You may be surprised about this), and then I’ll go on to give some tips for a good way to run things. So, let’s get into it.

What Facebook Shouldn’t Be Used For

I want to put this out there from the beginning:

Facebook it NOT generally a tool to acquiring new fans.

This is where a lot of people get it wrong; they think they should be able to acquire new fans through Facebook in the same way they would through Myspace and arguably Twitter.

Yes it is possible to buy new ‘fans’ and them end up being genuine followers of your music. But this generally isn’t what it should be used for.

You’re not going to get people using Facebook’s search form and randomly stumbling across your page, it doesn’t work like that. Nor are you going to get people adding you just so you can add them back. Unless you direct your existing fans to Facebook, or if your existing fans share your stuff with their friends who also become fans, actions you take on Facebook aren’t generally going to get you in front of that many new people.

Disclaimer: As your Facebook fan page gets a lot bigger, it does become easier to go viral. When this happens, it will become a lot more likely new people will hear about you via Facebook and you’ll gain new fans. That said, this is very unlikely when you’ve only a couple of hundred or less fans, so I won’t cover that side of things in this guide.

What Facebook Should Be Used For

Ok, so Facebook shouldn’t generally be used for acquiring new fans. If that’s the case, what should it be used for? Let me tell you:

1. Building up relationships with existing fans.

2. Regularly sending your facebook fans back to your website and anywhere else you may need them.

That’s right, Facebook is a handy tool for interacting and building relationships with your existing fan base. It’s not the only method you can use, but it sure does have it’s benefits.

While having your own website and a mailing list to communicate with fans are both essential, Facebook is still a good tool to add to your arsenal. If you was to email your list every day, people would feel intruded upon and most likely unsubscribe. If you post on Facebook every day though, most people will still stay a fan of your page and see your updates more. You should use this to your advantage.

Don’t expect to gain lots of new eyes from your Facebook efforts, it often doesn’t work that like when dealing with music. Facebook mimics the natural progression that a musician’s career takes in terms of Fanbase size; slow and steady. And this is ok, don’t rush it using artificial methods.

How To Promote Your Music On Facebook In 5 Steps

So now you know what Facebook should be used for in regards to promoting your music career, let’s look at some of the things you can do to improve both the level of interaction you get and the amount of people liking your page:

1. Ensure Your Facebook Page Is Lively (Increases Interactivity / Gets New Fans).

So I’m guessing some of you may have heard of EdgeRank. In short, this determines how many of the people who ‘like’ your page see your updates. The more important you appear to the person, the more you show up in their news feed.

In order to get your edgerank up, you need to post regularly and get people involved in your page. This will not only grow a stronger relationship with your fans, but it’ll also mean more of your Facebook fans will see your updates and more often.

2. Link Your Website To Your Facebook Page And Back (Gets New Fans).

As I mentioned, you want to use Facebook to send people to new posts and updates on your site. That said, you want to get people on your Facebook page in the first place so you get the opportunity of sending them back again and again. It’s because of this that you need to link both ways.

Link from your website to your Facebook page. You can do this wherever you want, but in the sidebar (If you have one) on every page is a good idea. Make it a prominent link, so for example a Facebook like box.

On your fan page, be sure to link to your website at the top of the about section and in at least one in four of your posts. Don’t link to your site in more then half of your posts, as Facebook shows links to other websites to less of your fans then plain text and just images. So increase your reach by switching things up. For example, you could showcase your songwriting skills by posting lyrics, ask people what they think about something (Whether it’s music related or not), or anything else that doesn’t include a picture or a link.

3. Mention Facebook In Your Emails (Gets New Fans).

As with mentioning your Facebook page on your site, you’ll also want to mention it in your emails sometimes too. Let them know that they can talk to you directly on your wall, and when they do, interact with them. This is great for making your page look busy and encouraging others to get involved too.

4. Interact On Other People’s Page When Signed In To Your Page (Increases Interactivity / Gets New Fans).

So say there are other acts similar to you who probably share a similar fan base. One option is to sign into your page and like theirs. Interact with them on their wall, and make it clear to everyone you also make similar music (Don’t make it clear you’re self promoting, have a genuine conversation and be helpful / interesting). Not only will this get you in front of a targeted audience who may follow your link back to your page, but it may also lead to collaboration opportunities and get you in front of people you may not have otherwise. Just be sure to keep up any good relationships you make, and make them a two way one.

5. Remove Any Spam And Negative Comments (Increases Interactivity).

One thing you don’t want on your page is negativity. On more then one occasion I’ve browsed pages of musicians, and seen comments which are negative towards them. They may say that person can’t sing, that they’re rubbish, or whatever the case may be. And the musician often ignores it… And leaves it there. This is a mistake!

Freedom of speech is one thing, and everyone is entitled to their opinion. But that’s your wall, so if the person doesn’t like what you’re coming with, they can leave their opinion elsewhere.

Your Facebook page is a marketing tool, and you want to give off the right message. Do you think a marketing firm would allow people to post comments on their site saying that marketing doesn’t work? No, because it will lead to less people using their business.

Don’t keep any negative and hateful feedback on your wall for all to see, other people will be less likely to leave comments and get involved if they see something of that nature.

