Canadian Musician - January/February 2018 | Page 62
BUSINESS
Chris Brown has been known to swoon over antique microphones, vintage drums, and country Telecasters. He can’t ride a
horse, but does have a weakness for cowboy shirts. Find him at [email protected].
By Chris Brown
Social Media &
Today’s Musician
E
very band I know uses social media to
some extent, but few seem to know
how to use it to its full potential.
It takes time to build a strong
social media following, so you need to be
grabbing your audience’s attention with in-
teresting little vignettes of your musical lives
starting today.
Facebook is the perfect platform for bands
because it is all about telling stories.
Twitter is for quick hits of news and infor-
mation.
Instagram tells stories through photos.
Snapchat tells stories that disappear in
seconds and are gone forever. Call it a virtual
shoulder tap.
Most of your fans do not live a musician’s
life, and to them, what you see as normal
can be exceptional. The average fan works a
typical day job, sees mostly the same people,
travels a few times each year, and has never
been on stage, backstage at a festival, or in a
recording studio.
They view your life as glamorous, creative,
exciting, and out of the ordinary. You have
the power to give them a glimpse into that
world, to lift the curtain on a life they can only
dream of. So, tell them a story. Make it in a
few parts. Make them crave the conclusion
and they will be hooked.
Quality Posts
What I see far too often is an artist begging
for fans to come to a show. I get a Facebook
shoutout usually eight hours before show-
time saying something like:
“Hey, gang we are playing at Club X
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tonight. Who’s coming?”
No images, no story, no incentives, noth-
ing. Just a feeble plea to attend.
Maybe it’s a Tuesday night and the show
starts at 9 p.m. and the band comes on at
midnight. Do you expect anyone to come
or care, really? Who can drop everything they
have planned on a few hours’ notice and run
out to a club, only to get home at 2 a.m. and
be ready for work the next morning?
So, what should you be Tweeting?
Well, as Gary Veynerchuck points out in
his great social media book Jab, Jab, Jab, Right
Hook, you should be jabbing rather than trying
for that knock-out punch every time.
Jabs & Hooks
What’s a jab you ask? A jab is a tap on your fan’s
shoulder. It’s a share of something interesting,
different, and cool.
Maybe a band you admire just released
a killer single. You telling your fans is a jab.
What’s the playlist on the drive to the next
gig? That’s a jab. List the wildlife seen on your
drive through Banff. Another clever Jab. You
just found the coolest guitar in a pawnshop
in Winnipeg. Take a photo and share. Jab.
Get it? A jab is your way of staying close
to your fans, to let them into your life a little
and slowly they begin to believe they know
you and love you even more.
After dozens of jabs, along comes a show
that most folks living regular 9-5 lives could
make. It’s on a Saturday afternoon at a com-
munity festival. It’s time to throw the right
hook. Begin your story.
• Share the Weather Network’s post
of the temp and conditions if it’s
going to be glorious and hot.
• Ask them to share a photo of the
cute/odd/crazy outfit they plan to
wear to the show.
• Tell them what each band member
likes to drink (super good if it hap-
pens to be one of the festival spon-
sors’ beers) and ask what they are
planning to drink at the show. (It
is practically guaranteed that
somebody will buy you your
favourite beverage and deliver it to
the stage.)
• Offer to sign a copy of your album
and pose for photos with fans after
each show.
• Ask them to take photos of the
band performing and send them to
you. Say the best-of-the-best will be
shared.
• Ask them to live stream that night’s
performance on Facebook Live or
Periscope. Give them a mission and
let them in on being a part of the
show. They are going to do it any
way – why not make it seem like it
was your idea?
• Finally, ask them to buy a ticket and
come to the festival.
After that, show photos of the band loading
gear, arriving at the park, the drummer with
a burger, some friendly dog, the view from
the stage, the backstage area as you meet
and greet other acts.
There is your story. No money paid to
advertise, your fans are entertained and in-
trigued, and best of all, no begging.