So, when did social media stop being fun. Not too long ago, it was just a way to communicate with friends … even if those friends weren’t actually people you’d ever met.
Then companies got involved, and social media became a marketing tool. What complicated the situation even more, was the proliferation of social media channels. What was once a landscape populated by Facebook, then Twitter, maybe MySpace, became ridden with a whole lot of new social media apps. If you’re keeping track, and I sure hope you’re not because down that road lies insanity, lots more pop up every year while lots of others disappear.
No one can deny or ignore the power of social media. It’s a potent marketing tool – for better or worse. It’s really impossible to own a business now and not have a digital presence somewhere. It’s become a necessity.
As a DJ, you’re a small company in the unenviable position of having to do it all yourself. You DJ, you do your paperwork and scheduling, you issue receipts, you write up contracts, and (if you can’t afford an accountant) you do your own bookkeeping. Marketing needs to be shoved in there somewhere, too. If you don’t market your business, you won’t get any gigs.
Social media is everywhere. So, how do you manage it without losing hours of each day to it? Well, I’m not going to say it’s easy. It is one more job you have to do that DJs in the ’70s and ’80s just didn’t have to factor into their time and other resources.
The key to doing it right is to first analyze your goals. What do you want from your social media efforts? Second, use free analytics tools (like Google Analytics) to determine where your efforts can be improved. Third, come up with a simple plan that you will be able to follow through on. For instance, tweet three times per day, post two Instagram images per day, etc. You decide which social media channels are most effective, and how often you need to be posting to them to hit that level of effectiveness. (The analytics will help you a lot with that).
Still not sure if you’re up to the task? Look into hiring a social media strategist to set you up and get you going. Once you’re on track, you’ll be able to do it all yourself.
In the meantime, Digital DJ Tips has put together a list of tips that’s short, sweet and very effective.
Let us know what your particular social media challenges are.
