I’m going to put my branding hat on for a moment and ask for a show of hands…
How many of you have seen an artist’s Facebook bio that reads something like this?
“Singer-songwriter from *location*. Covers and originals.”
No contact information. No information on who does what in the band. Just that sentence, or something like it.
I can’t see you, but I imagine a lot of you raised your hands.
Next question: how many of you learned anything new from that bio, or felt inspired to follow the trail and learn more about the artist in question (provided they weren’t already a good friend of yours)?
*silence*
I imagine, if I could see any of you, that very few, if any, hands would have raised.
Do yourself a favor: look up your favorite popular artist on Facebook. Head to the “About” tab, and you’ll probably notice a few things:
- They list out their personnel.
- They let you know who to contact for booking and/or media inquiries.
- They tell you what kind of music they play.
- They tell you what that music is titled and where to find it.
- They have at least one active link included in their bio.
- And, if they want to get wacky, they might even inject a bit of their band’s personality by way of a well-written, thoughtful bio. (Not everyone does this, but personally, I’d love to see it come back!)
My point: your band’s biographical information doesn’t have to be detailed enough to give War & Peace a run for its money, but it does have to engage your fans — especially new ones — to want to learn more about who you are. Furthermore, it must give them the opportunity to engage with your content or, even better, head to a place where they can take an action, like buying your music, merch, or tickets to an upcoming show. You have to keep gas in the tour van, after all.
Follow the above bullet points, and you’ll be off to a good start. And, if you don’t fancy yourself the writing or “digital strategy” type, we are, and we’re certainly willing to help. Just ask!
Thanks for reading, and join us next time on Hot Takes for “Great Music, Food, and Drinks from 8-11: How to Stand Out in an Endless Sea of Facebook Events.”