They are spreading like dandelions. Where do you, as a vocalist, make your investment? Megan Gloss shares practical advice.
Avenues such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are instantaneous ways to put yourself and your voice on the cyber map and connect with other vocalists, musicians, booking agents, promoters, venues, fans and friends.
They are today’s digital “must-have” for your online presence.
Easy to use, social networks feature an automatic template, are free and enable you to connect with an endless array of individuals and groups.
They also allow you to instantaneously send out “blasts” of information to keep your followers informed and up-to-date.
The trick to making them work for you is to follow-up; the more you utilize them and the more repetition you employ, the better the result.
“Currently, I’m most active on Facebook and my own site, while MySpace remains static but crucial,” says Anna Laube, an independent singer and songwriter based in Madison, Wis.
“But I also use Twitter, especially Twitpic for pictures from my phone. I have noticed a marked increase in show attendance since delving further into Facebook and by sending personal messages and invites to people.”
The Top 5 social networking websites today’s vocalists use are:
Tips to keep in mind:
Repetition and follow-up: To make your social network work for you, like any good marketing plan, repetition is key: post new content often, develop a simple, time-efficient, plan of how you will interact with users, and be consistent each week with investing time on the network.
Shameless self-promo: Keep your social network up-to-date by posting current and upcoming events. Send out frequent invites and “blasts” of information to your contact list.
Network: Keep networking, increasing your list of friends, fans, peers and connections.
Using these guidelines, vocalists will be able to transcend the business of music and find their voice online.
Megan Gloss is a writer, journalist
and vocalist based in the United States.
E-mail her at mgloss@mchsi.com
