What are the benefits of Content Marketing & Social Engineering?

1. A/B testing. What works, what doesn’t.
2. Observation, being timely & governing (organization+consistency).
3. These strategies & tactics allow artists to be efficient and active across multiple platforms.

I define ‘Social Engineering’ as the branch of technology concerned with content formats, music streaming and distribution by utilizing social media to regulate or develop a future outcome (ticket sales, merchandise, website traffic and/or building an online community).

With respect to artists, let’s take a deeper look at the different components of ‘Social Engineering’ such as content formats, music streaming and distribution.

Content formats for artists include blog posts, images, videos, quizzes/polls, podcasts, press releases and audio.

Music streaming include platforms such as SoundCloud, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Tidal, etc.

Distribution includes the channels you establish to share and promote the content you create. This includes your website, social media profiles, music streaming platforms, email newsletter or mobile app. Distribution can be owned, earned and paid.

Social Engineering is effectively utilized when you combine all three: content formats, music streaming and distribution.

Content formats are a combination of different information organized in a specific scheme. This is the science behind every party that produces a piece of content involving you as an artist (interviews, blog posts, fan art, music reviews, etc.)

As artists, you want to create an ecosystem around your content. This is important because different people consume different types content formats. People read, watch videos or like looking at photos. As an artist, you may only utilize audio, video and imagery. The extra push from other parties can help your content go viral and make that the standard for your content moving forward. From artists — to music professionals — to your fan base. It provides a sense of confidence and trust.

A great example of this science is Future.

Future’s 5 Music Release Strategies Every Artist Should Know

New Future song? New Future Video? The Internet is on fire.

Artists truly only control music streaming. Why? Because as artists, you are in control of production, upload and when the content is distributed.

A great example of this is Chance The Rapper and his release of ‘Coloring Book’. The Grammy-Award winning albumwas an exclusive and streamed solely on Apple Music.

7 Rules To Growing A Fan Base Like Chance The Rapper

Distribution includes mainly paid advertising, social media activity from your fan base, as well as other music professionals who may be involved or showing support for your project.

The goal is to create value around your content and social engineering can help you achieve this goal. When you look at artists and the ecosystem surrounding their content. Ask yourself these questions.

Does everything (aesthetics, links & experience) run smoothly?

Can you access the artists’ content?

Can you effectively communicate with the artists if you wanted to reach out?

Are all the social and streaming platforms visible?

Are there any noticeable barriers to joining their online community?

It all starts with content strategy and understanding how humans respond to behavior when presented with choices. This is what makes Facebook and Apple so great at forming human connections. The two companies have invested heavily in the human experience and artists need to do the same.

A quote from a behavioral data article published in the Perspectives in Psychological Science via APS says,

“Psychology has a great deal of data on what people believe they do… but little data on what people actually do.”

As artists your most important asset is technology. In the age of digital transformation and new media, social engineering is king.

Once you bring social media and music streaming together, you can now cultivate cross-channel optimization.

This tactic allows for continual development, growth and output. Essentially, growth is the primary goal and byproduct of output. Once the necessary growth is achieved, an artist or music professional can explore a plethora of opportunities.

Ahava Leitbtag discusses in her book, The Digital Crown a number of strategies and tactics to create and publish content. Below we will deep dive into a few of her prized rules for artists and music professionals to win at producing content on the Internet.

CONTENT MARKETING

More and more artists are becoming keenly aware that traditional marketing is becoming less and less compelling by the second and that social media has created a more efficient avenue for artists of all standings to create value.

The More Efficient Avenue is Content Marketing

Content marketing transports content and utilizes marketing simultaneously — producing and distributing online content allows your fan base to readily establish a deep appreciation for your brand. Once that seed of appreciation takes root, fans are more likely to return to your profile when they are hard wired to absorb content.

Consider it as long-winded bait — if you and another person are talking long enough and swapping knowledge. That person will eventually be converted into a follower and your content will be the knowledge they choose to consume when presented with the choice.

Associated artists and members of your supporting team need to understand this clearly when it comes to being artful, executing content marketing strategies and being effective communicators.

Once a potential fan becomes aware of your brand and forms a connection with your content, you have accomplished two fundamental positions in content marketing:

1. You have become a trusted source/reservoir they can binge content from.
2. Your adding to a fan base that will invest in your content (ticket sales, merchandise, website traffic and/or building an online community)

Fans will presumably comb through your catalog for supreme content that they can stand behind. This form of shared communications online will relay a faith to the other members of your fan base, producing a coveted congregation of followers who are willing to stand behind your brand.

This congregation in return develops into a shared association around your brand identity and content. A fan base filled with deep connections creates value and when challenged with an endorsement or recommendation they will glorify your content.

Check out an article I wrote on Playboi Carti and the importance of building a strong fan base.

3 Steps To Create A Wave Like Playboi Carti

Create Conversations That Facilitate Transactions

Admittedly, no one wants to be sold a story. Fans of your content are especially not expecting to be sold — fans are energetically collecting knowledge, requesting advice and making conclusions about who you are as an artist as well as comparing & contrasting other music professionals.

We live in a World of constant discovery, so a good majority of your fans will stake out your content before making a decision on whether to like, share or join your fan base.

Content marketing is an unbelievably influential strategy:

• An artist can produce content and make it openly accessible on a multitude of different platforms.
• When a fan or follower is in the absorbing frame of mind, they will “discover” your content.
• Brand familiarity allows potential fans to reach your content because your brand is recognizable, familiar and an acknowledged establishment.
• This behavior surrounding your brand will register and signal to other potential followers that your content is worthy and a cut above the rest.

Moving Forward With A New Understanding

With a concrete awareness of your brand’s identity. You can now scheme a social media agenda to create value through content marketing.

We can imagine it like this:

1. Branding → Foundational (Who Are You & Why?)
2. Content Strategy → Execution (Who, How, When & Where?)
3. Content Marketing → Tactical (What You’re Saying & How You Say It?)

The vision behind believing that branding is foundational to content strategy and content marketing is that you automatically provide an answer to these questions.

If you demand that content marketing create value for your content, you must first establish your brand.

Then, it is necessary to evolve and distribute your content by utilizing a content strategy.

Content marketing has been achieved once you have implemented your execution strategy.

Content marketing is about producing information that provides knowledge to your fan base and encourages them through content strategy. Then, when they demand your energy — they absorb your content by streaming your songs, watching your videos and purchasing your concert tickets.

Most importantly, spreading your message and advocating your art to others.