Social media has proven to be a valuable tool for Flutists and others in the music industry.
An active and interesting social media presence on the right platforms for your industry is essential for promoting your music, engaging with fans, increasing the number of people who follow you, and making connections with others in the music industry, including potential bandmates, producers and music business leaders, and influencers. It’s an awesome way to find new opportunities.
Social media marketing for flutists can seem challenging. After all, you are likely more interested in music than in marketing and technology and your digital footprint. Therefore, we’ve collected expert tips from flutists in our network to make the process easy to understand and achieve.
1. Understand who your audience is.
Ask yourself:
Who are the people who follow your music?
What else are they interested in?
What was special about you – or your music – that made them want to connect with you?
Really getting to know the people in your fan base helps you determine the type of social media content and channels they would most likely be on and respond to your content. Age can make a difference. Younger fans may rather watch videos shared through YouTube or Instagram stories. Those who are older may prefer blog posts and other content to be delivered via Facebook.
If you are already on social media and have a following, it’s a good idea to use the analytic tools offered by the social media networks you are on to help you better understand your followers and learn what content they are responding to. Generally, social media channels tell you where your followers are located, their gender, age, and what other interests they have. Knowing this information is basic to developing and maintaining an effective social media strategy for you and your brand.
Amp it up: Use one social media platform to promote your other channels. It’s a great way to increase your digital presence.
2. Always be personal and friendly.
Social media should be just that: social. Every channel should be a place to develop real and honest personal connections with your followers. It helps solidify your relationship with them. Think about it: Where is it that you most closely connect with musical celebrities you follow? Chances are good that it’s on social media rather than at concerts or other in-person experiences. It is more intimate and one-on-one.
Here are some ways you can be more personal and hospitable with fans and followers on social media:
Compose just like you speak. If you do that, your content comes across as genuine and personal. If you aren’t sure about what you have written, have someone you trust read the copy before publishing.
Never post anything that isn’t meaningful to you and definitely don’t say it is important to you.
Share your passions, activities you love, music you enjoy, and performers you admire.
Post about both the good times and your challenges. Every person has both and sharing them will provide a view of you as a genuine, three-dimensional person.
Tell people where you’ve been and hope to be going next. Share a tidbit of what makes certain places special.
It’s a good idea to look at the social profiles of your favorite celebrities to see how they present themselves. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If something is working for them, it likely will work for you, too.
Extra credit: Take a photo with your fans at concerts and other live events. Tell them when and where you will post it and ask them to tag themselves. You could have a “selfie” session on your social media platforms after performances. Fans will look forward to them and look for themselves or people they know. It is another way to extend reach and expose you to a new audience.
3. Optimize your social media profiles.
People may first encounter you through your social media profiles. That’s why it’s important to ensure they reflect your brand and send the right message. Here are some tips on how to do it:
Make sure all your personal info is accurate and current. This includes, but is not limited to performance dates, links to your music, bio, press coverage, link to website, and more. If it is online, it should be accurate and up to date.
Choose the most striking images for your personal profile. It is equally as important is that they are the correct size and optimized for each particular social media platform. They each have their own parameters.
Consciously set the tone of each social media channel. For instance, your Facebook profile might be more “factual and newsy” while your Instagram profile is more “artsy.”
Be sure it is easy to find links to buy and download your music, visit your website, and learn more about you through your bio and press coverage. In addition, add anything your fans may find interesting or valuable.
Use Facebook cover videos. These are very valuable for flutists because they allow you to introduce yourself and your music to new fans.
Replace your profile and cover images often so you give your most avid fans something new to check out whenever they visit.
Pin the most popular posts to the top of your page. This also provides something new for returning visitors.
Use tags on your posts to increase the reach of your posts. Mention all the people in your pictures and videos along with sponsors, venues, and more. Tagging increases views because the post will appear in the feeds of the people and businesses you’ve tagged.
Ensure all your social media platforms are consistent in their look and feel. You want a variety of kinds of posts that meet the parameters of each platform, but it is important that your brand be consistently represented in your own unique consistent way.
Extra credit: Be generous with your gratitude when your song receives a lot of plays or after a successful show. Also, tag other performers, performances, venues, promoters, sponsors, and any interactions with fans.
4. Be consistent and regular in publishing posts.
Keeping your followers and fans engaged is central to social media success for musicians, including flutists. Having active social media profiles is critical. Post consistently to stay relevant to your fans and provide value to them. This is particularly important for Flutists who don’t release new music or play gigs often.
Even if you are a busy musician, it’s still important that you share new content on social media even when you’re working in the studio or practicing for shows. Posting is like music. It needs a regular rhythm. Develop a consistent rhythm with your posting and posts, so people know what to expect and look forward to. For example, you could post a performance of a fun novelty song every Friday afternoon as a launch to the weekend. There are tools available so you can pre-schedule posts. You don’t need to spend all day every day online.
