Music 3.0 Music Industry Blog: social media promotion

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

12 Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Post On Social Media

As I've said many times here and in my book Social Media Promotion For Musicians, just being on a social network doesn't mean that you're using it effectively for promotion. There's a mindset that's need before you can use any network as a promotional tool.

Here are 12 questions to ask yourself (thanks to this Time article) before you post to any social network that will help you focus your content for greatest impact.

1. Is the message educational or entertaining? Stop if it doesn't fit these categories.

2. Is the voice correct? Remember to stay within your brand and not get too personal.

3. Is it too long? Shorter posts get more engagement.

4. Is the URL correct? You did remember to include a link, right?

5. Should I target a speciﬁc audience with this message? Sometimes it's better to just address a specific portion of your audience or fanbase.

6. Did I use the right keywords and hashtags to maximize exposure? Keywords and hashtags are still important.

7. How many times have I already posted something today? Too many posts in the day may mean that this one could be ignored.

8. Did I spell check? Something that people notice immediately.

9. Will I be okay with absolutely anyone seeing this? Stop and rewrite if you feel the slightest bit uncomfortable.

10. Is this reactive communication or is it well thought-out? If you're angry, take an hour to calm down before you post.

11. Did I make the most of visual content—images, video, slides? Visuals increase engagement on almost all platforms.

12. Did I make the most of my update text—headline formulas, polls, quizzes? You only have so many chances for attention so make the most of them.

The best way to use social media as an effective promotion tool is to post great content. Follow these 12 questions and you'll always be sure that you're in the ballpark.

You can also read some excerpts from my Social Media Promotion For Musicians book on the excerpts section of bobbyowsinski.com.

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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Is Social Media Ruining Students?

Yesterday I had the pleasure of addressing Dr. Mark Waldrep's music business class at Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. They were a great group of people, but I was a bit surprised how little they knew about social media marketing and branding, but I guess that's why so many colleges use my Music 3.0 book as part of their course. One of the social mainstay's that many of them weren't into is Twitter, which isn't a good thing from a promotion standpoint, but might be a benefit as a student.

As luck would have it, this morning I was greeted with an email from Cathy Vance, who suggested the following infographic about students and social media. It shows how Facebook and Twitter can have a negative effect on grades and making money. That said, I advocate using both as a promotional tool if you're an artist, producer or engineer, which is a completely different application.