iMoveiLive is currently planning a concert series for two of Pittsburgh’s fastest rising stars. To make this series of concert as success as possible, marketing is one of the biggest aspects. Please read below about how to help the growth of your tour through proper social media marketing. The article was written by Kevin Breuner of DIY Musician.
Tweeting on Tour – Essential Tips for using Social Media on Tour
There’s no better time to engage your audience online than when you are on tour.
Ramping up your online presence before, during, and after your tour will increase your concert attendance, sell more albums and deepen your relationship with your fans.
What better time to connect with your
audience than just days before you arrive in their town?
What better time to build lasting relationships with your fans than by reconnecting with people just days after they’ve seen you perform?
So fill up the tank, load up on snacks, charge up your smartphone and get ready to engage!
Before You Arrive
1. Identify Your Audience
Spend some time figuring out who your potential concertgoers are in each town you are about to visit. Even if you only connect with a few local music fans, they probably have friends, and those friends have friends. Making personal connections before you arrive in a town can really boost concert attendance.
Here are a few suggestions:
- If you’ve played in the area before, be sure to reconnect with the folks you met the last go-round. Find them on Facebook or Twitter. They’ll likely show up with some of their best buddies.
- Create a Facebook event for each of your shows. This way you can invite attendees based on their location.
- Ask your booker or promoter to shed some light on the regulars. Who are the movers and shakers in the local music scene? Are touring bands a big draw? What kind of music do the kids go crazy for? Where do they hang out?
- Check out the venue websites where you are going to play. Do the venues have a Facebook, MySpace and Twitter page you can follow? Who are the most active fans of the venue? Reach out to them. They might just drop by your show.
- Do you have an email list you can segment by state and city? (If not, now is the time to start.) Send a personalized email to the groups of people who live within driving distance of your show.
- Crowdsource on Twitter. Ask location-based questions and see if you can start a conversation: “What’s the best place to eat in Merced, California?” “What are the best Merced bands and musicians?” “What’s fun in Merced?” “Do people in Merced like Rock ‘n’ Roll/Hip Hop/Country?”
2. Start a Conversation
The golden rule of social media: talk with people, not at them. In other words, don’t spam. Ask questions or offer compliments. Tell a story. Never lead off with “Check out my music.”
Conversation Starters:
- Keep a tour diary. This can be as simple as a few sentances and pictures from your adventures. WordPress and other blogging platforms have mobile apps that make this easy.
- Keep a Twitter diary. Create a hashtag like #TheSo&SosOnTour. Give some play-by-play updates in your Twitter feed. Try to keep it engaging. Get your other bandmates involved, as well as your friends at home.
- Who are the other artists you’re playing shows with? Find them online. Begin a dialogue. See if you can interact with some of their online friends and followers, because some of them will be at your show.
- Offer prizes for people who are willing to take pictures or video of your show and post them online.
When You Arrive
1. Document Everything
Use your handy-dandy smartphone for all it’s worth. Take pictures, video and audio–not just of your concert, but of the people you meet, the places you go, and the landmarks you see.
What to Capture
- You know that slap-happy humor that develops between a group of people when they’ve been trapped in an oversized sardine can on the highway for more than a few days? Document it!
- Chinese fire drill? Doritos eating contest? Radio sing-a-long? Record it. Share it. Laugh about it later.
- Interview your audience after the show. Keep it short. Ask whatever you want. Upload it to YouTube. Post the videos on your blog, Facebook and Twitter.
2. Let Your Audience Know Where to Find You Online:
Encourage people to find you online after the show.
- Make sure your website address is printed on your CDs, posters and merch.
- Use QR codes on posters to point people to your website, blog, or Facebook page.
- Announce where you can be found online during your set: “Like us on “facebook/yourband.”
- Ask everyone to sign up to your mailing list, making sure you ask for their city as well as their name and email.
- Offer a free gift (like a free download) for people who find you online.
After the Show
1. Put Your Fans on Display
Sure – you’re tired, hungover, and there’s 500 miles between you and the next concert, but your smartphone is charged and your fans are waiting.
Upload the Evidence
- Create a gallery of photos on Facebook of your show. Tag as many audience members as you can.
- Post a funny story on your blog about something that happened the night before at the show. Make sure to include the names of people you’ve met. Invite people to tell their version of the story in the comments. Promote the blog post on your social networks.
- Post video of your performance. Ask your followers which song was their favorite.
- Don’t forget to give your fans a second chance to buy your album. Let them know where they can get the songs they heard you play live.