5 Ways to Grow Your Band’s Fan Base via Social Media

Posted by in Grow Your Fan Base, Musicians, Social Media for Musicians, Social Media Marketing | 23 Comments

grow-your-bands-fan-base-social

Are you wondering how to grow your band’s fan base via social media? You know you need to have a social presence, but you’re not quite sure what to do once you get there? How do you find the fans and supporters that will help you grow your band’s presence, sell your music and fill those venues? You’re not alone in your frustration. That’s why I’ve put together a list of 5 things you can start doing today to grow your fan base via social media! Making connections via social media can inspire fan loyalty and create a buzz, so if you’re not getting social yet you need to get started today. After all, it’s called ‘social’ media for a reason!

 

5 Ways to Grow Your Band’s Fan Base via Social Media

 

1)   Start with your website! Be sure that you’ve included social connect buttons on your site (like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter – like the ones you see at the top right of this page). Also include buttons for connecting and subscribing to your YouTube channel, Pinterest account and any other social platforms where you can be found. If you have a WordPress site, this is easily done via a plugin. If you’re not using WordPress you can do this by embedding the codes onto your site (your web designer may need to help you). Place social sharing buttons on each page of your site that contains music, event calendars, or merchandise. Make it easy for visitors to share your content and this will help you grow your fan base!

*Note: Place these buttons “above the fold” on EACH page of your site. This means they should be placed at the top of your pages so visitors don’t have to scroll to see them.

2)   Invite your friends, family, and your band’s email list (you DO have an email list, don’t you??) to like your Facebook Page, follow you on Twitter, and subscribe to your YouTube channel. This is one of the quickest ways to grow your band’s fan base when first starting. Ask these friends to share your pages with their friends, too! Speaking of people you already know…your fans at your gigs! Links to your social profiles should be on every piece of printed material, your email signature(s), and you should ask people at your gigs to follow you via social networks. Collecting email addresses at your gigs is also a great way to grow your fan base – if you have a mailing list.

4)   Connect with others in the industry! Bands, venues, labels, and industry professionals on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn (or all three!) These connections can be helpful for cross-promoting with other bands, venues can easily check out your pages when they’re looking for new bands to hire, and labels and industry pros constantly post about the types of music they’re looking for. Developing these connections can help you get the word (and your music) in front of the right people. Social media is a very reciprocal medium so when you promote someone else’s music they’ll promote yours, too. Be sure to comment and interact with them…just liking a page or following someone on Twitter isn’t enough. It’s called ‘social’ media for a reason. Take a look at the people who they’re following and those who are following them. You may be surprised at the great connections you’ll find there! Don’t forget to connect (and interact) with those people!

5)   Run a Facebook ad campaign. I know, I know…you’re a musician; you don’t have money to blow. I get it! The beauty of Facebook ad campaigns is that they are relatively inexpensive and can grow your band’s fan base in a very targeted way quickly and efficiently. Case in point, a Facebook ad campaign I’m currently running for a client who is a Gospel singer. We started a targeted campaign for her less than three weeks ago and her page has grown from 155 to almost 1,000 in that time. These are people who are genuinely interested in her music. She’s also received private messages from online radio stations and others who want to help promote her music! Well worth the cost!!
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BONUS TIP: Link to your band’s pages from your personal profiles. When you add your employer to your personal profile on Facebook, as you start typing the page will pop up. Click on it and it will become a link to the page on your personal profile. For an added boost, instead of putting ‘singer’ or ‘guitarist’, type in “Check out my fan page” or something similar. Here’s an example from my personal Facebook page.

profile-link-to-page

Carole Billingsley (@YouSeekSocial) is a social media consultant and trainer. Combining her social media expertise with her decades of experience in entertainment and education, Carole founded Seek Social Media in 2011. She is known for her ability to make technical and social media topics easy to understand for even the least tech-savvy business owner. Specialty areas: social media, customer experience, digital presence, crisis management.

23 Comments

  1. How to Become a Music Promoter
    April 10, 2013

    […] get the music out to the masses. Moreover, a music promoter will be a musical artists partner in helping them grow a fan base, sell records and they will help get the word out about upcoming shows and concerts. Think you have […]

    Reply
  2. Marisa
    March 12, 2014

    Hi Carole,
    I am in the early phases of building a fan base for my dance/party cover band. I have been using social media with virtually no success. I just finished another Facebook ad campaign that reached over 7,000 people in our area and we only got one more Like from it. Our last gig announcement reached 11,000 college students in our area and no one from that list showed. I am baffled. Any ideas on what is going wrong?

    Sincerely,
    New band woes

    Reply
    • Carole
      March 17, 2014

      I hate hearing that, but totally understand your frustration! I’d need to see how you targeted the ads, what type of campaign you used, etc before I could really give you much of an informed answer. If you’d like, shoot me an email at carole[at]seeksocialmedia[dot]com with more detailed info and I’ll see what I can figure out.

      Carole

      Reply
    • Rory
      April 27, 2017

      I know running a Facebook ad was mentioned in the article but honestly and no offence Carole it’s a waste of time and money and it falsely gets one’s hopes up. I put out what was really a solo EP under a band name last year and ran two ad campaigns off the Facebook page. I think I spent around $100 and it reached around 3,000 people and it only added less than a half dozen likes. I doubt it actually added to the downloads of the EP. Again, unless you are naturally just a lucky person don’t do it.

