Bands, Artists, Musicians, listen up!

I feel you. Most of the time, your pockets are empty – any money you had is now going to that brand new Les Paul guitar or AKG studio mic you’ve had your eye on.

BUT, your beats are hard, your music is rockin’, and your shows are killer – still it seems nearly impossible to have rock hard sales.

And how can that little, teeny-bopper Justin Beiber kid be one of the most popular entertainers today? (I struggle to call him an artist)

Because his PR people understand the power of social media!

Read more to instantly see these 25 free tactics for artists, musicians, and bands on Facebook…

As Facebook continues it’s dominance in the social network realm, many bands and artists are feeling a bit lost when it comes to promoting their music on the Facebook platform.

Just as you discuss other aspects of your life, you should naturally be talking about your music on your personal profile. However, there are some good reasons why you should make the leap and take the focused promotion efforts off of your personal profile and create a Fan Page dedicated to your music.

Here are 25 ways bands on Facebook can promote their music:

1. Hook into the power of recommendation via Facebook’s open graph by displaying a Like button for your fan page in a prominent location on your band’s website.

2. Let them buy it up! Include an online store where your fans can purchase CDs, mp3s, t-shirts, stickers, shotglasses, or glow-in-the-dark glasses. Whatever your fans are into, help them get it through your fan page store.

3. Your band’s Facebook fan page URL should be clearly listed on appropriate handouts and merch, like event bulletins and CDs.

4. “Pin” important posts, ballin pics, and wild videos to the top of your timeline for all your fans to see. It will be spotlighted there for up to a week.

5. Create and post share-worthy content with your fans. This one is really a no-brainer. Be creative, though – don’t just repost the Game of Thrones meme of the week. Either create or share things that are relevant to your specific audience.

6. Use large images when you post on your timeline. Facebook doesn’t allow calls-to-action in cover photos, but posts on your timeline sure can! To expand an image posted on your timeline, just mouse-over the image and click the star to highlight it.

7. Hold contests on your band’s fan page for free music and merch giveaways. Post something like, “Once this post reaches 100 shares/Likes, 2 lucky people will receive a FREE t-shirt or CD!”

8. Include videos of your shows or studio sessions – let people relive the live experience. Also, anything behind-the-scenes gives people an exclusive and exciting feeling.

9. Use Facebook “Offers,”  which act like coupons, to offer discounts to your fans and followers.

10. Use Facebook’s Reach Generator to promote a post on your fan page. Currently, 16% of your fans see your content in their news feed on average. Facebook now gives you the opportunity to get 60-85% guaranteed viewership.

11. Use the Premium on Facebook ad tool, which allows you to analyze information on people who interact with your fan page. It also features your ad, respectively, in up to 5 high traffic locations.

12. Use the Milestones category to feature significant events. From your first backyard show to your first label signing to your first Rolling Stone interview, keep your fans updated on important dates and events on your timeline (Milestone image dimensions = 843 x 403 pix)

13. Feature the most important apps/tabs at the top of your timeline. Pick your top 4 to display in the tiles underneath your cover photo to get the most interaction from them.

14. Be yourself! People love your music because of what it means to them. Just like with your music, don’t be afraid to be opinionated or provocative with your posts. Let your fans hear your personal voice in everything you do.

15. Fuse your Twitter handle with your Facebook fan page. This fuses the functionality and reach of both platforms and can allow for some interesting interactions all under one roof. Want a challenge? See if you can out-tweet little Beibs…

16. Network, Network, Network! Join different Facebook Groups and network with the members. There are thousands of groups out there, so join a few that you relate to. Don’t mess with the feng shui of the group, though. Listen for a bit first, then make a post at an appropriate time.

17. Create Events on your timeline and invite fans! Keep them in the loop on any tour/show dates and you can even offer discounts to attendees if they are also fans of your page.

18. Include an email opt-in form in an app/tab on your band’s fan page so people can stay updated on relevant information from you. Send a newsletter at least biweekly depending on the amount of new info you have to announce. Highlight new downloads, tour updates, blogs, contests, etc. There’s also ways to make money off of a healthily targeted email list 😉

19. Strengthen your reach and influence by encouraging people to subscribe to your updates and fresh beats via the Subscribe button on your fan page. You can turn this option on in your Privacy Settings.

20. Include your contact info! Things like your PR contacts, booking, management, and label on your myspace/Facebook/Blog/etc. Make sure Bloggers and media can reach you for interviews, album/show reviews, etc. If your contact info can’t be found, you’ll get skipped.

21. Make sure to interact with your fans via comments on your fan page. Encourage comments and respond quickly – it makes them feel special 🙂

22. Make sure your band’s logo or name is visible at all times on your fan page. Repeat branding helps viewers retain your band’s image and feeling in their minds.

23. Most of us aren’t too cool for school. So, check around Facebook and the web for contests that your band can enter. Many music/magazine fan pages often have contests for things like, the best indie band or best local artist.

24. Reach out to other artists that you have a relationship with. Island Def Jam Music Group successfully uses this strategy for their band pages with slow fan growth-rates. Ask a band whom you’re tight with to post your latest vid/single/etc on their wall with a link back to your fan page. Don’t forget to return the favor – or you could just buy the band a beer next time you play together.

25. Finally… really want to make the crowd go wild? I’m talkin’ nuts! Use the text-to-like strategy and get people to Like your fan page from right in the middle of your concert!

Example: Next time you’re playing a show, give a shout-out to the audience, saying something like, “Text the words ‘Like DavidandtheBurningTrees [the end of your fan page URL]’ to 32665 (FBOOK) and five of you will get a free band t-shirt!” The entire audience will then automatically Like your page – that’s what’s up!

Awesome ways to give your fan page more swag than the others

Have a sick video of a live show? Or want to import your playlist for people to hear? You can place any type of online video or audio file that you’d like on your page, in 3 easy steps:

– First, go to the video/audio source and copy the html embed code they give you.
– Next, go to Heyo’s page editor and drag the HTML widget icon onto your fan page.
– And finally, paste the embed code into the box, then resize and move however you want.

If you want to start an online store to sell your albums/mp3s, merchandise, tickets, or anything else your band desires – it takes just seconds using a pre-made Online Store template. Quickly drag-and-drop the template for the online store onto your fan page and it will expand, giving you full customization of the product images, information, and layout.

Did you know you can drop your band’s website directly into a tab on your page? Using Heyo’s fan page builder, simply drag-and-drop the iFrame widget onto your fan page, enter your site’s URL, and BAM – your website appears right there in it’s own app/tab!

Your Turn: How many of these 25 tips do you currently use on your own fan page? Have they worked for you? Share with us in the comments below 🙂

Meet David A. George

David A. George I'm a UX + Growth Marketer passionate about people, music, intelligent UX, Android, and breathing underwater. I'd love to connect with you on LinkedIn, Twitter, and on my website.