10 Best Music Social Media Marketing Strategies in 2024

With the majority of the world’s population now avid users of at least one social media channel, the importance of social media as a tool for promoting your music and underpinning your bigger music release strategy as an artist, is more crucial now than ever.

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How to Promote Music on Social Media in 2024

With the number of social media platforms on the rise, there’s never been a better time to educate yourself on all things social promo!

And although each platform comes with its own ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’, there’s still a few general rules of thumb which can be applied to ALL platforms - whether that's Instagram, TikTok, Broadcast Channels or Snapchat - just to ease you in.

So we’ve broken down 10 of the most important things you can do as a musician on social media, to grow your audience, get your music discovered and boost your online presence.

Plus great examples of each in strategy used real-world artists.

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1. Be authentic

The whole point of social media is to connect with others. And when it comes to your fans, making ‘real’ connections are what matter.

By establishing an authentic sense of yourself on social media, your followers can build a deeper connection with you and your music, making them more likely to become loyal fans.  

The key to being authentic online?

Posting genuine content that your fans will love!

BE AUTHENTIC: Industry Case Study

HAIM are a band who smash their online authenticity. Their Instagram is a collage of wholesome images from their childhood’s and day-to-day lives, balanced between their music-focussed content - studio pics, tour posters, clips from their music videos etc.

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Plus content that speaks directly to what they represent as artists.

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Through a blend of both casual and more high production content, like HAIM you can use your socials to provide fans with a real insight into both your life and work.

Think of it as fans being insiders to your life!

Not only is this paramount in creating sincere, long-lasting connections, but it’ll also prompt fans to engage and relate to both your music, and you as an artist.

2. Know your audience

When it comes to gaining success on social media, knowing what your audience wants to see is crucial.

Every artist is different. Every fan-base is different. And so, there’s no one set rule or standard about what you should post, how regularly you should post, and so on.

BUT – there are things you can do to tap into the audience you wanna attract and the types of people who engage with your music and online profiles.

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE: Industry Case Study

‍Kid Brunswick (one of our Ditto own!) is an artist who’s tuned in to what his audience want to see.His followers are the first to know about exclusive opportunities to see him perform, entry requirements, Q&A sessions on his socials and regular new music updates!

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As an artist still making his big name, Kid knows that his audience want engaging content and the chance to interact with him. And that’s exactly what he gives them.

So find out what your audience wants and DO IT - you could even look at other pages your fans are following to see how you could apply a similar strategy.

Remember, there’s so many users on social media, so targeting the right ones is essential

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TIP: ANALYZE YOUR POSTS

Another really important thing when it comes to knowing your audience, is tracking your post performance. Analysing how well a post has or hasn’t done, is key to making decisions about your future posts and overall strategy.

There’s some great third party tools you can use to track growth and interactions from your posts, such as Social Blade and Sprout Social.

Whilst other core metrics like reach and impressions can be accessed from your in-app insights. These vary from platform to platform, but generally they're accessed via the ‘settings’ section of the social profile you’re logged into.

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3. Optimise your profiles

All of your social profiles should include:

- A bio with a link to your most recent promo or release, be that a track, album, tour dates, merch drop or music video.

- An up-to-date profile picture, that’s sized correctly (check out our complete guide to social media image sizes) for that specific social page, preferably a press shot.

Think of these two elements as the intro to you - you want people finding your page to immediately know who you are and what you have to offer.

How you do this exactly, is up to you!

You could also think about getting verified Instagram or applying for a blue tick on Twitter, if you've received enough press coverage to warrant verification.

OPTIMISE YOUR PROFILES: Industry Case Study‍

You could keep it simple like Arlo Parks, whose Instagram bio features the name of her latest album and a ticket link for her upcoming tour.

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Or, if you’re a band perhaps, maybe you wanna feature your tagline, or the names/links to each band member’s own social page.Blink-182 do this in their Twitter bio, as you can see below.

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But one thing that both of these artists do really well, is maximising their use of space - via a SmartLink.

SmartLinks are a great way of promoting all your latest news and offerings, within a limited character count. Plus it keeps all of your CTA’s in one convenient place, so fans know exactly where to go if they wanna stream your music, buy your new t-shirt, or purchase tour tickets!

When you sign up with Ditto, you’ll be issued your very own Ditto SmartLink to use across all your social bios! Bio = Sorted.

4. Interact with fans

This next one’s all about making sure you’re putting the ‘social’ in your social media marketing strategy.

And to be social, means having regular, back and forth interaction and engagement with your fans. Whether that’s replying to a comment, ‘liking’ a post they’ve tagged you in, or ‘resharing’ a post they’ve mentioned you in - it all adds up.

We all wanna be seen, fans too. So these small acts of acknowledgement can go a long way - especially if they’re a die-hard superfan!

‍INTERACT WITH FANS: Industry Case Study

Chance The Rapper is a great example of how to do online fan interaction well! From his Twitter, you can see just how much and how regularly he interacts with his fans.He not only retweets and shares fan’s stories.

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But he also invites fans to cast their vote on polls about current happenings and issues.

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And remember – your social media acts as your first point of contact between you and  your fans. So if they’re asking a direct question about your upcoming gig or a query about your merch, make sure you respond to what they’re asking, either by replying or messaging them directly.

5. Short form content is KING

Video virality is on the rise, which means you should be incorporating it into your social media strategy.

People love to see video content, and fans especially love to see it from their favourite artists. You can clearly see this trend in the rise of music marketing on TikTok over recent years.

