3 strategies for growing & Engaging with a social media following in the performing arts

As an artist, boosting your profile is as easy as pressing the “post” button. With social media taking the world by storm, a new generation of artists is being discovered on apps like TikTok, giving them the opportunity to showcase their talents. One artist, in particular, is American singer Gayle, who went viral on the app and is now an opener for Taylor Swift’s upcoming tour.

It’s clear to see how social media has given artists a platform to reach a wider audience. However, each post must have some strategy behind it. You may be wondering, why do I need a strategy? It’s difficult to watch artists like Charli D’Amelio rise to fame out of luck or algorithms, but that doesn’t mean you should dismiss a strategic approach to growing your page.

​To help you out, we’ve listed some simple, no-cost strategies for increasing your social media following and finding your right audience.

Strategy One: Understand Your Audience

Although it may seem obvious, understanding who your audience is and what they’re interested in is a crucial step in building your profile on social media. Websites like Sprout Social can help you track hashtags and phrases used among the community you’re engaged with, which can help you adjust your content to fit your own interests and those of your audience.

Additionally, it’s important consider the individual platforms you use and how your audiences differ on each one. As of early 2022, Facebook’s largest age group ranged from 25-32 years old, spending an average of 33 minutes per day scrolling. In contrast, TikTok’s largest age group ranged from 10-19 years old, spending an average of 89 minutes per day on the app. Depending on your audience, along with the type of content you’re posting, you can better tailor your content and grow your following on the most appropriate platform(s).
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Strategy Two: Engage With Your Audience

Once you have a solid understanding of your audience, the next step is to engage them in your content. Including some of those relevant hashtags is one way to increase engagement but take it a step further! Ask your audience questions, reply to comments, create polls, etc. Social media gives users an abundant number of features that allows them to interact with each other in unique ways. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of these!

Remember, no matter what brand you’re trying to build for yourself, there’s still a person behind each screen; your audience will appreciate seeing your personality shine through your engagement.

Strategy Three: Track Analytics

To better understand if your profile is growing, we suggest tracking your social media analytics. Doing this allows users to measure the performance of their posts and see what went right or wrong with reaching their audience. Facebook and Instagram are two platforms that provide this information for you at no cost, while other sites offer free trials for social media management tools.
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Looking into analytics can help artists experiment with the best times to post their work, and what types of media were most engaging with their audience. If you’re just starting to build your brand, tracking these insights is a perfect way to learn by trial and error. There are no deadlines for succeeding in this; take your time understanding what works best!

Time to Get Started!

Growing your following on social media doesn’t have to be stressful, and we hope these strategies have taken some pressure off you! Remember, however, that this isn’t a race. There are no deadlines for skyrocketing your social media or gaining a large following. In fact, taking your time creating an engaging profile with your audience will only help in the long run. Build your brand, make some connections, and enjoy the process!

Julia WOodcock

Writer 
The Modern Artist Project