If you are an artist of any kind, and if you’re reading this article you probably are, then part of your job is to promote your work on every viable platform available. One of the many useful social media tools is Facebook! And .. no, it’s not just for ‘old folks’.
This was the first of the social tools available and easily gives you the ability to share your work with a large audience. There's a good chance that you have a personal Facebook page already. This is great for advertising your accomplishments within the network circle of your friends and family. But there’s an opportunity to cast a wider net by creating a “fan or business page.” After all, you are in the business of show!
A fan page on Facebook is almost like a personal page except this can be accessed by everyone. It's not limited to those you have 'friended' on Facebook. It allows for a broader base for promotions and building awareness for your brand. You can upload videos of performances, advertise for different events, post pictures of your work, and more.
Let's talk benefits!
Unlimited fans can follow your page. You are not limited to that 5,000 max like you are on your personal FB page.
Fans and other 'fan pages' can tag your page allowing you to reach even more people! This cross-pollination effect allows you to reach a variety of demographics.
You can link it to your website which helps people find you (and that helps SEO too)
You can link it to other social media too (Twitter, Instagram, etc.)
You can populate your newsletter list from FB too!
The big idea here is to interact with as many people as possible and to make them “fans” of your work. You can create EVENTS and invite your fans too. Another feature that’s unique to these kinds of pages is “check ins.” Check ins allow for people to tag themselves at a specific location. For example, if you had a performance at a certain theater, people will be able to tag that location to themselves in association with your page. This, in turn, shows up on different news feeds and creates another opportunity to increase your fan base.
Now that we’ve covered the basics of how beneficial can be for self-promotion and marketing, let’s talk about some of the best practices for customizing your page. Being as active as possible is important. Posting daily or several times a week is also key! Uploading pictures and videos is essential in keeping your fan base current with what you are doing. Having short entertaining content increases the amount of activity, especially when you take the time to read through the comments to respond and make sure that all the proper tags are in place. Another way you can increase activity outside of posting content of yourself is to showcase other pages that you are a fan of. This allows you to be seen by fans on other pages, while simultaneously creating a sense of camaraderie with these page owners so they’ll promote your future content.
Anyone with a Facebook can create one of these beneficial fan pages for themselves through their personal pages. Although the setup and upkeep process is simple, you may still want help. If you do ... give us a shout and we'll strategize about what you need and recommend a plan to get your social media working for you!
