Behind the Mic: Talking to the Twitterverse
posted in: Features
Although Twitter has only been around since 2006, it’s becoming hard to think of a celebrity, store or brand that isn’t tweeting. For bands, Twitter can be an incredibly powerful tool for promotion, networking and keeping in touch with fans.
Let’s take a look at some artists who are experts in the “Twitterverse.”
Boston’s self-proclaimed “piano slayer” and singer-songwriter Amanda Palmer is a prime example of a musician using Twitter in all the right ways”and she has more than 400,000 followers to prove it! In addition to being able to get hundreds of fans to secret shows and last-minute meet-and-greets, Palmer also discovered how to make money on Twitter.
At 9:15 p.m. on May 15th, 2010, Palmer tweeted a call to arms for “the losers of Friday night on their computers.” Thousands of fans responded to her and sent Tweets ending with “#LOFNOTC.” Within minutes, the phrase became the number one trending topic in the world.
One of the tweets that started it all.
Taking a slogan suggestion from a fan, Palmer took out a marker and designed a T-shirt for her legions of fellow “losers” that read: “DON’T STAND UP FOR WHAT’S RIGHT, STAY IN FOR WHAT’S WRONG. Her web designer created a simple PayPal site to order the shirts, and more than 400 were ordered in merely two hours. In the same week, she made over $7,000 by hosting a Webcast auction and a “twitter donation-only” gig.
OurStage artist Andrew Belle is also a tweet fiend. Belle keeps his Twitter page filled with continuous updates on where he’s playing next, links to his videos and photo updates from his tour. A few weeks ago, Belle was selected as MTV’s Needle in the Haystack. He joined OurStage via Twitter for a “Tweet & A” interview, which was broadcast to his thousands of followers.
Andrew Belle gives advice to new artists during his OurStage "Tweet & A"
Andrew tweeted about his plans for the future and his touring schedule and he even tweeted a picture of himself bumping into Dave Matthews while having lunch. The “Tweet & A” not only gave Andrew’s fans an update on his musical career, but also allowed them to get to know him better as a person.
Having a Twitter account can be one of the best free marketing tools for your band. Make sure to keep your page updated and use your tweets not only to promote, but to reach out to your fans. Follow Amanda Palmer’s lead and create an engaged fan community around your music.
Happy Tweeting!