20 Tips For A Kickass Musician’s Facebook Page
Nic Robertson is the managing director & co-founder of Jaden Social, a creative Digital marketing agency based in Sydney, Australia. You can connect with Nic here – @nicjrobertson.
Good old Facebook. It seems like everyone knows how to use it these days; from those mischievous 10 year olds brazenly lying about their age in order to sign up, to the new breed of highly intelligent super-pets who’ve managed to set up their very own profiles, complete with a neatly cropped selfie, and then ever-so-casually added all of their owners’ friends.
What a truly incredible age to be living in!
But in all seriousness, there are literally bus-loads of musicians all over the world that just aren’t making the most of the supremely powerful marketing tool that is Facebook.
Unlike the golden days of yesteryear, simply being on a Social platform is no longer enough. Nowadays you need a clear understanding of WHO your audience is, WHAT your objectives are, and HOW you will achieve them before you start getting trigger happy and slapping down figurative 10-dollar bills on the spontaneous promoting of posts.
What will now follow this little rant is a collection of 20 great tips (in no particular order) to help you slide over into the fast lane and start kicking Facebook’s ass with your online promotion strategy.
All set? Then here we go…
1. Customise your page’s URL – Having a customised Facebook page URL will not only give you a more professional and credible image, but also make it easier for fans to find you.
2. Create a strong visual brand using your header and avatar images – Your header and avatar images are probably the most effective attention grabbers you have. Be sure to use only top quality pictures that accurately and consistently represent your band/music.
3. Fill out your bio and set up all your links – Don’t assume everyone knows who you are. Be prepared for the constant exposure to new potential fans, and make it easy for them to discover more about you and your music.
4. Post regularly (at least once per day) – Consistently update your page with new & unique content to keep your fans well fed and happily engaged.
5. Use your timeline to tell a story – Maximise the unique power of the Facebook timeline by adding milestones and taking your fans on a memorable musical journey.
6. Set up a fan gate to capture email addresses – Give away a free exclusive track to anyone who Likes your page and signs up. This way, no matter what changes Facebook may implement on its platform in the future, you will always have the ability to knock directly on your fans’ electronic doors.
7. Get friends and family to Like and share your posts – Never underestimate the Social Media reach of your own friends and family. Every. Interaction. Counts.
8. Look at your Facebook insights and get to know your audience – You’ll be surprised at how much you can learn! The better you understand your audience, the easier it will be for you to tailor your approach and strategy.
9. Facebook is visual, so include plenty of pictures – Picture content attracts far higher levels of engagement than posts with just text, so be sure to keep those live shots, album artwork and tour posters coming!
10. Quotes + pictures make a great team – Post up your favourite lyrics along with relevant pictures to tell your fans a powerful story and bring them deeper into your world.
11. Share posts from other people and pages – This is a great way to fill in the gaps when you’re running low on content ideas. It can also help you to get onto the radars of influencers and their audiences.
12. Start using the Promoted Post feature – But use it tastefully of course. Only 5-10% of your fans will see your posts on average. Promoting some of your posts will help to highlight key content and broaden your reach.
13. Make the first paragraph of your bio short and punchy – This will do the best possible job of selling you to your audience, while also fitting neatly inside the preview box on your main page.
14. Install a good music player app – Make it super easy for new visitors to hear your music and you will maximise your chance of converting them into fans (be sure to place it in your top 4 apps too). ReverbNation has a fantastic Facebook player that’s definitely worth a squiz!
15. Take the time to Like and reply to comments on your posts – Make your fans feel loved & validated and they’ll become loyal ambassadors for you and your music.
16. Highlight and pin important posts on your page – Strap up your most important updates with a lifejacket to stop them from drowning in a sea of other content.
17. Post trackable links using a service such as Bitly – This will allow you to make cool custom URLs while also measuring your results and evaluating your Social strategy.
18. Build a simple content calendar – Include at least 5 different types of content, for example ‘happening-right-now’ updates, music, videos, pictures, promo for your other channels, quotes, and links to other great content you find online.
19. Learn (and steal) from other successful pages – Always be on the lookout for ways to freshen up your page by taking inspiration from those who do it best!
20. Set up great apps on your page – There are many music-oriented apps available for your Facebook page. Examples include BandsinTown, Big Woolly, Soundcloud, Spotify, and many more.
Got any feedback or other great Facebook tips to add to the list?? I would love to hear from you in the comments section below.
Until next time, keep focused and stay creative!
Excellent tips and advice
Great tips. I particularly like Bandpage as a Facebook music app. Especially as it integrates easily as a stand alone website for musicians as well
That was a good list