Armada Music’s Nicolet Hofman On Branding, Bots and Marketing Strategies
In this piece we chat with Nicolet Hofman, the marketing powerhouse behind Armada Music's roster of artists about online branding, bots, and marketing strategies for the future.
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Guest post by Veselina Gerova of The Message
Behind The Artist is a Q&A style interview series featuring the people behind the artists; the marketing heroes you don’t hear about that often. They are the ones who help artists build a brand and a strong online presence. We decided to approach these marketing gurus and ask them all about their thoughts on online branding for artists, bots and strategies. They share their thoughts, expertise and their vision for the future.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?
My name is Nicolet Hofman, 28 years old and living in Amsterdam. I’ve been working at Armada Music since February 2015, that’s almost 3 years now. Together with my social media team, I take care of the social media strategy and online marketing of Armada Music and its sub-channels A State Of Trance, Armada Trice, Armada Deep, Armada Subjekt and Armada Electronic Elements.
Also, can you tell us a bit about the company you work for, Armada Music?
Armada Music was founded in 2003 by Armin van Buuren, Maykel Piron and David Lewis (AR-MA-DA). The main ingredient? Passion. The moment you enter the Armada Music HQ in Amsterdam, you can sense a powerful mixture of devotion and genuine love for music. It shines through in every aspect of the record label, from its employees and artists to the positive vibes running through the office.
Now home to world-renowned acts and super talents such as Andrew Rayel, Armin van Buuren, Borgore, Dash Berlin, Erick Morillo, Fedde Le Grand, Gareth Emery, Julian Jordan, Kevin Saunderson, Lost Frequencies, Morgan Page, Showtek and W&W, Armada Music continuous to nurture its artists, helping them realize their full potential.
What is your position there?
Social Media Manager.
Being a part of the music industry requires you to work with artists. How important do you think it is for musicians to connect with their fans online?
It’s very important: we live in a digital era where everyone has access to the internet 24/7.
Is it important for musicians these days to be innovative when it comes to technology? If so, why?
Yes! You need to keep up, as new technologies drive people to new features. As a musician, you need to embrace new technologies to reach existing or new markets. Especially young target groups.
Speaking of innovation, there has been quite some hype around Messenger bots. How do you think having a Messenger bot can affect a musician’s social media presence?
It’s quite interesting to be present as an artist on this channel — among conversations between family, friends and fans.
What can musicians use a Messenger bot for?
A messenger bot is perfect for one-to-one communication. Musicians can use a Messenger bot to update their fans on their new releases, new additions to playlists, new music videos, merch, livestreams, events and more.
Should artists have a strategy when it comes to Messenger bots?
Yes, all artists should have a social media strategy, that includes Messenger bots.
How do Messenger bots differ from social media posts in your opinion?
Messenger bots are more personal, they’re “one-to-one” communication. Social media posts are directed to all fans, but a message via the Messenger bot is directed to that one fan.
What are the marketing advantages of having a Messenger bot? (for artists)
The message will be delivered to all fans that have opted in, no algorithm. Also, one of the biggest benefits of Messenger bots is that they offer higher open and click-through rates than any other channel out there.
Do you think a Messenger bot can help with one’s brand building?
Yes, absolutely: it can give an artist a more personal connection with his/her brand and their fans.
How do you think the future of Messenger bots will look like?
There is significant growth in the mobile-only audience; audience that only accesses the internet through their mobile phone, and there is a big shift to messaging apps. So I think Messenger bots will be taking over a lot of different industries and with many new features (think about live video 360 °, VR, AI).
