London charity Talent Unlimited asked us to do a short presentation about the "importance of social media for musicians" for their students. Talent Unlimited is a charity that supports student musicians of exceptional talent financially as well as fostering their professional development.

We were honoured to be asked, so of course we did! Since you all liked it so much when we shared our last presentation with you online like this, we'll do the same thing for this one. Here's the presentation our very own Habbi gave in London in September.

Before investing precious time and resources into building up your brand online, understanding what purpose it serves is critical. It’s really easy to get caught up in the wrong thing on social media “how to get to a million views on YouTube” or “how many followers should I have on Twitter” (read more about this here). 

That really is the wrong approach, because the effort doesn't mean anything without knowing why the social platforms matter in the first place.

Social media is the new normal, specially in music. Thanks to the Arts Council for making that point for us. Read the full report here.

Research finds that social media and online promotion is used more than traditional marketing activities. That is more Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and less TV, radio and printed ads.

You can find this dissertation on Habbi's LinkedIn profile (you'll have to scroll to the bottom).

Besides, on a personal level. When we get invited to a show – it's become second nature to type in the name of the artist on our phones, to see if we can find a YouTube video to hear what the band sounds like, or a Twitter account to get the relevant updates. If we can't find anything, it gets instantly forgotten. It's one of those "outta sight, outta mind" type of thing.

Social media has become important for artists because it's expected. What's more is that it shows the level of commitment and demonstrates how badly do you want it?

Unfortunately there's no silver bullet. It takes time and commitment. If today 4 people watch that YouTube video you uploaded this morning, that's 4 people who weren't listening to your music yesterday.

No one listens to a six year old practice their scales. Yet no one would recommend a six year old not to practice their scales. This is similar. Give it time.

Quote reference

Where to begin? There are so many online platforms!

We think it's fair to say that the average musician has about 12 social media accounts to their name. That's just crazy, right?

It is crazy. We would never recommend something like 12 accounts to someone who's just getting started. It's better to pick something that works for you, and do that really well. It's critical to give it plenty of time and be patient with it.

Absolute bare minimums?
YouTube – for videos
Facebook – it's still by a mile the biggest and most important social network
Twitter – it's easy and fun, and probably the first platform to provide that "instant gratification" feeling

It is important to not just use social media as a tool for constant promotion (remember previous slide saying the internet is just as equally a place for art creation and consumption). What social media enables is interaction between artists and its audience that doesn't just go one way. But even for promotional purposes, it is the interaction that gets noticed in a larger network and is a critical component of any online hype or buzz.

This is where it gets a little technical – but it just shows that no matter the size or scale of the artist the bulk of audience communication takes place online.

So who's ultimately responsible?

It's the artist. Even when artists have management, the responsibility ultimately lies with the artist. Before the internet artists and audiences would only communicate through more official channels.

Social media wipes those barriers away (see how this artist explains it) which is how the audience gets invested in their favourite artist online.