5 HootSuite Tips For Bands
Part 2 of 3 – Managing multiple social media accounts is a challenge. Here Ian Bevis, lead singer of Vancouver-based Bear Mountain and member of Top Less Gay Love Tekno Party shares his HootSuite tips via HootSource.
The music industry has changed so much in the past decade, and now bands, musicians, promoters, and record labels have the ability to do their own promotions online. With the myriad of social media tools available for bands, it’s not easy to get started. Luckily, HootSuite offers a complete solution that allows bands to take social media into their own hands. This blog post will share a series of insider tips and tricks for bands in the music industry, and will show you how easy it is to use HootSuite to get the most out of your social media efforts.
Make a List. Make a List. Rinse, and Repeat
Twitter lists are your friend. Use them strategically and frequently. Whenever you have an interaction with someone over Twitter, add them to your “fans” list. Follow this list closely from within your Dashboard, and tweet your fans when you’re in their town. Let them know you have a show, and that you’d love to see them there. This simple move allows you to take something as simple as a tweet, and turn it into a ticket sale, and as a bonus, you start to cultivate a meaningful relationship with your fans.
If you find that your fans list is growing significantly (good job!) then create a fans list for each of the major cities that you visit. Filter this list by Klout score, and see which of your fans in that area have the most reach. Cozy up to these people and offer them a spot on your guest list, or schedule an in-person meet up. All of a sudden, you have a brand ambassador.
These influencers are invaluable: they’ll spread the word about your amazing live show, they’ll come back next time you’re in town, and if you play your cards right, they might even bring people with them.
Filtering by Klout score allows you to target those who have the most influence on the social web
Once you’re on the road, get to know the promoters and venues you’re working with. Add their Twitter handles to a special “Promoters and Venues” list, and follow it closely. Tweet them before a show, and create a rapport with them online. Promoters will be pleased to see a conversation has been created around the show, and the venue will love the buzz.
That’s Not My Name
HootSuite also allows you to track all mentions of your @Twitter handle. But it’s also important to track mentions of your band from the people who don’t know your Twitter handle. Use HootSuite to create a search stream that searches for your band’s name, and also any mis-spellings that pop up. By creating these streams, you’ll have all mentions of your band, even from users who don’t know your name on Twitter, or have used the wrong Twitter handle. Tweet them back from your official Twitter handle, and drive the conversation back to your main Twitter account.
Create a Geo-Targeted Search Stream with Common Phrases
For example, use the term “live music”. When you log into your HootSuite account, this stream will populate with all mentions of those keywords within a 25km radius. Once you find someone in your area who’s looking for live music, tweet them! You never know who you might reach.
Hit the Ground Running
Life on the road is hectic and sometimes you don’t have time for a shower, let alone a tweet. HootSuite makes this easy by allowing you to schedule your messages in advance. Before you leave on the road, take the time to schedule messages for each date. These messages should contain important information about your show: i.e. city, venue, and door time. Come showtime, rest assured that your messages are being sent out, and your followers will know where to find you.
Be sure to also download HootSuite’s mobile apps for iPhone, Android and Blackberry. These apps allow you to schedule, monitor and publish messages from anywhere, and will surely be a social-media lifesaver when you don’t have access to a computer.
