Ever since the demise of MySpace, hard rock artists have been forced to focus their attention on Twitter and Facebook (the two dominant social media platforms). By now, virtually every hard rock artist has realized the importance of leveraging social media, but there is one BIG mistake that many artists are making by choosing the perception of cool vs the reality of results.
Twitter has managed to remain “cool” throughout its growth, largely because it isn’t constantly making changes that frustrate and anger users. It is, by far, the simpler, less obtrusive platform with an Oz-like quality because it doesn’t have an outspoken, unlikable CEO.
Twitter followers also tend to be less likely to stir the pot by spewing hatred towards the artists that they supposedly support, so it’s understandable why artists tend to favor Twitter over Facebook.
If the goal is to look cool and limit exposure to negativity, then choosing Twitter over Facebook makes perfect sense. However, if the goal is to “move the needle” and get results, then choosing to focus on Twitter over Facebook is a HUGE mistake!
There is a lot to dislike about Facebook.
They are constantly tinkering with the site even though it does nothing but cause anger and frustration with its enormous user base.
They have a CEO that puts the “face” in Facebook, so there is someone to blame and hate whenever these changes occur.
They have unapologetically decreased the reach of posts on all business pages (by a large margin) in an effort to generate revenue with paid traffic.
They are invasive in ways that even George Orwell couldn’t have imagined when he wrote 1984.
And last, but certainly not least, a number of the “fans” that comment on Facebook pages are filled with piss and vinegar, and look to create controversy and spew hatred on a regular basis.
Despite their numerous flaws, Facebook gets results, at least when it comes to promoting hard rock artists. Lest anyone think that Hard Rock Daddy is a Facebook shill; this observation is one that is backed up by statistical data gathered since our launch in March of 2013.
Even when Facebook limits the reach of any given posts, the results are markedly better than posts shared on Twitter when it comes to reviews of hard rock artists.
While Facebook blatantly wields their power by showing how many people saw each post, Twitter flies under the radar, allowing artists to think that they’re reaching many of their followers, when in reality, only a fraction of followers see any given Tweet.
Regardless of the percentage of followers reached, posts on Facebook get shared by fans far more than posts on Twitter are re-Tweeted. And if a post manages to go viral on Facebook, the reach is drastically increased even if no money was spent to boost it.
Twitter is like the back-up quarterback that football fans long for, because no mistakes are ever made on the bench. Facebook is like the starting quarterback who constantly throws interceptions, but ultimately, still gives you the best chance to win the game.
Hard rock artists don’t need to like Facebook or their business practices, but they should respect the power of the platform and focus their attention (and budget) accordingly if they want to gain the most leverage from their social media efforts.
Very well stated. The one thing I would add about Twitter is that you are limited to a certain number of characters with each tweet. For an artist to really make a splash, they would have to send multiple tweets which would really be missed by the people who like to Tweet every moment of their daily routine. With Facebook, you can write much longer posts, include the important points you want to convey which will mean less time needed to “reach the fans.” I do have a Twitter account and I have been following up and coming artists, but my notifications are off the charts every day with tons of tweets that are needed to get one’s point across. Love or hate Facebook, I agree it is the better avenue for musicians, performers, or anyone trying to be noticed.
Thanks for your comment, Anna. You made an excellent point about the length of the Tweet vs. the length of a Facebook post. This article happened to have been inspired by artists sharing their reviews via Twitter vs. sharing with their fans on Facebook, so post length isn’t a huge issue in that scenario, but for their specific messages from the artists, the character limit is a huge limitation. Thanks for pointing out that important detail.