Social media has proven to be a valuable tool for flutists and others in the music industry.
An active and exciting social media presence on the right platforms is essential for promoting your music. It can also help engage with fans, increase the number of people who follow you and make connections with others in the music industry, including potential bandmates, producers and music business leaders, and influencers. It’s an excellent 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, 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 unique about you (or your music) that made them want to connect with you?
Knowing 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. For example, younger fans may rather watch videos shared through YouTube or Instagram stories. Older people 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. This will 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 essential to developing and maintaining an effective social media strategy for you and your music.
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 authentic and honest personal connections with your followers. It helps solidify your relationship with them. Think about it: Where are you most closely connecting with musical celebrities you follow? The 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 don’t say it is important if it’s not.
• Share your passions, activities you love, music, and artists you admire.
• Post about both the good times and your challenges. Everyone 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 works for them, it will likely 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. After performances, you could have a “selfie” session on your social media platforms. 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 is 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 information 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. Equally important is that they are the correct size and optimized for each social media platform. They each have their 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 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, including sponsors, venues, and more. Tagging increases visibility 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 posts that meet each platform’s parameters, but your brand must be consistently represented in your unique 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 nugget is significant for flutists who often don’t release new music or play gigs.
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 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 many posts 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 fast, 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.
• This includes 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 pavilion, 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. Several easy-to-use online tools like Canva will give you better photos 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 offer some 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 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 help you 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’s 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. So, while you’re at it, comment 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. Instead, 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 through a social media management tool, such as Hootsuite or Buffer. This advice makes it possible for you to engage with followers without 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 touch regularly. 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 advice 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. Instead, 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, making them want a personal connection.
• Ask questions, get involved in post-comment discussions, and anywhere you can 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 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 they can look forward to and know what is coming up so they can 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 responsibility of a personal assistant.
Extra credit: Put images of the best moments from a performance or event. Try posting them as a story on Instagram or Facebook. Reserve your best material for these limited-time posts.
Social media can be one of your most effective marketing tools if used well. 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.
July 2022
