Sam Smith posted this photo with One Direction's Niall Horan, Olly Murs, Demi Lovato, and Sam Smith pose in a backstage photo posted to Smith's Facebook page. (Image via facebook.com)
Touring is an exhilarating opportunity for any musician to travel, play for new fans, and grow as a performer. You're given the stage in cities you've never been to, playing for people you've never met who came out specifically to hear you perform. It's a huge part of any performing musician's career.
At the same time, we've all heard the stories of burning out on tour. It's a tough job, and you're going to have to really work hard to be stable. In the 21st century, fans keep up with your music largely via social media. So, when you're out there every night performing your heart out and recovering each day on a tour bus, how are you going to manage your social media? Here are four tips.
1. Schedule your posts
Scheduling posts is a smart and time-efficient way to manage your social media. Facebook has a schedule option when you post, giving you the flexibility to decide exactly when your content will go up. For Twitter, there is Hootsuite. Hootsuite does allow you to schedule content on Facebook as well, but it's up to you whether you'd prefer to schedule it through Facebook directly or use Hootsuite.
Some examples of posts you might schedule while on tour are:
- a repost of your recent music video with a call-to-action for your fans to come out to X show on X date
- a trend post such as #TBT with a funny photo of one of your first shows
- a recap post with a link to your most recent release
These can be everyday types of posts to appear between any live posting you do on tour. They will ensure your page stays active. In addition, platforms like Everypost, Sprout Social, Buffer, and SocialOomph are helpful scheduling tools.
[Learn more: Why Pre-Planning Your Social Media is Essential]
2. Capture and share offstage tour moments
While the majority of your posts will be tour-related, like photos of you onstage in X city and photos of the crowd in Y city, touring is a great time for bands to bond, do fun things in new cities, and experience the life of a full-time musician. Chances are there will be tons of creative moments to capture. The xx does a tremendous job of capturing tour moments and sharing them with their fans. What stands out about their approach is that they make sure they're targeting specific cities and fans. Whether they take a photo of a fan-made poster from a show in St. Louis or a photo of them exploring train tracks in Atlanta, they make note of specific shows and experiences.
This translates well to the fans of those cities and creates a sense of loyalty and connection. And beyond music, it's heartwarming to share everyday moments you experience as normal people on tour. Another good example would be Hundred Waters sharing a photo of their keyboardist in a karate position in front of a crocodile. It's humorous, lighthearted, and has personality.
[Learn more: How to Perfect Your Band's Social Media Strategy: The 70-20-10 Rule]
3. Allot time each day to follow up with fans
Whether it's 20 minutes in the morning or five minutes each hour throughout the day, make it a daily task to follow up with fans. If you don't have Wi-Fi on your tour bus, there is always smart phone data to tap into, if your band can afford it. In addition, most cafes and restaurants have free Wi-Fi. While making a stop on tour for a bite, pull out your laptop or phone to go through your social media channels, and see how your content is doing and what people are saying. Keep the conversation going at all times, and if you absolutely can't, have a manager or friend back home available to respond. If you have a Facebook event and a fan comments asking for set times or a question regarding tickets, it's good to be around to respond to said comment. It helps get more people to your shows and gives your fans good impressions.
4. Stay on top of your analytics
Being on tour isn't an excuse to let your social media plateau – or worse, plummet. Facebook has built-in analytics, which you can use to measure your engagement, likes, etc. Spredfast is also a great tool to measure data gathered from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr. It allows you to see how many people you've reached and whether or not your target audience is engaging with you. It also gives you insight on optimal posting times. Crowdbooster is another helpful data tool.
For your scheduled posts, you might just let those stay as they are, but your day-to-day posts can be altered in response to your analytics. For example, you may be getting a ton of engagement on photos of your band onstage with a thank-you post to X city. Yet, your post of your drummer passed out on the tour bus with his mouth open isn't hitting. Use the analytics to keep track of what your fans respond to while you're on tour. This will help you better manage your social media for the next tour as well.
Get more social media tips:
- Ask a Publicist: 5 Social Media Dos and Don'ts for Bands
- 5 Key Elements of a Comprehensive Social Media Strategy
- Personal vs. Professional: How to Balance Your Band's Social Media Posts
- How to Make Your Old Social Media Content New Again
Sam Friedman is an electronic music producer and singer-songwriter based in Brooklyn, NY. His music blends experimental ambience with indie-driven dance music. In addition to pursuing his own music, he is a New Music Editor for Unrecorded and is passionate about music journalism. Check out his music and follow him on Twitter @nerveleak.
