Three Things Bands Need To Stop Doing On Twitter... Immediately.

‘One size fits all’ rarely does.  And that is certainly the case with social media. 

Techniques vary because the artist and their potential fans are all different.  The way fans like to see, receive, and interact with information is as unique as the artist they follow.  Techniques vary, but there are principles that apply no matter the context when it comes to effective communication through social media.  Here are three of my top ‘no-matter-what-kind-of-artist-you-are-or-what-kind-of-fan-you’re-trying-to-reach-NEVER-do-this’ list:

1.     The Self-Indulgent Retweet.

Compliments, song lyrics, or any post mentioning your band.  Just stop.  Absolutely, interact with your fans on Twitter – that immediate connection to fans is so important.  But just retweeting the same song lyrics ten tweets in a row isn’t connecting with anyone in a unique way.  The same goes with compliments – it just makes you seem vain and self-involved.  Just say no.

2.     Only Tweeting To Promote

So many bands Twitter accounts lie dormant until they need to ask fans for money for a Kickstarter, announce a new show or share their latest single. Yes, fans want to know that information, but that is not the only reason they follow you.  They want to get to know you as people.  Twitter is about awareness and interaction.  The best rule of thumb is 50/50: 50% self-promotion, 50% talking about things NOT related to your music.  One of the things I do is help artist think through, and schedule tweets that strike the right balance of promotion and personality.

3.     Connecting Twitter To Every Other Social Media

I know it takes less time and effort to just connect Twitter to Instagram, Facebook, and every other social media platform.  But the reality is, every platform has a different type of fan and audience.  And not taking that into consideration is like not adjusting the way you speak to your girlfriend’s parents from the way you speak to your college buddies: not helpful, and not doing yourself any favors.  Who are your fans on Facebook?  How are they different than your Instagram followers?  How do your Twitter followers respond to information differently? 

Ultimately, to be the most effective communicator with social media, you need to be a student of your fans.  Are you a perpetrator of any or all three of these ‘Twitter no-no’s’? Not sure who your fans are or how to communicate with them?  Let’s change that together, email me here.