In the second part of the Social Media Series, I will explore how musicians can use Facebook to market their work. Facebook is a platform that we all know and love but continues to change as more people use it. As opposed to five or ten years ago, organic reach on Facebook is almost non-existent. Users encounter posts in one of two ways, they see it on their feed or they visit a specific page. For artists, the second way is much more common than the first. Facebook is the perfect place for musicians to start a conversation. Its features create a tight-knit community through pages where both the artist and their fans can post content.
Posts on Facebook are highly shareable, so reaching an initial audience is crucial for gaining any type of organic reach. Luckily, the Facebook ad manager has particular ways in getting the job done. The two most important elements of Facebook ads are the precise targeting and the algorithm. If an artist understands these tools, they can make great strides in their overall success.
Audience Segmentation
Facebook has the most in depth audience segmentation system of any social media platform. Thinking logically, most Facebook users’ life story is on the platform. A user’s profile normally has information on their location, gender, age, relationships, family members, workplace, education, interests, and many more. This collection of data allows for advertisers to reach the exact audience they are looking for. Another incredible feature is Facebook Lookalike Audience. This tool finds new audiences that are similar to a brand’s existing audience. It saves advertisers from guessing and stressing by reaching an entirely new audience that is likely to convert.
The last major feature of Facebook’s audience segmentation system is geo-targeting. And it can be extremely effective in the hands of a musician. Geo-targeting allows an advertiser to segment an ad to users in a specified region. It encourages advertisers to create and publish niche ads for a specific audience. For example, an artist has scheduled tour dates in three different cities. They can use the Facebook ad manager to not only find the exact audience they want at the show, but in the exact location too. They can publish ads to their audience in each of the three cities, greatly improving their chance of selling tickets.
Algorithm
The second major player in Facebook ads is its algorithm. In a simplified way, there are three essential components to the algorithm: engagement, weight, and time-decay. First and foremost, if posts are receiving impressions and not engagements, they will have far less reach. Interactions must be valuable, too. Different content holds different weights within the algorithm. In terms of posts, videos are valued highest, images are valued slightly less, and texts hold the least weight. Also, original posts score better than reposts do. In terms of interaction, shares matter the most, then comments, and lastly likes. The time-decay component has to do with the age of the post and its relevance in current context. Therefore, newer posts are valued higher.
Musicians can capitalize on Facebook’s audience segmentation and algorithm to advance their careers. By understanding these two resources, they can create strong content and get it to their number one fans. This platform serves as the perfect place to engage with fans about events. I will elaborate on the previous example to paint a picture of how an artist can use all these tools.
Putting It To Use
If an artist is touring, they can first create a tour page. Here, they can interact with fans and gather data about the people who have liked the page. They can use the Facebook targeting system to publish ads about the tour to their target audience. Likewise, they can utilize the Facebook lookalike Audience to potentially grow their fan base with people likely to attend the concerts. As specific concert dates get closer, the artist can launch geo-targeted ads for their audience in the region where the concert is being held. As the first few concerts go by, the artist can post any videos and pictures of the events and encourage fans to do the same. With a plethora of original weighted content and engagement, the artist could be reaching a mass audience.
I focused on musicians advertising for events in this post, however, the audience segmentation and algorithm optimization can be applied to all types of content. Explore the Facebook ad manager to discover its potential and check out the first part of the Social Media Series to learn about Instagram’s musician-friendly features.