A social overview and tips for artists looking to leverage social media in their art promotion.

1. How artists can use
social media to get folks
to their damn shows.
By Ryan Crowder
@crowderism

2. Why Social?
THEN
■ You searched out events
■ Limited number of
publications, people read the
same stuff
■ Trusted sources had years
of history behind them
■ Event listings helped keep
things organized
■ Personal / prof. separation
■ Marketing was about info
■ The megaphone worked if
you were organized

3. Why Social?
NOW
● Traditional media outlets struggle
● No one reads or watches the same
thing in a big way
● Now we bond over things/topics
● Trusted curators are the ones now
heard
● Events come through your network
● Build & own your audience or die
● Co-promotion, networks and
partnerships
● Mobile phones are like woah
● Art needs to be visible on the
internet to get attention

4. Social Networks for Artists
● General updates, community
building, event listings,
interactions
● Visual storytelling, artistic
sense, creativity
● Most popular(and expensive),
visual storytelling, messaging,
groups, event listings, alerts
● Visual storytelling, previews,
long-term
● Easy to read/watch/listen and
share, specific curated
content

5. It's totally essential
to invest in social
media before you
need it.

6. Starting Early
1. Begin building an audience now
2. Share quality content consistently
a. i.e. Inspirations, things that make you think or laugh, support
fellow artists, news and important info
b. Be yourself. Have a sense of humor. Be honest.
c. Be trustworthy: Build a rep as a solid curator
3. Interact with others, stay connected
a. Click "like" and share (you like it, so do others)
4. Avoid being too promotional
a. Remember its not all about you
b. Mix it up; offer value by spreading word of what you are doing;
entertain and enlighten

7. Facebook Event Page Success
Helpful things to have
● Memorable eye-catching images
■ Main image and additional images
● Additional content (links, readings, etc.)
● Video/s (no more than 1 min)
● Colleagues to help with posting
Important steps
● Invite anyone as appropriate
● Ask performers to invite contacts
● Post content every couple days
● Step up posting frequency as the show
approaches, stay on topic
● Don't do it all yourself, ask others to help
Translation: ask fans to share (privately)

8. Facebook
tips
● Use your personal profile; using a page costs money,
unless you pay, roughly 10% of fans will see content
● Got a page? It's ok. Make sure to use Facebook as the
page from time to time to get on people's radar.
● Keep it visual. Instead of a link, post an image and put
the link in the comments
● Try not to exceed a couple posts each day
● Change it up; Don't post the same thing multiple times,
see what people respond to and adapt
● As your show approaches and when you have quality
content, step up your interactions on other people's
pages. Nothing brings support like contributing yourself

9. Good content vs. bad content
Good Bad
r Rehearsal is going so great for the show we
are in there every day and it is really hard but
the sun is shining and I am thiankful for the
opprotunity to do this show. Buy tickets! There
is a part in act 1 that is confusinc and Sharon is
totally working it but it takes a lot of work to
Who knew a crown focus and produce the best results. Don't forget
could weigh so much? to buy tickets!
Keep it short. Keep it visual.
Keep it entertaining - evocative - emotional - i(e)nformative

10. The other networks
Instagram Tumblr
● Clearly articulate your ● Keep it simple, focus on a theme.
perspective with visuals Baking musical? Babies with
● Participate: Interact and bread Tumblr!
like other content ● Liking other's content brings
return visits and subscriptions
Youtube ● Sex and GIFs work very well here
● Unless you plan to post Twitter
regularly, use this to host ● Interact, interact, interact,
your videos, make them RT, RT, RT
easily searchable ● You can repost here, just
don't be obnoxious
WARNING: Don't spread ● Tell stories across multiple
tweets
yourself too thin.

11. Integrating the networks
In other words, how do you do all this!?
● Create a posting calendar & hold yourself to it
○ 3 weeks out - post a rehearsal image, links to tickets
○ 2 weeks out - share a sneak peek of the set, hint the
themes/content
○ 1 week out - share daily photos of props, costumes, etc.
○ 3 days out - share a 30 sec. video of you being excited
○ Day-of morning - steaming cup of spilled coffee
○ Day-of evening - make it easy for audience to share
● Schedule content
○ HootSuite/Tweetdeck - text-based Twitter and Facebook posts
○ Tumblr scheduler, pages can use Facebook scheduler
● Do not sync social profiles
○ No one responds well to auto-posting
from Facebook to Twitter

12. The Privacy Concern
Develop level of comfort with public sharing
You sacrifice privacy for connection
Instead, set privacy controls
● share some with all, all with some
Facebook lists
● Create list of people you feel comfortable sharing everything
● When you post, decide whether to the public or just to the list
Twitter @replies vs. public updates
Instagram private vs. public

13. Thx.
Ryan Crowder
@crowderism