Music Blog talking about the Music Business
 
Hi everyone, this is what I think and say about anything/everything/you/me/that episode of Game of Thrones, Red Wedding. Just include a #hashtag on Twitter and yes, the Twitterverse will know. That is, your fans will know. 

Now it seems that Facebook is going to be offering an almost identical option. Before many would place a #hashtag category on their Facebook post because it is synced with their Twitter account, allowing for a cross reference. Now, Facebook will soon be allowing for searchable #hashtag categories on a page, allowing access to up-to-date news feed relating to that topic. 

So what does this mean in terms of a band’s digital marketing practices?  All too often it seems bands will treat Facebook and Twitter as if they are the same marketing tool. A band can easily undermine their marketing strategy by using them thus; they are in fact quite different platforms.

Twitter with it’s 140 characters means followers expect short, sharp, news headline posts with perhaps a link. Whilst Facebook provides a move visual platform, allowing people to share things and connect on a more personal level. It annoys me greatly to see twitter posts which are only half a sentence with the rest made as link. It looks careless and boring.
Bands need to always remember these are social interaction forums, a place to learn more about a band beyond simply when they are playing and when their next single is out. Self-promotion is of course important, but being engaging and interesting is what will keep people in touch and checking back in on you. The #hashtag category on Facebook could help with this closer engagement.

It is still unclear specifically what the #hashtag privacy issues will be. Will the conversations including a hashtag mean that your comment will be public or only seen by your ‘friends’ or those who ‘like’ your page. If it is private, this could be very good for bands.  A band making a #hashtag comment in a live news feed will enable them to directly react to and increase engagement with a fan on a personal level. All too often bands just look at the numbers, getting the fans who are newly interested down to the shows is what is important. Hopefully, the limited reach due to privacy will create more rewarding opportunities for future promotion with the ‘fans’ a band has already obtained on Facebook.

As a side thought: Once again I think Facebook is missing an important marketing element unique to them. They should be considering creating a focus on the local. They could provide an option to look at #hashtag categories in your town, suburb or city. They could draw upon the feeling of ‘community’ they believe to be fostering. This is what interests me when looking to Facebook, as opposed to Twitter where I appreciate the ramblings of a random person out there in the world. Facebook is about a more personal engagement with my ‘friends’.