Amp it up: Post regularly, but don’t get carried away. Fans will unfollow you or stop engaging with your posts if you overwhelm them with too much or low-value content.
5. Use images to get more personal with your fans.
Pictures and graphics generate more attention than plain text posts, on every platform. Sharing pictures and videos is a fast and easy and a great way to stand out. The following are our top visual content ideas based on what other flutists do successfully on social media:
Pictures or (short) video clips from your performances.
Photos of your music gear, home studio, practice sessions, fans, and more.
Graphics that announce upcoming event dates or a new single or album.
Pictures or (short) videos of performers and shows you attend.
Photos or videos where you are performing in unusual or intriguing places such as on a gazebo in a park or in front of a school or museum.
Create a video that explains what inspired a particular song or album.
Focus on your music life. Livestream yourself attending events, working in the studio, or interacting with fans. You could even share performance tips, host an online Q&A, or teach.
Focus on favorite moments from your personal life, including holidays, birthdays, and special everyday events. Share yourself as a fellow human being.
Graphics or pictures with inspirational quotes about music or from other Flutists.
Animated music-based GIF images and memes.
Media interviews.
Music videos.
You don’t have to be an expert graphic artist to create professional images. There are several easy-to-use online tools like Canva that will give you better images than you probably expect. Or, enlist the help of a fan, friend, or relative who can help you.
Extra credit: Participate in live streams featuring an AMA (ask me anything session), or some that offer feedback on a project created by a fan. Show off your skills by teaching music, demonstrating music production techniques, and more. Be creative.
6. Share engaging and text content.
Although most do, not everyone prefers images and videos. Take readers, for instance, it is important to provide some high-quality written content for them. Written content also helps you on Google search, as well. Some ideas for flutists include:
Talk about your latest songs, upcoming albums, and gigs.
Share inspirational quotes from flutists and other musicians.
Provide educational tips.
Take music-related surveys, polls, questions, fill-in-the-blanks, and “caption this photo” posts that will engage your fans, help you learn more about them and have some fun at the same time.
Ask your fans for their thoughts on your latest song, what they would like to hear in a concert, or other things that will again learn more about them and respond to what they like.
Tell stories. Everyone has little stories to share from life. You could share what’s on your mind, a personal experience, what happened to you on a given day, and more.
Make and share lists of things like your favorite songs, artists, performances, and music videos.
Explain what inspires you and how that comes through in your music, brand, or personal style.
Reinforce and boost your fans’ support for you with positive reviews and news about your music. Everyone likes to be part of a group.
Educate your followers about your instrument and music.
Extra credit: Invite people to performances in private messages. It is more personal and makes the recipient feel special.
7. Share content from your fans.
Your fans will be thrilled if you share or retweet their posts. It’s a great way to show you’re paying attention to them and are interested in what they have to say. While you’re at it, make comments on their posts, too.
Leveraging these proven tactics is a great way to take your digital presence to the next level. You don’t have to limit yourself to these ideas. Never be afraid to get creative. Figure out what appeals to your fans and followers and see where you can go with it.
8. Schedule your posts.
Flutists are busy people. It may seem impossible for you to stay active constantly on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other platforms. We get it. We’re musicians, as well.
The solution: Schedule your posts in advance. This makes it possible for you to engage with followers without your having to stay online all day. You can also choose when posts are published based on the insights you learn about when they are online and other habits.
Extra credit: Create social media lists for each platform that includes fans, companies, venues, music industry peers, and others you want to regularly touch. Lists bring discipline and ensure you never forget anyone. In addition, as we will talk about later, it makes tagging easier.
9. Engage with your fans and followers.
This should be a number one priority for flutists. However, it is often overlooked. When you connect with your fans and followers you will consistently be demonstrating to them that you care. Social media is not meant for promotion only. Use these platforms to interact and get to know your fans. Some examples of how to do this include:
Consistently reply to comments, messages, and mentions. Your fans will appreciate that you’re open to discussions with them and it makes them want =to have a personal connection.
Ask questions, get involved in post-comment discussions, and anywhere you are able to keep conversations going. Show your personality and add fun and a lively tone. For example, if someone compliments your music, say more than “thanks!” Perhaps say why that is meaningful to you. It shows you really are thankful.
Ask followers to share or retweet your posts and return the favor.
Encourage fans to post their pictures from your shows or remixes of your songs. Ask them to tag you.
Come up with weekly themes or promotions to keep your fans engaged. Give them something that they can look forward to and know is coming up so they revisit your sites. Think Super Fan Friday or Music Club Monday.
Monitor your social media accounts. Don’t create posts and forget about them. Developing and maintaining a fan base requires your full commitment. Or, perhaps, the commitment of a personal assistant.
Extra credit: Put together images of the best moments from a performance or event. Post them as a story on Instagram or Facebook. Reserve your best material for these limited-time posts.
Used well, social media can be one of your most effective marketing tools. In addition, it can be a lot of fun, too! Musicians love music and want to share it with the world. Social media gives flutists that opportunity.