Email is Way More Rock N Roll Than You Think
It’s release day! After months of painstakingly working on my latest single with my bandmate, it’s ready to go forth into the Universe. Promos have been sent to blogs, playlists, radio stations, and the like. Now it’s time to shout from the rooftops (aka social media) — this album is ready to be heard! Come forth dear friends and supporters and listen!
I hop on Facebook and compose the perfect post to let my friends, family and supporters know the album has finally arrived. I tag a list of folks on Facebook that have given me permission for my music releases.
As a digital marketer, I know that sharing a bandcamp link without tagging people will go unnoticed and only show up on a handful of people’s Facebook feeds. Algorithms change constantly and it’s an ongoing game of whack-a-mole to figure out how to get more eyes on organic posts.
So this tagging work around is clever — algorithms be damned — I will outsmart The Zuckerberg.
I hit post.
This is going to be awesome.
Wait. Something isn’t working. I’m getting an error.
No — stop — gah! The post has been flagged and restricted!
You Can’t Outsmart The Zuckerberg Machine
I know this well. I spend my days leading digital marketing campaigns for a wide range of clients. I have given this sage advice to every digital marketing client I have:
“Do NOT depend on social media as your MAIN method of communication with your audience.”
Ahh yes… such good advice. Why didn’t I take it?
Let me be clear here, I’m not suggesting you abandon social media. Quite the opposite. Social media is important for bands and brands alike. What I’d like to propose is that social media is simply not your main method of screaming from the roof.
Social media platforms like Facebook, were not built for people to connect, they were built to make money. One of those revenue streams is advertising. I get it. Facebook wants me to pay to show my post to my network.
Why Your Band OR Brand Should Be Doing Email Marketing
Email marketing sounds super lame. Especially for indie music. I feel your pain. As an artist, it can feel a bit “pushy” to “market” your work. We all know how annoying getting email newsletters can be.
Reasons your band or brand should use email marketing:
- You won’t be at the mercy of ever changing social media algorithms
- It is a direct line to your supporters/community
- It’s more effective
- You can track it
- Your audience wants to hear from you
- You don’t have to be a pest
So go forth and build your email list now.
Note: I can’t take credit for the tagging work around. I learned it from some really smart musician friends.
