The Right Quantity Of Quality

Beautiful Social Media - Each month, we publish an in depth article on social media in the music industry.

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In a social media age of more, more, more, it is better for artists and brands to place authenticity and quality at the top of their social media output?

This time two years ago, social media for many artists could sometimes feel like an obligation rather than a priority: it was that thing they squeezed in between everything else they were expected to do – touring, making videos, giving interviews and the whole hoopla expected of an act with something to promote.?

Then the global pandemic took hold and suddenly social media for artists became much more than the thing they felt obliged to fit around everything else: it became the only form of direct and meaningful contact they could have with their fans.?

In a time of social distancing, social media became the place where artists could connect with fans and, perhaps more importantly, fans could connect with each other.?

As such, social media moved from the periphery of their quotidian activities to become the very epicentre.?

We saw acts use it to create new intimacy with fans and also for it to become a way for them to eavesdrop on their creativity as it happened. This is illustrated nowhere more perfectly than in the case of Charli XCX who, in 2020, made her How I’m Feeling Now album in lockdown and used her social media to not just give updates on where the project was but also to gather real-time feedback from fans on the music she was making.?

This showed that social media did not just have to be part of the amplification of a project; it could become part of the creative process itself.?

Many of the reviews of Peter Jackson’s Get Back documentary when it came out in late 2021 were awestruck at the fact that we, the audience, were able to enter the studio (first in Twickenham, then in Savile Row) to get a front row seat to watch The Beatles magic new songs out of thin air and then, like master sculptors, refine them into glowing perfection.?

The Beatles via Linda McCartney

We had to wait half a century to spend those nine hours in their company. Today social media offers something more immediate; but immediacy should not be treated as synonymous with ubiquity. Just because fans can eavesdrop round the clock does not mean that this is the correct and most apposite approach for every artist.

Any post-pandemic social media reset in 2022 should be about how quality can co-exist with quantity. It is important to remember that low-quality posts are the biggest problem here and posting frequently should not be an issue as long as the content is good and interesting. It is low-quality posts that will most damage and dilute your reach.? ??

Rather than lean on easy and general conversation starters – the social media version of clickbait – musicians should ensure they are personal to them and that they present an honest and relatable version of themselves in the topics they chose to raise and discuss. Rebecca Lucy Taylor (aka Self Esteem) is a shining example of this, using her social media to start important discussions with her fans, to showcase her humour and to workshop lyrical ideas in front of her growing audience. Her posts might appear quick and reactive, but they are all part of shaping how she presents herself online.?

While there is a place for the immediate in the rapid turnover of online communication, equally there is a need to spend time conceiving and crafting posts that are striking and different. That can include: intricate editing of video clips; posting images from conceptual photoshoots; offering detailed behind-the-album commentaries; dropping a series of well-planned posts that tease a big announcement; or offering up cryptic clues that only make full sense several days or even weeks later.?

All of this takes time and intricate planning, but if the underpinning idea is strong and unique, it can really resonate with audiences.?

Rebecca Lucy Taylor aka Self Esteem via Kate Green/Getty Images Europe

The traffic here must be two-way. Outbound posts are never enough – unless their social media persona is one of mystique and aloofness. Meaningfully engaging an audience should be the priority: acts should respond to their questions, surprise them, make them feel valued.?

Artists should never presume (or take for granted) their audience’s interest and their loyalty: good and interesting social posts should be seen as a downpayment on their future interest and future loyalty.?

It also does not have to be just about the artist themselves. In the same way, the “ft” artist is an accelerating trend in the charts, creating social media content and posts with other artists, with superfans or even people from outside of their particular world can be a way to offer their audience a new perspective on what they do. It also means that they will appear on the radar of followers of those who feature in their posts – perhaps for the first time.?

While there may be some envy when looking at artists on social media who do it exceptionally well, simply trying to replicate what they do is never going to be enough. Through trial and error, as much as by design, they have found their social media “voice”, discovering what works for them and refining what they do. Think of James Blunt and how he turned people’s dislike of him into a virtue and a USP.?

Allowing their personality to shine though can turn what would be a huge negative into an even bigger positive.?

Social media should judiciously amplify the core creative pursuit of musicians – namely making and performing music. It should not be allowed to drain away the time and energy that goes into their music to make it so powerful and resonant in the first place.?

Artists should post only when they are comfortable doing so and should take breaks when they need to. The always-on culture that has been both created and exacerbated by social media is something we all need to be careful about, especially when it can adversely affect mental health. Pressing the pause button should not be the last resort.?

Influencers live on social media as that is often their creative canvas – the platform is the product. Artists have to approach social media as a way to promote their art; it is not the entirety of the art itself.

Focusing exclusively on the number of followers, likes, comments, retweets and reactions is not the only measurement of success. When acts get caught up in chasing the data but foregoing substance, they and their social media posts can start to lose their way. Data can guide but it should never dominate.?

Building long-term fans and having quality control in an act's social output cannot be boiled down to hard numbers. The data only shows one side of a multi-layered picture. It’s a 2D snapshot of a 3D world and it is essential to remember this.?

If we take anything away from the upheaval of the past two years, it should be that quantity can be a happy (and occasional) byproduct of social media content; but it should never be the end destination.

Within this, acts also need to find the platforms that best suit them and their creative needs best. Again, the principles of quality should triumph over quantity. There is no logical need to be on every social platform, trying to make the same posts fit their different architectures. Audit the platforms that artists use, prioritising the ones they enjoy using most (and that they get the most creative satisfaction out of).

As with everything in life, it is about striking the best balance. Social media should never feel like a burden but rather be a way for an artist to showcase both their work and themselves.?

In the ongoing quality/quantity balance, things should always tilt in favour of the former.?

–The Beautiful Digital Team

How do you strike a balance between social media quality and quantity?