Category: Social MediaCategory: Social Media

Don’t put all your online marketing into one social media basket.

“Six-in-ten Americans who have used Twitter in the past 12 months say they have taken a break from the platform for a period of several weeks or more during that span.”

If you’re only using Twitter to reach your fans, a lot of people have left the site, according to Pew Research.

“Among current or recent Twitter users, a larger share of women than men say it is unlikely they will be on the platform in a year (30% vs. 20%).”

If you saw a 30% dip in sales, or 30% less people showing up at your events, you’d notice.

Right now – today – is the time to think about your Social Media Escape Plan:

If anything happens to these platforms, we lose the ability to reach our fans.

So get in the habit now of asking your fans to subscribe to your email newsletter, then build a content strategy today on how and when you’re going to reach your fans with an email newsletter.

Seriously, don’t wait until you lose contact with your fans to start thinking about this.

At this rate Twitter seems like it could implode tomorrow.
Then what?

P.S. I deactivated my Twitter account this weekend. I’ve been on there since 2006, and was one of the first 3000 users. See ya.

I’ve heard the mullet described as, “business in the front, party in the back.”

Usually, an artist’s social media feeds is the party.

Loose and free, filled with witty rants, spontaneous photos, and lengthy captions.

The likes pour in, the replies, the engagement.

That’s the “party in the back.”

But then you subscribe to an artist’s email newsletter and get their “email blast.”

Some images, text, a button that says “BUY NOW.”

No lively text. No attitude. No swagger.

That’s “business in the front.”

Please, go ahead and break my inbox and my heart with your sad tales from the road. I can take it.

Show up in my inbox like you do on my social media feeds.

Make me laugh with your snarky videos, and your dry humor.

Include some photos from tour, the studio, and your practice space.

Instead of giving Zuck & Musk your best material for them to monetize, pour your magic into the emails that you send to your fans.

If you’re posting updates on Twitter exclusively, well, not all your fans are on Twitter.

Not all your fans are on Instagram.

Not all your fans spends three hours a night scrolling TikTok.

Lots of your fans check email, though.

• Prospective employers email them when they get the job.
• Banks email them when the direct deposit clears.
• Merch companies send them tracking info when their vinyl ships.
• Ticket companies email them receipts to your shows.

Everyone’s checking email.

Remember, social media employees want to stay employed. They get raises and promotions by keeping you on their platforms.

Writes Sara Eckel:

“Social media companies don’t want you to go out and have fun with your friends—they want you to look at pictures of your friends having fun without you.”

I remember a conversation I had with a show promoter years ago. They weren’t able to reach everybody with their Facebook Events like they used to, and they wanted my advice.

I told them to start an email list. Our phone call ended soon after.

Meanwhile, Sprout Social (one of the biggest social media management platforms out there) has said “brands see a median engagement rate of 0.064% across all industries” on Facebook.

Not even 1%, hell, not even 0.1%.

That’s 0.064% that can be bothered to click “LIKE.”

So yes, you can say “I’m just gonna stick to posting on Twitter and Facebook, show up or don’t.”

But think of who can’t even show up because they don’t have an account on either platform.

Update your website.
Send out a newsletter.

Every time a band makes a tour announcement, the replies pour in:

What, no Louisville?
Skipping Columbus again?
Come to Brazil!
East coast tour?

But every artist, band, and performer is making a deal; on this night, we’re playing this venue in this city.

Show up or don’t.

I believe the same to be true online.

Build a website and a newsletter. That’s your venue and city.

Then you drive traffic to both with one or two social media “billboards.”

Put on a great show.
Make a great product.
Offer a great deal.
Maintain a great website.

They show up or they don’t.

We’re quick to post our biggest moments on social media.

The “SOLD OUT” marquees. Massive crowds from stage. The plaques. Photos with our heroes and fans and friends.

We take photos of ourselves standing in Times Square with that big Spotify digital ad in the background.

We’ll share those slick DSP images on social media, showing off our placement on a cool playlist (like mine, below).

It’s the same even if you’re not in a band: we post all our most interesting photos, the imagery that shows off our unique, creative spirit, the videos that capture our spontaneous, magical energy.

We won’t put any of those cool images on our website, then complain that nobody goes to our website.

Don’t spend all your effort on the “billboard,” then neglect your own establishment.

Playlist placements are amazing. All that hard work. The songwriting. The recording. Years on the road.

All posted on platforms we don’t own, just so 10% of our social media followers can see it.

“All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain.”

I’ll keep repeating this – your fans don’t see all your posts.

And you have fans that aren’t even on social media.

But every smartphone comes with a web browser and a pre-installed email app.

Update your website.
Work on your email list.