Social Network Overload? Top Sites Musicians Should Focus On
WRITTEN BY LAURA MAXWELL
Key information and recommendations to put social network overload into perspective.
We live in a time where there is so much content fighting for our attention on the internet. We want to keep up with our friends, know the latest news and discover new things before anyone else. Bands face an incredible challenge of getting their message out through all the tweets, “lols”, “OMGs”, and headlines and it’s easy to be overwhelmed, especially if you are trying to create a scalable social strategy. With so many social networks to choose from, how do you know where to start?
After gathering statistics, the recommendations below are made based on network popularity, ease of use, and the ability to integrate and post content across multiple networks simultaneously.
The Big Three
Every band should be using these three networks to reach fans. They are the top networks based on sheer user volume and are where your fans are most likely to be. There’s no doubt that these networks have been in your vocabulary for sometime and theres a reason. A recent study by Pew Research found that an astonishing 67% of American internet users are on Facebook. That’s huge.
Facebook should be the first building block in your social media strategy and the one you spend the most time on. It’s where the greatest flexibility in fan engagement exists and more time is spent on Facebook than any other network- up to 7 hours per month on average according to this study from the Socially Aware blog. Facebook’s increased flexibility with the Open Graph API also allows the other social networks you use to link to your Facebook page and deliver more frequent and engaging content. Spend time making this the most visually engaging network you have and respond to comments or posts in a timely manner.
Some interesting results of the Pew study confirm that while Twitter has about 16% of the population using the service, a higher proportion of urban residents are tweeting away. If you’re targeting an urban audience due to the genre of your music or engaging in tour promotion, consider emphasizing Twitter more. Depending on your tweet volume, you can also have each tweet you send post directly to Facebook and vice-versa. Just be careful not to overwhelm people with too many posts.
YouTube is the ultimate video service and where you should be posting your music videos, tour footage, and homemade movies. Fans and music industry folks alike use YouTube to find, observe, and contact rising artists. Do you remember how Justin Bieber got his start? Again, you can link these videos to Facebook- do it! The annual State of Online Music report produced by Next Big Sound shows staggering numbers around YouTube video views- up to 25k per month per artist on average. That could be you!
Other notable social networks
While not an exhaustive list, the following social networks get high marks for their ease of use, popularity, and ability to integrate with other networks.
Soundcloud
Soundcloud popularity has taken off in the last year, showing incredible growth in 2012. According to an unofficial source, Soundcloud is tracking at over 180 million active users per month. Additionally, Next Big Sound’s 2012 State of Online Music Report states that monthly average song plays per artist on Soundcloud nearly tripled by the end of the year. Soundcloud also integrates well with other social networks (like Presskit.to!!!), so it’s easy to repurpose and promote content.
Instagram is quickly passing “flash in the pan” status and becoming a network we live by. With 100 million users and growing, Instagram makes sharing photos easy and with a wide range of filters it can change your “blah” phone photos into vintage looking treasures. You can post directly to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and more to keep the beautiful content flowing out to fans.
Bandsintown
The network started as a simple way to get notifications about the bands you “like” on Facebook so that you can see them live. Utilizing Facebook’s Open Graph API, the network is expanding to give fans a more robust experience and will soon allow them to buy tickets directly (with the help of LiveNation) and more social features. Another plus about the app is that it has the ability to recognize the concerts you add here and feeds them to other networks where your band has a presence. It’s relatively easy to maintain your show listings here and it reminds people when you have a show coming up on a medium they are already spending a ton of time on (Facebook).
Tumblr
While the growing blogging service only has about 6% of the population using it, it’s easy interface and ability to connect to your other major social networks makes it a gem. Surprisingly, internet users also spend about 1.5 hours a month here, second only to Facebook. Post videos, tracks, and other media with the click of a button. There are tons of music bloggers using the service so consider using it if you’re looking for a way to reach them. They can easily “tumble” or re-post your content to their blog.
Do you use any other social networks that have helped you connect with your fans or made your social strategy easier? Let us know in the comments!
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Laura Maxwell is an experienced social marketer, analyst, and the co-founder at MusicVagabond.com. Based in Boulder, CO, she helps brands and bands uncover the social strategies that will engage their fans and take them to the next level.