D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) Musicians: Twitter Edition

Twitter is hot, no question. In the midst of the random “I’m going to bed” and “I just ate a bowl of cornflakes” tweets, lies a powerful tool for independent musicians. Let’s be honest, there’s something magical about being able to follow your favorite musician’s every move. Some may call it an obsession with over-sharing, we like to think of it more as creating the ultimate “up-close and personal experience.”

Anybody can create a Twitter page. The art is actually knowing how to use it to your advantage. So, musicians, listen up. Here are a few tidbits to help you transform your random tweets to an effective marketing/publicity tool.

We Want You
The main reason why people want to follow you is to see what YOU have to say. They want to know what you’re doing, who you’re doing it with, what you’re recording, where you’re going, etc. There’s nothing better than being able to experience a day in the life of a musician first hand. Don’t let someone else create your content.

One Equals No Fun
The real power of Twitter is keeping it consistently updated. Nobody wants to go to your page to see that you haven’t tweeted since last month. One tweet a day is meaningless. It’s the accumulation of numerous tweets helps keep followers interested and engaged.

There’s Nothing Wrong with Being a Follower
Contrary to the popular saying “be a leader not a follower”, on Twitter it’s actually okay to be a follower. In fact, its encouraged. Follow people who follow you. Follow people who aren’t following you. If your music sounds like “Rihanna” follow people who are following her. A great way to get new followers is to follow people first. Don’t forget to follow “influential” people as well like music bloggers and writers.

Sharing Means Caring
Share your music. Share pictures. Share links. Share other people’s tweets (re-tweet). Share giveaways. Just share!

To show you what we’re talking about, here are a few musicians who are doing it right:

@petewentz (Pete Wentz), @waledc (Wale), @kidsistermelisa (Kid Sister), @questlove (questlove) and @lilyroseallen (Lily Allen)

Social Chix’s 3 E’s of Twittering: Express, Excite and Engage!