Similarly, if you start getting spam comments, delete them right away. You want to create somewhere nice for your fans to hang out and interact, don’t spoil it by having rubbish on your wall.

5 Thing To Avoid When Promoting Your Music On Facebook

So now we know 5 things that can benefit your Facebook promotion, what are some of the things that will do more harm then good? Here are some below:

1. Not Using A Facebook Fan Page.

While having a personal profile is all good, pages are where you get the most out of Facebook. They give you more options then personal pages and groups, so be sure to create one.

2. Repeat Requesting People To Join Your Page.

When you create a page, you can request your current friend list to join it. Do this, you may as well give your page the best chance of getting some early fans.

Once you’ve requested people once though, don’t go on to request them again next week, and again the week after that. If people wanted to join your page, they would have done it the first time around. If they didn’t, they aren’t a true follower of your music. Let it be, move on, and focus on getting those die hard fans you don’t have to pressure into it. These are the ones that will really support you.

3. If You Use A Regular Facebook Profile, Friend Requesting Random People.

Ok, so let’s say you’re not feeling point one above and want to use your personal page rather then a facebook fan page. Fair enough, that’s your call.

If you decide to go this route though, please don’t start adding random people in the hope that they’ll like your music. You’re not going to get new fans and people taking you seriously, most likely you’re just going to get a load of people reporting you and your account getting a warning messages. Worse yet, your account could get banned. I’ve seen this happen a lot, so don’t do it!

4. Not Interacting With Your Facebook Followers.

Let’s say someone posts on your wall saying they really like your music and asking when you’re performing in their area. If you was to respond, most likely that person would really cherish that and look out for more of your updates in future. Ignore them though, and chances are they’ll lose some motivation to get involved with you. That could lead to a loss of sales and word of moth promotion in future.

This is especially bad when your page isn’t extremely busy and you’ve got a small manageable fanbase. There’s no reason for you not to reply, so make sure you do.

5. Only Posting Offers And Things That Will Benefit You.

I’ve talked about this in other guides, but your music career isn’t all about you! If you want people to buy into you and support you, you need to help them in some way. In this case, entertain them!

If you can’t do that, how many people do you think will stick by your side? If you show them they’re only there to make you money, do you think they’ll follow you in the same way?

Give them updates without selling anything, and make them feel special. Here and there, remind them that if they appreciate what you do, you have a download for sale or they can come and see you live. This works on both Facebook and any other platform you’re communication to fans, so bare that in mind.

How To Market Your Music On Facebook Conclusion

So there you have it, how to use Facebook for musicians, the right and wrong ways. I hope you’ve found this guide useful, and you start applying some of the above tips if you don’t already do them.

If you want more help with marketing for your music career in general, check out my site Music Industry How To. You can also see daily music marketing tips on Music Marketing World (Be sure to sign up for helpful updates), and daily discussion and guides on my Facebook page. I’ll see you over there. :)

Shaun Letang.

Comments

[Henry Taylor]

Great post. There are so many artist on Facebook waiting time and even paying to build a fan base. It is like everyone is talking with no focused message.

[Musician Working]

Nice post. It was a great experience to read that Article. Than you for giving this information. It helps to build a Working Musician.

[V.C]

Hello.

You write this article as if you really want the reader to interact with persons, though still use the same promotion ways business works, there is no other manageable way that's true, but don't make it as if it's a give and take relationship.

Delete negative comments? maybe you'll want to delete this comment as well because it sounds negative, though it's these comments that makes us get better.
Cheers.

[Patanjali]

Hello,

It is interesting to read articles about how to use social media to promote music. The problem is that there is no way that doing any of them by half measures will come off well. They each have a central paradigm and dynamic that unless understood, will only makes one's efforts seem clumsy at best and disingenuous at worst, neither of which are a good look.

The 'ultimate prize' for anyone promoting is an email list of those wanting to know when new releases occur, as that will become a reliable guide to how successful a release will be. Social media is one avenue of interaction with those who like one's music, hoping that they will want to buy it, and prefer to be told when available.

With most Facebook members tending towards younger years and/or those who like to live in each-others' day-to-day lives (that is, the set that is likely to take things viral), the question is then is whether it is a useful endeavour if one's music would tend to appeal to those of more mature years or of a more settled private temperament (that is, those who have plenty of their own things to pursue). I think perhaps not.

The question is then whether it if worth indulging in at all. Looks like I need to examine demographics before considering whether to take the plunge.

The other aspect of social media is whether one likes doing it anyway. It does require being more 'out there' which is always difficult for many.

As for deleting comments, I think it is best to think about it as inviting people to have a meeting at one's home. Live discussion is OK, aggravation or abuse is a no-no. One has to make it clear that that is how it will be run at the start.

Downright deleting comments is not always the right thing, as it can obscure the thread that lead to the posts after it. Interjecting one's own comments early on, to steer things back on course, is probably the best approach. Another reason to have to be actively participating, rather than being laissez-faire, assuming any activity is good activity.

Thank you.

[Love-Mega-xo]

I don't think a couple negative comments like "They can't sing." ,will affect their activity on their page. It's just a opinion. And fans will see that, usually start an argument or whatever with the haters.So it's whatever. Its how they present themselves & how well they promote themselves. Deleting negative comments make you look like you sissy that can't handle the truth or criticism.