Social media is the best gift to musicians as it provides a platform and a huge microphone to connect with the rest of the planet. But how many Pan players do you know that use Twitter to engage with potential clients? Many Pan players are active on Facebook, but only connecting with friends rather than businesses and organisations which may be interested in hiring a steel drum band. It is a missed opportunity which does not cost any money.
If we take Facebook first, it is easy to "like" another page and then make comments on postings by that person or company. When you make meaningful comments, they respond and suddenly there is a pipeline to that company. They may then checkout your Facebook page or website and if they like what you present, then they may decide to start a conversation or send an inquiry. Ofcourse, this does require some skill to say the right things and build a relationship, but with some practice, it does become easier.
On Twitter it is very similar and once you learn how to use the hashtags in your tweets, it is easy to gain exposure to promote links to demos or websites that you wish to direct traffic towards.
The top players and organisations should all be active with social media especially now that this functionality in on smartphones and tablets. There are also lots of free tools available through social media sites for Pan players to create content and promo. On my YouTube channel I have used animation platforms and other video editing templates to create short promos to help clients who are planning their parties. The content is then promoted on Twitter and other sites like Pinterest where potential clients can find it. This is not as complex as rocket science, but it will require some practice, just like when you learnt your first panorama tune.
Please let me know what your perception is of social media and the benefits? Are you already using the above sites, were you an early adopter or do you want to see how other users find it before you try it? Please share your views.
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