All bands and artists should be maintaining blogs these days. With so many options out there, there is no reason not too have a blog. Sure you can use Facebook, Twitter, and the like for your updates. Twitter though, limits your posts by character count, and Facebook news feeds can get rather clogged not to mention the issues stemming from the new EdgeRank system. Having a blog will let you make sure your posts are easily findable by anyone who wants to see them. In addition, it’s easy to set up a full website which will not only serve as your blog but your primary information source for fans with WordPress.
So blogging is something you should be doing. Right, got it! Now what do you blog about? Well we’ve already talked about how you can come across as a spammer on Facebook or Twitter by posting about your merchandise or your shows too much. The goal is to find balance with your posts. With your blog, you shouldn’t be posting every little update you have. Save the micro-updates for your social media accounts. Your blog should be for important posts that are lengthier and well prepared. That being said, you still need to balance your posting. Don’t just make it about what’s happening with your music. Add some personal aspects to it. Fans love to feel involved. After all, isn’t that how reality television shows become so popular?
“Every two days now we create as much information as we did from the dawn of civilization up until 2003.” – Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google
People relate to the stories and experiences the characters are having in movies and television shows. They will relate the same way to the personal stories you post on your blog, as long as you post in a truly authentic and personal way. Trying to fabricate a story or an experience won’t work as well as being honest about something that happened. Instead of posting about how great your studio sessions are going, try posting about the atmosphere of working in the studio or the toll it’s taking on you or the band physically and mentally. Maybe say something about how uplifting it is to hear the ideas in your head coming to fruition in the studio monitors. Give them the embarrassing stories, the triumphs, and the travel diary with all the details, pit stops, and wrong turns left in! Adding an emotional state to your post will generate a greater level of fan involvement.
Another great way to engage fans is posting your opinions on some big topic. Be careful though, this is a double-edged sword. You can end up driving away fans as readily as pulling in new fans. Make the post about something not too dear to people’s hearts, and you’ll avoid the backlash more readily. A great option is to create a list: The Best of…, The Worst of…, Your Favorite…, etc…. Share your opinion and ask for the opinions of your fans.
In the end, blogging is just writing. You may not be writing the greatest literary piece of the millennium, but you are writing nonetheless. Writing is just like learning an instrument. Hard at first but the more you work the easier it gets. So set yourself up time each day to write for your blog or at least work on social media updates. You don’t have to post them right then or even at all. By doing this on a regular basis though, it will be easier to do when it really counts.