At the recent Sheffield Brass Network event, “Better contact with the media and your audience”, Alex Burns was invited to give a presentation on ‘Effective Social Media and blogging for bands’.
Alex has a music performance degree at the University of Sheffield, an MA in Musicology, works alongside several local music organisations and currently holds a trumpet residency with the Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as playing cornet with the Yorkshire Championship Section Old Silkstone Band. Alex also administrates the award-winning Classicalexburns classical music blog.
Here’s a synopsis of what Alex revealed about social media at the event:
What can social media do for my band?
– Reach new audiences
– Keep your already engaged audiences up to date with your band’s progress
– Build new networks locally, nationally and maybe even internationally!
– Aid in selling tickets for events
– And much more!
Facebook – Alex’s top five tips:
– Schedule social media posts – get ahead of the game
– Create events and use tags to engage wider audiences
– Use images, emojis or colours to catch people’s eye
– You have more room to write proper copy on Facebook – make sure your tone is friendly, open and not full of jargon!
– Engage with other band’s social media and create a presence together!
Twitter – Alex’s top five tips:
– Live updates at concerts/contests keeps your audiences engaged
– Use tags to get the attention of others to show what your band is doing
– There’s less room to write so keep it succinct on Twitter!
– Use images, GIFs and emojis to catch the attention on the busy Twitter feed
– Friendly and human tone – engage and retain!
How could blogging help my band?
– Keeps your audiences up to date with what’s going on at your band
– Shows your commitment to making brass bands accessible
– Express your passions
– Build an authoritative professional network
– Refine your writing skills
– Take control of your online presence: your writing, your content, YOUR WAY
What other social media channels can I use?
– Instagram – image based (useful for bands that do lots of jobs/contests)
– Youtube – video based (useful for bands that perform regularly)
– LinkedIn – business based (useful for bands that want to build a professional network)
If you need any assistance with your band’s social media please contact us at Sheffield Brass Network and we’ll do our best to help.