      Reply
      • Gregory Wilson
        October 24, 2017

        Actually, the idea of using FB is very important in growing your audience, but as a creative, you need to look at what your audience will click on. Too often we as content creators are thinking like a seller and not like a consumer… instead of thinking my advert is great and in “this avenue I will get views”…. ask yourself how do I have to present myself here so that I can attract the following I want.

        Credentials
        2x Itunes top 200 Artist
        Spotify Verified Artist
        Deans List Tour Alumni
        3k Views on Videos

        Reply
  3. steeveave
    May 23, 2014

    Thanks for sharing your information.this is very useful information
    Social Media Music Site

    Reply
  4. Stuart
    July 27, 2014

    Would love some tips on how to grow facebook and fan numbers xx

    Peace n love
    Stu

    Reply
    • Carole
      August 2, 2014

      Hi Stuart,
      First, focus less on numbers and more on growing your fan base organically with people who are truly fans of your music. Remember that social media is only a spoke in the marketing wheel. I’d be happy to have a call with you to discuss your particular situation. Just use the contact form to set up a time.

      Cheers,
      Carole

      Reply
  5. Jonas
    September 2, 2014

    Would like information about where to start with growing fan base, similar to what Stuart is inquiring about.

    Reply
    • Carole
      October 1, 2014

      Hi Jonas,
      Sorry for the delayed response…I’ve been having some crazy issues with my commenting system. =/
      Start with your friends and current fans. Be sure to encourage people at your gigs to like your FB page or follow you on Twitter. Put links to your social sites and website on all printed material. If you need more help, please use the contact form to set up a call.

      Thanks!
      Carole

      Reply
  6. Muusikon SoMe | Some Finns
    January 29, 2015

    […] 5 Ways to Grow your Band’s Fan Base via Social Media […]

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  7. 5 Ways A Band can Promote Themselves! | lgtalent
    March 22, 2015

    […] Create Social Media accounts including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. This is the best tool for getting the attention of a large audience which in turn will create a following. Once you grab there attention, this is a way to keep your fans interested and informed. You can post things like concert dates, tours, different projects your working on, and selling your merchandise. Perhaps the best part of social media…it’s FREE! Here is another blog you can read to help you more with this: http://www.seeksocialmedia.com/ways-to-grow-your-bands-fan-base/ […]

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  8. What’s the Best Way to Grow a Band’s Facebook?
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    […] One of the main reasons fans follow bands on Facebook is to see what they’re doing with their time. Showing them pictures of backstage, showing them shots of a recording studio, showing them the process of how things get done; it’s all part of the experience. […]

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  9. Social Media Crisis Management in Banking | shruthi88blog
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  12. Social Media and Your Career | aridasgupta
    June 25, 2016

    […] Billingsley, C. (2012). 5 Ways to Grow Your Band’s Fan Base via Social Media – Seek Social Media. Seek Social Media. Retrieved 25 June 2016, from http://www.seeksocialmedia.com/ways-to-grow-your-bands-fan-base/ […]

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  13. How to Get SoundCloud Followers, Plays & Likes - BuyPlaysFast
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  14. Neiman Samuel
    January 11, 2017

    Amazing Article! Here Is A Side Note!

    In my experience using social media, musicians hardly ever use call-to-actions. This is a key step in utilizing social media platforms. Simply because most people do not know what to do with your post until you tell them.

    Neiman Samuel – Co-Founder of LaunchDon.com
    Instagram : NeimanSamuel1
    Twitter NeimanSamuel1

    Reply
  15. 5 Basic Content Marketing Tips For Small Businesses – Social Media Strategy
    October 16, 2017

    […] keep it up! You might not see results at first, but trust me, social media is a long game. Once you build a fan base, you’ll start seeing […]

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  16. Making Money by Making Music: 3 Tips for Business Success | myafton
    June 18, 2018

    […] Carole Billingsley, founder of Seek Social Media, recommends improving your social media strategy through a few simple tweaks. First, increase your website’s share-ability by placing social connect buttons on your website “above the fold,” or anywhere on screen that won’t require users to scroll to see it. Next, look at your gigs as opportunities to capture more social media contacts. Invite fans to join an email list, and give them the names of your social sites. Finally, start conversations on social media by connecting with other industry pros. From agents to other bands, music media professionals to venues, the more people you reach out to, the more chances you have of connecting with opportunities to grow your business. […]

    Reply
  17. Making Money by Making Music: 3 Tips for Business Success - afton
    August 2, 2018

    […] Carole Billingsley, founder of Seek Social Media, recommends improving your social media strategy through a few simple tweaks. First, increase your website’s share-ability by placing social connect buttons on your website “above the fold,” or anywhere on screen that won’t require users to scroll to see it. Next, look at your gigs as opportunities to capture more social media contacts. Invite fans to join an email list, and give them the names of your social sites. Finally, start conversations on social media by connecting with other industry pros. From agents to other bands, music media professionals to venues, the more people you reach out to, the more chances you have of connecting with opportunities to grow your business. […]

    Reply

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