Here’s the next in my series on “Do This, Not That” for social networking. Be sure to check out the other posts in this series and add your voice by commenting at the end of this post.
This is a good time to read (or re-read) the story of “The Velveteen Rabbit.” It’s an interesting way to be reminded through this classic children’s story what it means to be real.
Do this…
@muz4now yes! lessons in common courtesy are important. People are drawn to your content if it’s interesting, engaging & you’re not pushy
— Janet Horvath (@playinglesshurt) August 26, 2014
As you’ve already read if you’ve been following this series, one of the best things you can do is be nice, real and engaging in your interactions on social media. “Engaging” may not be universal for all your followers and fans. One way to address this is to use a variety of types of posts: meaning you might include some that are very personal (“I can’t explain why I like putting out the recycling, but I just do” or sharing one of your pet peeves) and others that are more general (such as re-sharing a photo of a beautiful outdoor scene). It’s also a great idea to re-share/retweet your friends posts and upcoming releases, gigs, etc.
Once you’ve posted more than a few updates, you’ll begin to see what your followers like. Of course, you’ll have to check some “analytics” in order to know which updates were more engaging. For example, Twitter, and Facebook pages already have analysis available via their applications. Other platforms may have similar built-in analytics or you may have to check out other free or paid options.
…not that
Trackbacks are links to your other posts on the web that are automatically posted from those sites. ReverbNation (RN) is one very annoying example of this. If you leave the default settings, RN will automatically re-post/trackback anything you add on their site to your other (linked) social media. For example, every time you add a new song to your profile, RN will post:
Just posted a new song: “Song Title Here” and then the link to the song on RN.
This may seem harmless until the day you decide to upload 10 new songs one after the other. Ouch. You just blasted your followers with the same update for 10 different songs. Chances that they’ll listen to all 10 are pretty slim. So, turn off Social Sync on RN and control how “new songs” or anything else goes out to your fans. You need to control the timing of any posts directly related to your music/marketing.
Get Real
Start interacting with your fans and followers. It won’t take you long to learn what it means for you to be real and engaging with them. Bottom line: Rely more on being real than on apps to keep your social media steady.
Playful blessings and more to come…
Stan