3 Lessons Learned From Musicians Rocking Social Media

 

Apart from the futuristic sounds and imagery associated with Electronic Dance Music, artists in the genre are also taking a very forward-thinking approach to their use of social media. The reason artists have embraced social media so strongly is because that’s where their audience is.

A recent study by ticketing platform Eventbrite found that EDM fans tweet roughly six times more than the average Twitter user and that one third of these tweets are about EDM.

Given the sheer volume of discussion and concentration of fans on social media, it only makes sense that EDM artists have taken to it with more enthusiasm than most.

This article will highlight three artists that have responded to this trend with such impressive efforts that all social media marketers could learn a thing or two from them.

Skrillex Tweets Without Inhibition

Of all the artists being mentioned in this post, Skrillex is certainly the one most established in the mainstream. Since his 2008 intro into the Los Angeles underground music scene, Skrillex has enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame.

You’d think that all of this success might get to his head and cause him to be distant. It has certainly not, at least not judging from his Twitter account.

Skrillex’s Twitter bio is just two words “your friend.” This sums up his approach and why it works quite well. Scrolling through his tweets gives you an intimate and often ridiculous look inside the artist’s daily life and thoughts.

In an age where social media truly gives artists and celebrities the tools to connect with their fans on a personal level, few actually take the time and effort to leverage this potential.

Instead of shamelessly promoting himself or tweeting on trends to simply get followers, Skrillex’s tweets are typically a stream of consciousness that is pretty much meaningless unless you already follow him.

The brilliant thing is that once you do follow him you are suddenly in on all the inside jokes and quirks and idiosyncrasies that make him more than just a guy who makes music. The combination of all these things make him feel like a friend.

Another noteworthy feature of Skrillex’s Twitter is that it doesn’t seem like he is doing any of this intentionally. There is no overarching plan or tweet schedule or content calendar. The attitude is the plan.

By embracing spontaneity and throwing inhibitions out the window, Skrillex doesn’t need to follow any social media regimen, he just needs to act naturally.

Although this exact approach probably won’t work for most brands or organizations, the lesson to be learned is that letting your followers see a real uninhibited picture of you or your brand can create a strong connection.

Try tweeting about something other than your products or services, don’t be afraid to tweet what’s on your mind.

Would you want to be friends with someone who only talked about themselves on social media? Of course not, so why would your fans want to follow your company’s social accounts if you’re too self promotional and lacking a level of self awareness?

Diplo Uses SoundCloud To Aggregate His Online Presence

SoundCloud doesn’t receive nearly as much coverage as it should. For those who are not aware, SoundCloud is a platform that allows users to host, share and distribute audio. Although it only launched in 2007 it currently boasts 200 million listeners a month.

Many of these listeners are EDM fans. In fact, the community seems to have grown right alongside the EDM genre, and artists have responded by becoming increasingly active on the platform. One of the most innovative and exciting users of SoundCloud is renowned DJ/Producer Diplo.

For the past four years, Diplo has been using SoundCloud to not only spread his music; but to give generously to his fans, support his fellow artists and build his own personal brand.

Even if you think you’ve never listened to Diplo you probably have without realizing it. Diplo has produced such chart topping hits as Alex Clare’s Too Close and M.I.A.’s Paper Planes. In addition to this, he also has a robust solo career, record label and popular collaboration project called Major Lazer.

With all of these disparate projects and identities, Diplo’s online presence could have very easily become fragmented and, in turn, scattered his fan-base. However, Diplo has masterfully used SoundCloud to not only avoid this, but to turn his many identities into one that is larger than the sum of its parts.

As a platform, SoundCloud makes perfect sense. Not only was it not crowded four years ago, it was centered around the one thing all of his projects had in common – music.

In order to consolidate his online brand, Diplo shares absolutely everything he does on Soundcloud. It acts as the hub for all of his produced tracks, collaborations and DJ sets.

His page is also the first place he puts out a track whenever it is released. Sometimes he will even release it exclusively on SoundCloud, giving his fans even more of a reason to follow him there.

For those familiar with the EDM world, a DJ’s job is not just to create his own tracks, but to curate and select a variety of songs that they include in their sets.

Since Diplo had already created a hub for all of his own music, the logical next step was to create place for all the music that wasn’t his. In April, Diplo did just that when he launched his new account aptly titled “Diplo Approved.”

This served to further cement his online brand while not diluting his main presence. It was a smart move not just from a DJ’s perspective, but from a content marketing perspective.

Content marketers and community managers are either in the business of content creation or content curation and the way that Diplo approached his online branding can offer a great lesson for content marketers in how to balance the two.

First make sure that the various things your brand or organization does all have a singular home to live.

Like Diplo, make sure the platform you use is appropriate for the content you create. For Diplo that was SoundCloud, but for your brand that might be YouTube, Slideshare or a blog.

Whatever platform you use, make sure it serves as the destination for your fans. Reward them for paying attention by giving sneak peaks, extras and exclusive content.

The next step is that once you’ve built your reputation with your own content, you can parlay that success into the ability to curate content. If you select quality content and avoid being overly promotional, your fans will perceive it as further generosity.

DJ 3lau Let Fans Live Vicariously Through Snapchat

DJ 3lau (pronounced Blau) is by far the least famous of the three featured in this article. However, amongst EDM fans he is a rising star and admired talent.

In keeping with his up-and-comer status, he has embraced the newest social darling, Snapchat. DJ 3lau uses Snapchat to give his fans an up close look at what life is like for a DJ who has made it.

This strategy works for two major reasons. First of all, it leverages the fact that many of the most dedicated EDM followers are aspiring musicians themselves.

Therefore, an inside look into what it’s like to actually make it in the EDM world is bound to be of uniquely high interest to his fan-base. Second of all, as a platform, Snapchat is uniquely suited to capturing moments from a first person perspective.

Whether it’s an image of the crowd from the stage or a clip of a new track he’s working on, DJ 3lau’s snaps all give fans an inside look into his life and let them live vicariously through him.

It’s a potent strategy and one that has helped propel his career. In fact, Snapchat even mentioned his account as an example of how to use the platform in their pitch deck.

The takeaway for social media marketers here is that oftentimes your fans are hungry for a glimpse at what things are like from your perspective. Chances are that many fans of your brand or organization aspire to be as successful as you are in their field.

Show them what it’s like from where you’re standing. Share your experiences and knowledge and let your fans live vicariously through your brand. Snapchat happens to be great for this, but the lesson can be applied to most social platforms.

The common thread running between all three lessons is that the artists in question use social media to give generously.

The EDM world can teach all content marketers that no matter what you do, social media is not about getting fans to do what you want, it’s about giving them what they want.

What strategies have you found most effective for reaching your fans on social media? Following any musicians on social media that know how to market themselves effectively? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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