With many songwriters and musicians taking the DIY approach, we thought it was time for some handy tips to help you get seen and heard on Facebook, that won't cost you anything more than your time.
1. Choose your cover photo wisely. Since the implementation of Facebook's Timeline feature, both personal profiles and fan pages have gained the cover photo feature. Unlike the profile picture, the cover photo is more a visual representation of what you do and who you are. It's your biggest piece of visual real estate, so choose something that is interesting, exciting and maybe hints at something you're working on, such as a new album.
Here are three PRS for Music members we think are making the most of their cover photos:
Disclosure
1. Choose your cover photo wisely. Since the implementation of Facebook's Timeline feature, both personal profiles and fan pages have gained the cover photo feature. Unlike the profile picture, the cover photo is more a visual representation of what you do and who you are. It's your biggest piece of visual real estate, so choose something that is interesting, exciting and maybe hints at something you're working on, such as a new album.
Here are three PRS for Music members we think are making the most of their cover photos:
Disclosure
Disclosure aren't your average performing songwriters, and are found exclusively behind their decks at live shows. Their cover photo captures the energy of their live sets, as well as having their logo superimposed over the top to reinforce their identity.
Laurel Collective
Laurel Collective
Laurel Collective recently released new album Heartbeat Underground, and so changed their cover photo to match their album artwork (which they decided to make their profile picture).
AlunaGeorge
AlunaGeorge
AlunaGeorge have released a string of singles in the build up to an album which is due for release in 2013. Their last, Your Drums, Your Love, was announced and promoted pretty much exclusively via social media. The artwork for their latest single is currently their cover photo, driving buzz and hype.
Facebook do have some guidelines about cover photos:
The minimum resolution is 399 pixels long (you probably want it a bit higher than this though - the higher quality the better)
It can't encourage people to buy anything i.e. 'Download on Amazon' or 'Pre-order for a 10 percent discount'
It can't contain contact information i.e. web addresses (this goes in your About section)
It can't tell people to Like or Share either the cover photo itself or your page.
2. Tell the world about yourself. The About section is the next place people look after your cover photo. It's important to link to your website/Bandcamp/YouTube here, as well as getting creative and writing a little biography about yourself. You can also list contact details for yourself and any managers or press contacts that you may have.
3. Apps. The space for apps is a really important one, as it leads people into different areas of your fan page from four buttons. There are all sorts of third party apps you can use to complement your fan page. An important one is Bandsintown, which you can use to tell your fans about your tour dates from a dedicated sub-page of your fan page, and it even updates other social media like Twitter, Tumblr and MySpace for you too.
4. A picture is worth a thousand words. Social media consultant Dan Zarrella analysed 1.3 million posts to see which kinds of content get the most engagement. And yes, you guessed it: photos get the most shares and likes. People like visual content, and photos are slightly more friendly to mobile users too, as although videos are fun they can take a while to load on mobile devices.
Instagram, the retro photo sharing app, was acquired by Facebook earlier this year. There's all kind of direct integration between Instagram and Facebook now, including an app you can install on your page with your latest snaps. Share them directly onto your wall to keep your fans in the loop; they'll feel like they've got exclusive, insider information when they see snaps of you in the studio or relaxing in a green room before you go on stage.
Why not take photos of the crowd at your gigs and ask them to tag themselves later? Here's one Saint Saviour took while playing in Glasgow's King Tut's.
Facebook do have some guidelines about cover photos:
The minimum resolution is 399 pixels long (you probably want it a bit higher than this though - the higher quality the better)
It can't encourage people to buy anything i.e. 'Download on Amazon' or 'Pre-order for a 10 percent discount'
It can't contain contact information i.e. web addresses (this goes in your About section)
It can't tell people to Like or Share either the cover photo itself or your page.
2. Tell the world about yourself. The About section is the next place people look after your cover photo. It's important to link to your website/Bandcamp/YouTube here, as well as getting creative and writing a little biography about yourself. You can also list contact details for yourself and any managers or press contacts that you may have.
3. Apps. The space for apps is a really important one, as it leads people into different areas of your fan page from four buttons. There are all sorts of third party apps you can use to complement your fan page. An important one is Bandsintown, which you can use to tell your fans about your tour dates from a dedicated sub-page of your fan page, and it even updates other social media like Twitter, Tumblr and MySpace for you too.
4. A picture is worth a thousand words. Social media consultant Dan Zarrella analysed 1.3 million posts to see which kinds of content get the most engagement. And yes, you guessed it: photos get the most shares and likes. People like visual content, and photos are slightly more friendly to mobile users too, as although videos are fun they can take a while to load on mobile devices.
Instagram, the retro photo sharing app, was acquired by Facebook earlier this year. There's all kind of direct integration between Instagram and Facebook now, including an app you can install on your page with your latest snaps. Share them directly onto your wall to keep your fans in the loop; they'll feel like they've got exclusive, insider information when they see snaps of you in the studio or relaxing in a green room before you go on stage.
Why not take photos of the crowd at your gigs and ask them to tag themselves later? Here's one Saint Saviour took while playing in Glasgow's King Tut's.
5. Videos. While obviously not part of Facebook, YouTube videos are made to be watched and shared on Facebook. If you're making videos at all, share them with your Facebook fans. It's an easy way to get people to see them, as they may not find them from your YouTube channel alone. Facebook has its own video service but it's less versatile, as you can't share them outside of Facebook, and YouTube is often the place bloggers and journalists will go to get an embed code if they want to write about your music on their websites and feature your video there.
You can embed YouTube videos into status updates too, or even get an app that features all of your YouTube videos. Showcase new material, what you get up to while on tour - be creative!
Words: Shaun Mooney
You can embed YouTube videos into status updates too, or even get an app that features all of your YouTube videos. Showcase new material, what you get up to while on tour - be creative!
Words: Shaun Mooney
