This article is part of a series, Facebook Tips for Independent Artists. Check out these other articles I wrote offering tips on how to win at Facebook:
Save Time With This 3-Month Social Media Content Calendar
10 Easy Social Media Contests to Make Your Fans Engage
How to Share your Music Page with a Like Button
3 Powerful Features to Use on your Facebook Fan Page
How to Stop Losing Visibility on Facebook
Are you Cool? How to be Popular on Facebook
7 Mistakes that will Kill Your Facebook Efforts
My Most Popular Posts on Facebook
It can be argued that social media is a requirement for connecting with your fans as an independent artist. Currently, social media is one of the most effective ways to engage and develop relationships with people who like your music. It is also a way for people and venues to tell if you are popular or not. They look at your ‘Likes’ count on Facebook for example, and determine if they should consider you legitimate. The logic is, ‘if thousands of other people are following you, then you must be good.’ I personally don’t agree with this line of thinking, however. I actually detest it! I think an artist should be judged based on his/her quality of sound and ability to entertain. Unfortunately, that’s not the way the world works in today’s ‘popularity contest-driven’ society. Most venues book you based on your ability to bring in fans. You could be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but if you’re not popular enough to fill seats and bring in paying patrons, sadly a venue will think twice about booking you. The same goes for the number of people following you on social media as well as the number of views you have on your YouTube videos. The more ‘likes’ and ‘views’ you have, the more credibility you earn with a potential fan or talent buyer.
It’s a classic Catch 22. In order to attract lots of fans, you have to have lots of fans. But, how do you get ahead if you don’t have many fans? The cold hard truth you have to accept is that people will start to take you seriously if other people are taking you seriously. To get in the game, you must have a significant following. Particularly, on Facebook, there is a way to consistently add fans to your page. This method I am about to show you is a little unorthodox but it helps to drive your likes count up and encourage more organic likes.
Add Facebook likes and keep a consistent flow of new likes by climbing the Like Ladder and joining ‘Like for Like’ groups. All you have to do is run a search on Facebook with the key words ‘Like for Like’ and countless group pages will pop up in the search results. Join more than one of these groups. Post your page in the group and ask for a Like Exchange. Other people in the group will then comment with a link to their pages. They click the like button on your page and you return the favor by clicking the like button on their page. Repeat this process in each group you join. Be sure to return the favor, otherwise you will get reported and banned from the group. Repeating this method at least once every other month will guarantee a consistent boosting in your fan count.
Why you should try this method:
Some people might see this method as cheating and not authentic and they are right. However, this type of craftiness is a long-time trade secret in the music industry and it’s also prevalent in other industries. In order to create a buzz, you have to spark it somehow. I’m sure you have heard of the phrase “Fake it til’ you make it.” Well, this method is an example of that phrase. In order to fill seats and make an event look full, you give away free tickets. In order to make professional food shots look attractive you add filler agents to bulk the food up. If you don’t believe me, click here and check this out. If you make something look good, then it is good. The same goes for you. Perception is king. If you make yourself look popular, then you are popular.
Do this method every once in a while to get more Facebook fans or when developing a new Facebook Fan Page. It works really well when you’re stuck and need that extra boost. However, I do want to share a disclaimer. Be sure to use caution and don’t go overboard with this method. The whole reason behind social media is to develop organic relationships to foster a real community-like environment. Having real fans who actually engage with you on your social media pages should be your ultimate goal. The folks in these ‘Like for Like’ groups will not be active on your page. In my experience most of them are from different countries and could care less about you and your music. These groups are useful simply for adding periodic boosts in your fan count. You don’t want to stock up on a bunch of fake fans and have a ghost town when it comes to commenting, liking, and sharing your stuff. The last thing you want is to post an announcement for your new single that you just poured your heart and soul into only to receive a response from crickets! The bulk of your fans should be real. Plus, the more engagement you have on Facebook with real actual fans, the more your posts will show up in their news feeds. So be sure to use this method in moderation.
The key here is overcoming low numbers and sparking a buzz. People are more likely to hit the like button or follow you if others have already liked and followed you. Without the numbers, you will look like you are just starting out, inexperienced, or worse not that great of an artist. They want to see that you are popular and well received. In the words of The O’Jays, Give the People What They Want.
