In an ever changing landscape of social media algorithms, increasing your reach on these platforms can often feel like an up hill struggle. While keeping on eye on current trends and posting an array of good quality content is a key aspect of successfully running your band’s social media, organically boosting engagement is an area that is often neglected.
For most bands and artists, time and resources available to spend on social media are limited so it may be worth readjusting how you spend these things. Regular posting is important, however, it is better to post 2-3 times a week and spend the rest of your time boosting engagement on those posts, than to strive for new posts every day if that prevents time being allocated to engagement building.
Simple & Effective Steps for Enhancing Engagement
Note: always be genuine with your engagement. ‘Fake’ or disingenuous comments are fairly easy to spot and may risk doing more harm than good. Furthermore, be reciprocal with your engagement. You want to be working towards building lasting engagement. While a short term boost is useful, it won’t assist in developing long term growth.
Engagement and visibility are two entwined aspects that operate similarly over all social media platforms. Boosting engagement will lead to your profile being shown to more people and lead to further engagement.
- Ask friends and family to interact with, comment on and share your posts. Reach out to friends and connections who are also in bands and interact with their content in return. Supporting and lifting each other up brings mutual benefits for all.
- Engage with bands and artists who you personally support and who are in your network (be it genre, scene or locale), and also engage with their fans. Remember, keep it authentic. If you cannot think of anything genuine to comment, it is best not to.
- Find any relevant fandoms and engage with them. For example, if you have songs inspired by Lord of the Rings, or Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s likely some fans will also enjoy your music and social media content.
- Begin to interact with music journalists and other industry professionals. Ensure you are always respectful and professional.
- Make use of each social media platforms’ features. For example, Instagram’s ‘Collaborator’ tool is a great way to have your content viewed by wider audiences.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Various news topics often run around social media like trends in their own way. It may be tempting to jump on board and add your own thoughts to a global discussion. Be careful to exercise caution – ensure you have researched the topic to avoid spreading misinformation. Always be professional and respectful when engaging with political or difficult topics, especially as unprofessional comments may discourage potential fans or professionals from your work.
- Be mindful of expressing negative views. Being in a band is challenging at times. Venting frustrations on social media can be therapeutic for some, but be mindful of a) the fact that many use social media for escapism b) appearing ungrateful to the fans who are present.
- Do not, under any circumstances, seek to ‘buy’ engagement or followers. It is at best ineffective and at worst reputation damaging. Any financial investment is based placed into your art and professional marketing and PR services.
Getting Started
If you are still feeling overwhelmed, or uncertain as to ‘how’ to get going with building up your engagement, begin with setting aside a short period of time each day to try out the steps above. Try spending 10 minutes each day implementing one bullet point on each occasion. Take stock of any changes in your engagement over the course of a week or two, and begin to hone in your strategy depending on what a) you find to be most effective to you personally b) which successful step(s) are easiest for you to keep consistently applying.
Over time, your own strategy will adapt and shift as your engagement grows and inevitably as social media platforms introduce new updates and system changes. Be open to adapting as necessary to futureproof your hard work.
You may also be interested in:
How To Avoid Social Media Faux Pas
Building a Professional Network
Managing a Band’s Social Media Presence
Finding Your Audience