Social Media tips for musicians and other idiots!

I don't mean to be rude with the title, but we're almost all idiots when it comes to using social media effectively. Musicians, artists, general smarty pants at what we do... a great number of us artistic folk wallow in self-pity, lamenting the lack of interest in our talent, and after all it's a prodigious argosy of offerings: great music, cool video, beautiful art… So as a fellow idiot in this regard, here are some tips that are a cinch to implement on social media.

Firstly, stand on the shoulders of giants! Listen to people who know and can show you how to get the audience you so richly deserve. Stop moaning and start doing something constructive. For starters, listen to people like Adam Ivy, Rick Barker, and others. In short, get your ass into gear and get clued up!

Engagement is the keyword for social media and in fact life in general. If you want to win friends and influence people you have to engage with them in an engaging way! Whether it's the real or virtual world.

However, you must be genuine. Don't be a phony because people will see through you right away. Of course, you need to engage with stuff you love. Whatever pops your shutter, you'll find plenty of it out there. Don't indulge in negative muck-raking. It's a real drag on your valuable time and energy. Plus it's rude and people don't like dealing with rude assholes. If you don't like something, just drop it like a hot potato and move on to something you like and can engage with in a sincere way.

Treat people on social media like real people! After all, there they are wearing their hearts on their sleeves: they have pictures of themselves all over their profiles, their music, their art is out there for all to see and hear. Relate to them like a real person. Start by saying thank you when you get a compliment. I'm a musician, so I say things like, 'Hey thanks for listening to xxxxx, appreciate it, rock on. I'll often add some other ingredient that's appropriate to the situation… in other words be kind, gracious, and, well... engaging!

By the way, emoticons WILL NOT DO! It's simply lazy engagement. A short sentence that takes about three seconds to write will be far more effective. Something like, 'Hey Joe! Really dig your new song!' And don't be an ass, actually listen to Joe's song. If you really want to nail it, add something like, 'The sax solo at the end is killer!' That way Joe knows you listened to the whole tune, and he's far more likely to go and check out your music.

In the real world, if someone says something positive (or even negative) to you, do you ignore them? Generally speaking not! But it's surprising how many people ignore others on social media or respond with some lame emoticon.

In summary, stop moaning about social media, pay attention and learn from people who know the score. People like Adam Ivy and Rick Barker are always on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube etc shelling out free advice. Finally, on social media treat people like the real people they are.

Meanwhile, rock on...

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