Written by: Caroline Bugg
One of the beautiful things about music in today's world is the ability to form connections with other people. One of the most important connections is the one between artists and their fans. Without artists, fans would have no music to enjoy, and without fans, artists wouldn’t have anyone to listen to their music! As an artist, understanding your fans is a key component to staying up to date and connected with the people who love your music most. 🤗
How is an artist supposed to connect with the hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people that care about them and their music? It can seem overwhelming at first, but once you break it down, it is so much easier than it seems. Oh, and did we mention that it’s fun?? ✨
One of the best tools to use to see what fans are up to is Twitter! Over 145 Million people use Twitter each day, and artists happen to have some of the most followed accounts.
Taylor Swift, for example, has 88.9 million followers and Travis Scott has 10.7 million followers! Because Twitter allows for people to like, retweet, and reply to anyone’s tweets, artists can easily view their fans Twitter pages and engage with them. Many fans reply to their favorite artists' tweets on their own account and also post about their lives. So engaging with these fans and doing a bit of “internet stalking” can help you understand your fans a bit more. 💖
Next thing to know is TikTok! Fans are constantly making videos about their favorite songs, artists, albums, etc. TikTok videos are often funny and entertaining, and several artists, such as Lil Nas X, have a strong connection with their fanbase on the app. In fact, Lil Nas X often reposts funny TikToks that his fans have posted about him and/or his music! By doing this, he can see what his fans’ sense of humor is and he can gauge their opinions about his music. Beware though, TikTok can be addicting, so
be prepared to spend a lot of time smiling, laughing, and learning more about your fanbase! 😆
In order to effectively connect with and understand your fans, you need to know the general demographics that make up the majority of your fan base. The way you talk to a kid is a little different than the way you talk to an adult, ya know? Luckily, Instagram can help you out with this. To do this, make sure your account is set up as a business account. By doing this, you can view insights about your posts, stories, followers, etc. These insights can tell you where the majority of your fans are from, what age range they fall into, their gender, and how many interactions they have had with your content. 🙌🏽
During this very strange and challenging year, we have seen one platform absolutely explode! Zoom! Fans and artists alike have been using Zoom to stay connected. For artists, that could be working on new music while staying isolated, surprising fans on a call, or even interviewing other celebs! The Jonas Brothers did an amazing job of jumping on Zoom calls and connecting with their fans. This one action got sooo many fans involved because they wanted the opportunity to actually talk to Joe, Kevin, or Nick!
Another unique example is Miley Cyrus and her show Bright Minded! Miley would have other celebs join her, and they would just casually talk about their lives and what had been going on! She also provided fans with guided meditation and breathing exercises to get through the tough times. It doesn’t have to be anything super fancy to get fans involved! They just want to
have a connection with you and feel like they are
one of your friends! 🖤
There is a new platform on the rise that brings all the above together! With the Band is providing fans with the opportunity to connect, while also providing artists with all of the tools mentioned above! Through With the Band, artists are also able to see all their fans’ data, while also being able to directly communicate with fans and even send push notifications. Artists are able to host live-stream concerts and meet & greets through Zoom integration on With the Band! Fans are also able to communicate with the artist and each other through direct messages and comments! Artists can post TikToks, Youtube videos, photos, personal videos, and regular posts (like a tweet). This allows fans to feel close to the artist, and artists are able to see data and get to know their fans better! 💜
Overall, getting to know and understand the people who help you succeed is extremely important. By using social media and various tools, you can understand your fans in a fun, interactive way! So, go on and get to tweeting, TikTok dancing, Zoom calling, and viewing those insights, and join With the Band to have it all in one place! 😍
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