Written by: Lucy Widmann
No matter if you are as big of an artist as Taylor Swift, or small like King Princess, all artists share one common theme: Fan Clubs. Usually we think that the success of an artist’s career comes from royalties made off streaming or possibly licensing music for movies and TV. However, one of the single most important factors to an artist's career is creating and maintaining a fan community. Fan clubs can be the foundation to an artist's career!
Think of Justin Bieber - a simple upload of Justin singing went viral because of fan engagement, which ultimately sparked the attention of music execs. Now with TikTok, fans have the accessibility to discover new artists with a simple swipe; think of Ant Saunders’ “Yellow Hearts” or the explosion of “Say So” by Doja Cat! You can create a fandom and build your platform right now! 🤩
Here are With the Band’s best steps on how to create the foundation for a fan club! 💜
Step 1: Active Engagement
The biggest key to having active engagement is staying consistent. Just like a friendship, it takes effort to grow the relationship. Engaging online with your followers by asking questions, creating polls, and posting daily is what is going to help your fans feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves. This is what attracts individuals to becoming fans! Everyone desires to be a part of something, so if you are able to create that unique experience for them, it will click. Make sure to engage with accounts that comment on your posts and offer special exclusives for those who have been following you for a long time. This is what will make their experience as a fan of yours set apart from other fandoms! ✨
Step 2: Know Your Demographic
In order to attract an audience to stay committed to you as an artist, it is helpful to know what demographic of individuals you are initially attracting. This knowledge can help you market yourself in a way that helps preserve these individuals to continue following you, as well attract new individuals. To gain insight about your demographic, you can use your social media and streaming analytics, which evaluates the profiles of fans who have liked, commented, and engaged with your profile. The best social media platform to use for this is Instagram, which will reveal even deeper information such as age, gender, and recent activity.
Spotify is another way to gain insight on your fans, in which you can gain information on what cities you are most popular in. As well, Spotify will show what other artists your listeners are listening to, which will give an idea to what other types of music your listeners tend to lean towards. This is helpful when wanting to plan meet-ups or concerts, because you can base your tour route on the location that holds most of your following. This also shows your fans that you are paying attention to where they live, which makes them feel seen and known. 🥰
Step 3: Meetups/Livestreams
Covid-19 has made it hard for artists to connect to their fan base in person. However, this has not stopped them from getting creative and deepening their relationship with their fans! Because of mass media platforms, there are plenty of ways for you to connect with your fans without setting a time and place to physically meet.
The most common way of connecting with fans during this time is the usage of Instagram Live Stream! Posting ahead of time to get fans excited for your livestream is a way to get the word out, and ultimately gets fans excited to join on that day! Livestreams are a great way for fans to plug in because it is free for everyone and accessible. You can chat with your fans while on the live stream, take song requests, answer questions, and so much more, making it feel personal to the fan! Also know that these live streams don’t just have to be you playing a virtual concert. This can be a time for you to chat about what is going on in your life and offer encouragement or advice to your fans. Creating fun segments that you stream each week is also a way for fans to engage with you and feel a part of your life. Miley Cyrus did an amazing job putting together her livestream show "Bright Minded!" Fans felt like they were getting to know her better, and she was providing a positive and uplifting space for all of her fans to come together! 💖
Step 4: With the Band
With the Band is a fan engagement platform that helps artists engage with their fans. Unlike any other fan engagement platform, With the Band has revolutionized the way fan clubs look by creating their own version called “Fan Crews.” When an artist partners with With the Band to create a fan crew, they are able to interact with fans via posts, private messaging, virtual meet & greets, live streams, and much more! How cool is that?! 😃
The process is simple and easy for artists to become a part of. By connecting with With the Band on their website, artists can really get to see how With the Band will help to create their connection with their fans, and also, what the artist themselves can gain from it! With the Band provides artists with all of their fans’ data so that they can get to know their fanbase even better and further grow their community! With the Band is a company that not only provides amazing opportunities for fans, but fosters intentional relationships with partnering artists! 🤍
Cultivating a fan base doesn’t happen overnight, but there are practical ways to help you expand your network of individuals. Through engagement, consistency, and personal connection, fans will latch onto the authentic connection you are offering them. It takes patience and perseverance; remember to stay true to yourself as an artist and not mimic something else another artist is doing because it seems like it “attracts” fans. Embrace the artist you are and that will lead the right fans to you! 😇
If you want to get more involved in fan communities,
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