#BandBrand: Tackling Twitter

If you are new to Twitter it may seem pretty daunting at first. Not knowing who to follow, why use a hashtag and not knowing what to tweet about are common problems for the recently-joined Twitter user. The first thing to remember about Twitter is that it is based on information that is relevant to you, as it happens. You get to choose who to follow and what information appears in your timeline, as opposed to Facebook, where a lot of the information is personal.  

 

Follow as many accounts as possible

 

Create that Twitter account and pray that your new “handle” (@YourBandNameHere name) hasn’t been taken. If it has already been taken, try variations or shortened versions of your band name which will work. Use an avatar (or avi – basically your profile photo) of the band members to create more of a personal connection with your new soon-to-be-followers. Your bio (biography) on Twitter needs to state exactly who and what you are. Now start following your favourite local and international bands, promoters, clubs which you dream to gig at and any other account that you collectively feel is relevant to your cause. If you do not get followed back, don’t sweat it. There is a lot less concern on Twitter than Facebook if you do not get “friended” back. Follow as many accounts as possible – you will be followed back by some and your audience can grow from there. 

 

By observing how your favourite bands are doing it, you should start to see how you can incorporate your own personality onto Twitter. Don’t be afraid to reply to tweets from the people that you are following, the more interaction you have with others the more likely it is that your band will get noticed. Retweet often - this means tweeting a specific tweet to your followers. Use hashtags too and tag anything you feel is necessary to your band when posting about your band, for example you could tweet, “New track we recorded last night #music #indie #newmusic”. These tags are searchable on Twitter by anyone, think of it as a personal search engine. 

 

Personal edge

 

Tweet about information that relates to your band, but switch it up with a personal edge. If you are attending shows, take photos and mention the bands playing in your tweets. Tweet about what your band is currently working on or what you are up to. Imagine what your followers would want to find out about your band, and give them just that. Try setting a goal of tweeting at least five times a week to begin with. 

 

Very soon you will find yourself being a comfortable part of the connected Twitter world, where information is constant and relationships are formed. By being on Twitter, your band will be on a platform that is growing faster than Facebook, which coincidentally will be the platform I will be discussing next week.

 

If there are any questions, please tweet me at @cityliferblog. Cheers until then!