So your socials should be a place where you post short-form videos of you in action – whether that be footage from a recent show, backstage content or a vid of you practicing a new hook in your bedroom.‍‍

SHORT FORM CONTENT: Industry Case Study

‍Check out the Arctic Monkeys’s socials for a good example of this! They’ve got a great range of short-form content from the making behind their album cover video;

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An exclusive clip from their album feature film…

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Plus loads of on-stage footage from their touring performances…

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The more variety, the better!

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TIP: SCHEDULE YOUR POSTS

And when it comes to actually posting your content, don’t overlook the value of social scheduling tools.

You can use apps like Agorapulse and Sked Social to plan a content calendar and a set-posting schedule, helping you stay organised and never miss an optimal posting time. Think of it like the auto-pilot of social media posting.

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6. Drive awareness across all platforms

Now that there’s such an array of social media platforms to play with, you can use your exposure on one platform to aid your following on another.

The way to do this is through syncing up all your social media channels to each other.

Say you know how to promote music on Instagram effectively, following but not so much when it comes to promoting music on Twitter, you can divert fans from your Instagram page over to your Twitter by creating easy access routes for Instagram users.

The best ways to do this are including links of course, but also, using content on one platform to drive viewers to another.

And even the biggest names in music are using this trick.

‍DRIVE CROSS-PLATFORM AWARENESS: Industry Case Study

‍With almost 89m followers on Twitter, it’s no wonder Taylor Swift uses her strong Twitter standing to drive fans over to her TikTok (just 5.7m followers, the lowest of her social channels) to grow her audience there.

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Drake does a similar thing, where he posts content to his Twitter feed, in a bid to send his Twitter followers directly to his YouTube channel.

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So find out where you make most of your following, and create clear access routes from that social profile to your other ones!

7. Smart tagging

Collaborating with another artist, brand or event? Tagging will be your best friend.

When you tag other accounts in your social media posts, it’s like sending a direct line to the followers of those accounts. More often than not, those followers can end up becoming your followers. And vice versa – meaning you get more visibility and so do they!

SMART TAGGING: Industry Case Study‍

‍Mahalia uses tagging in a lot of her social media posts to strengthen her digital presence. To promote her collab with AJ Tracy, she features AJ’s handle in her own Instagram bio and posted a tagged photo with him on her feed.

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She also uses tags to show her affiliations with specific clothing brands and events she’s playing.

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So when it comes to tagging, don’t miss out on opportunities for smart tagging. You can use it to;

- Boast brands (e.g. instruments and clothes) you’re working with or just sporting

- Give a shoutout to a venue you’re performing at – bonus points for independent venues!

- Tag fellow musicians you’re gigging, touring or collaborating with.

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8. Consistency is key

Another really important tip for making sure your socials and music appear professional, is maintaining a sense of consistency throughout.

This means there should be consistency in the content you’re sharing across all your profiles.

For example, if you’re shouting out about your latest tour dates on your Twitter, it’s a good idea to also post the tour dates on your Instagram and Facebook.

CONSISTENCY IS KEY: Industry Case Study

‍You can see how Lil Nas X does this by featuring the same content across all his social profiles.As a pinned tweet on his Twitter…

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As well as a pinned post on his Facebook…

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And not forgetting his Instagram…

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Not only does this make your profiles look well put together and related, it gets across any big news to the widest possible audience!

9. All hail the hashtag

Ah, the Hashtag. The true OG of social media marketing.

And whilst bigger more established artists tend to veer away from hashtagging, it can actually have a lot of value for emerging artists who are still finding their audiences. This is because hashtags help users find you and your music, even when they aren’t already following you.

The trickiest part is choosing which hashtags to use. And there’s a couple of things to think about when you’re doing this…

- Keep it relevant: Only use hashtags that describe or say something about you or your music.

- Be specific: Don’t use hashtags that already have millions of posts or you’ll never been seen, try and narrow it down via perhaps genre, or type of artist.

- Think about location: Try using geo-tagging to target local audiences and potential listeners. Location-based search is HUGE right now!

And if you’re feeling creative, why not use a hashtag-based campaign to really drive engagement with your followers?

HASHTAG CAMPAIGNS: Industry Case Study

‍A great example of this was Biffy Clyro’s 2020 album campaign, which saw fans receive stylised postcards with a link to a secret website and the hashtag; #THISISTHESOUNDTHATWEMAKEFans soon took to social media with the hashtag in a bid to guess what would be revealed next, building that all-important anticipation for the band’s upcoming launch!

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10. Go LIVE

Finally, live streaming is another HUGE social media trend you need to be jumping on!

Artists who utilise tools like Instagram Live, Facebook Livestreams or even live streaming music on Twitch often have a more tangible and transparent relationship with their fans.

Think of it like a free virtual concert for your fans and followers! You could even host exclusive, private live streaming sessions by giving fans the invite link via your socials.

During the pandemic, live streaming to fans was the only way to somewhat mimic the absence of live music performances. And A LOT of artists hopped on the wagon!

HASHTAG CAMPAIGNS: Industry Case Study

‍One of those included Clean Bandit, who hosted a series of fortnightly live stream DJ sets, via their YouTube channel. The band performed on a rooftop stage, featuring guest vocalists and a multi-camera set up.

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“Club Bandit House Party” was a huge success, gaining over 82m streams across Spotify and Apple Music!

And there you have it – 10 tips to get your social media marketing strategy EXACTLY where it needs to be. Good luck with your own social media campaigns!

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