Nowadays, many bands use Facebook to engage with their existing fan base, as well as to reach a new audience. So what are some of the golden rules for using Facebook for your band?
1. Have a Facebook account – and get an easy to remember URL!
While this may seem like an obvious one, the first point is that if you’re a band, you have to have a Facebook page. It assists in discovery and also with spreading the word of tour dates, new singles and more. It’s free to set up, easy to maintain and allows you immediate connection with your fans. And when you set it up – make sure you get an easy to remember name. If your band name is “The Lakes” but “The Lakes” isn’t available as a URL, don’t go for facebook.com/thelakes197680 or something that’s easily forgettable. Try /thelakesmusic or /thelakesband – these are common replacements where a straightforward name isn’t available. Obviously, /thelakes is preferential.
2. Post regularly
Posting regularly is incredibly important when it comes to best Facebook practice. You want to maintain your online presence and be reliable when it comes to informing your fans what you’re up to, when to expect new music or upcoming gigs.
3. Have a great profile picture and cover photo
Let your fans and potential record label managers see who you are! Make sure your photo is a good representation of who you are as a band, as well as the kind of music you play. You’ll also want this to be a clear, high quality image that publications can use if they choose to review a show or an EP…
4. Make sure your bio and About Page are up to date
When we talk about about your ‘Bio’, we mean the little snippet of information you can include on your Timeline on the left hand side. Here, you can simply state where you’re from, what genre music you play and list your website URL (if you have one).
As for your About Page – this is where you can list more extensive information. It’s crucial that you include details like band members’ names and email addresses for press contacts (or a general email address so people can contact you easily). Additionally, some bands like to provide a little background information such as how they came together, how long they’ve been playing for, who they’ve toured with etc.
Having both of these elements of your Facebook page recent, and up-to-date shows your fans and potential managers that you’re actively pursuing your music!
5. Don’t make it all about you… post about other bands, organisations show that you’re active and supportive in your industry!
While it’s your Facebook page, great social media etiquette involves engaging with your industry and peers through your posts as well as just promoting yourself. Post about other bands’ gigs and industry events! Not only will paying it forward like this result in some great social media karma for your band, but it will also show your fans that you love supporting others, and are constantly engaged with the industry you want to be a part of. It can also be a way to get some good support slots early in your careers.
6. Use Call-to-Action statements
A call to action (CTA) is a instruction to the reader to incite an immediate response. The most commonly used CTAs online are: Click here, Read this, Visit our website, Check this out….
In general, save using CTAs for when you’re selling tickets to an upcoming gig, you have an EP coming out or you want your fans to read a really great review. You don’t want to over do it with CTAs or your audience won’t pay attention to them when they’re important!
7. Use Images and Video to take up more ‘Facebook real estate’ on the news feed
People love to share images and videos, and they also work best with the Facebook algorithm. Wherever you can include something eye-popping, funny or entertaining (and of course this can just be your amazing music!), it’s highly recommended. And will do you well.
And avoid these 5 common mistakes:
1. Forgetting to prfread your posts!
*Proofread.
2. Spamming your audience with too many posts
Be selective with what you post!
3. Trying to do too many different kinds of social media.
You may want to be everywhere, but there’s no point if you’re not doing it correctly. Get Facebook right before you move onto Twitter or even Instagram. If you have multiple people in the band, potentially get each member to handle.
4. Letting the haters get you down.
Social Media is full of haters – people that go out of their way to troll and badmouth things they don’t like. Never let that dialogue get you down. Don’t engage in it. Delete their posts if you need to. It happens to every band, big or small. Don’t let it dissuade you from using social media, either.
5. Don’t waste your money
Facebook Advertising can work, but don’t waste your money. Target correctly, and start spending no more than $5 per campaign to see what works and what doesn’t. Ideally, you don’t want to do a single Facebook advertising before you are noticing some form of traction for your band. It can be a great way to boost your profile when things do start bubbling along, or when you have something specific to promote further down the track. But starting an account and spending $1000 of Facebook ads will generally prove a massive waste of money.
This article was written by Helen Scheuerer and Larry Heath.
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