Being an artist is about more than just your music. You need to be able to sell your artist image and who you are as a personal. People may come for your tracks, but they are far more likely to invest in you as an artist if they like more than just your music.
What is personal branding?
When it comes to music, personal branding is all about how an artist presents themselves. This is more than just what they choose to wear and how they choose to act. It is about everything from the way they interact with their fans on social media, to the way they carry themselves in public. You have to remember that artists will be in the public eye. Regardless of how large their artist name is, they will have a fanbase watching them. Big or small, it doesn’t matter. People are watching what they do and how they act, so it’s important they are aware of this.
Personal branding is a newer way of describing who you are as an artist. It covers everything from your musical and visual output, the way you communicate with people, your artwork and just your overall branding. It’s about how you represent yourself. Often it is described in this way which may sound intimidating. Artists think they have to put loads of work in to create a personal brand. However, as long as you have an online presence, you could essentially have a personal brand.
Get yourself seen
It’s important that your fans can find you and your music. There’s no point releasing music for no one to hear it. Having a good online presence is one way you can make your work easier to find. The more you link up your various profiles and platforms, the more likely you are to be discovered. For example, if you’re posting your work to Facebook, make sure you use a Smart Link that also includes your Instagram and Twitter handles too. That way, everyone can find you across multiple platforms which could boost your following.
People tend to head to your social media accounts to find out more about you. Yes, they might enjoy your music, but that means they’re more likely to want to learn about you more in depth. They’ll want to see what you’re like as a person, what your artwork looks like and how you choose to display your work. If your social media accounts haven’t been updated in a while, they’re not likely to follow you. This could potentially damage your chances of growing your fanbase.
Put your own values first
Be sure not to compromise on what you believe. If that means not joining in with a collaboration opportunity, then fine. Your fans will respect you more if you stick to what you believe in. Otherwise, you’ll end up resenting your work and your music, because it’s going against what you intended. Just because someone creates an offer, doesn’t mean you need to run with it. If it doesn’t fit your artist branding, then leave it alone.
Many artists feel they need to mould themselves around others to fit into the industry. This loses the idea of personal branding, and instead you become like everyone else. Think about your own ideas and what you want as an artist. It’s important to note that unfortunately you can’t ever please everyone. So, make sure you’re doing what you enjoy and creating music that fits into why you fell in love with music in the first place.
Keep updated with social media
Many artists find social media a challenge. It doesn’t have to be, but often they find themselves juggling so many other things that they cannot find the time to put the work into their social accounts. This is where you need to take a step back and consider what your social media really needs. It’s likely that your social accounts can thrive off content you already have readily available. Have you perhaps been on tour or performed gigs recently? Simply sharing photos from this across your social accounts will do them the world of good. It shows your fans what you’ve been up to and is no extra task for you as an artist.
Try sharing positive reviews about your work. People love reading reviews. It lets them know they’re in the right place and are doing the right thing by engaging with your work. Again the work is already done for you because the review has already been created. All you need to do is share it with your followers. Social media is a fantastic way of growing your personal brand. It’s where you can share what you have been doing in day-to-day life. It is especially important when you don’t have any new music out. Your fans can instead see what you have been working on. Remember also, social media is where your personality shines and like mentioned earlier, this is a huge part of your personal branding.
