The 3 Best Ways to Promote Yourself on Social Media
You know how it goes.
You prepare a beautiful reel of your best sound or music, craft an expert text about your game audio services, tee it up with the perfect emojis (🔥) and click post. But then...
*Crickets*
Is social media full of opportunity or a desolate wasteland?
It depends on how you use it!
And the truth is, most of us don't understand how to use social media properly for our businesses.
Why don't people engage with your posts and how can you change that while generating more meaningful online interaction with game developers and your peers?
Keep reading to find out!
Make social media work for you with these simple tips!
How Do People Use Social Media?
Please pay attention and commit to memory the following :
Have you noticed what isn't in the first, second, or even third place for reasons why people use social media?
To research/find products (in our case services) to buy.
Yes, the results are in and have been for a while.
People don't go to social media to make transactional decisions.
And if that's the case, why are you trying so hard to sell something there?
You wouldn't use a hammer when the task at hand requires a screwdriver, so why use social media for a purpose it simply isn't made for?
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How to Promote Yourself Effectively
Look at that chart again and consider what people are really on social media for and how you can actually use these platforms to your advantage:
1 | News and Current Events
Yes, many people stay up-to-date through their social feeds.
If people are posting about something in great numbers, it must be newsworthy.
What can you do with this information?
Become a source of news for your community and customers!
Become a go-to source of news for game developers!
My friend Martin Rieger has crushed this with a blog that keeps his B2B customers informed on the current developments of spatial audio technology and how it relates to their businesses.
He has become one of the best sources of information on his niche topic and when he shares his helpful posts on LinkedIn, you can bet people are paying attention!
By adding value through breakdowns of current events related to your niche, you can subtly but powerfully advertise your expertise and generate loads of goodwill with potential customers that will no doubt be paid back in time.
2 | Funny or Entertaining Content
A lot of us are entertaining or do work that is entertaining in nature.
Like... oh, I dunno. Music?!
Check out the heap of flaming funk that is Alex Moukala and get a masterclass in entertaining content that drives business.
He's as cool as this Alex but 1000% funkier.
Alex started posting his very cool, very epic arrangements of music from pop culture & video games on Youtube a few years ago and it was a beautiful and genius way to attract attention to his musical chops.
Because let's face it: most people aren't scrolling their feeds to stop and spend a few minutes just sitting and listening to new compositions from random composers.
However, when they see funk covers of Final Fantasy music in their feed, you better bet your ass they are gonna stop and check it out!
By doing this, Alex is not only entertaining the masses.
He is also using his dope covers as a stepping stone for people to discover and be impressed by his skills!
Can you also find a creative and clever way to entertain your customers while showcasing your talent?
Yes... the answer is yes.
3 | Networking with Other People
This last one is the simplest tool in the social media toolkit but it is still incredibly powerful.
Let's imagine for a moment that social media is an actual networking event:
How many people do you think you would attract and impress if you simply walked up to groups of strangers and said:
Hey, I'm a sound designer. Here's my reel.
Hey, I'm a sound designer. Here's my reel.
Hey, I'm a sound designer. Here's my reel.
You'd probably get kicked out of the event!
So cringe! Don't do this!
And yet this is the approach to marketing that many video game composers and sound designers have chosen.
They use social media to post, but they never participate.
This is not how you level up in a career that is built off of relationships and reputation.
You would never make friends talking solely about yourself at a party, so why would that approach work on social media?
Nobody likes people who do this.
If you want to know how to network on social media in a meaningful way, look no further than my man Ben Elliott.
Anyone who knows him will no doubt agree he is one of the nicest people on #gameaudio Twitter.
He always engages thoughtfully with the content people post and is quick to leave words of encouragement and support.
Talking about Ben Elliott here.
You may or may not believe in karma, but Ben no doubt has a reputation for being a positive voice in the industry and people love him for it.
Instead of scrolling through your feed looking for devs to cold-message about composing for their game, start leaving thoughtful, engaging comments on their posts.
Gary Vee calls this the $1.80 Strategy and it works as follows:
"Leave your personal .02 cents on the top 9 trending posts for 10 different hashtags that are relevant to your brand or business every single day. By the end, you haven’t just left your .02, but a full $1.80 of thoughts online in the specific category, niche or industry you want to become a part of."
The way to win on social media is to actually be social.
You want to not only build influence but also build community and become part of the conversation online.
Becoming a genuine voice in your niche online is a great way to make everyone aware of you and your services without shoving it down their throat, which ends up getting you the exact opposite of the results you want for your business.
Takeaway
Social media is one of the most powerful tools game audio freelancers have for marketing their services but only if it is used properly.
Remember how I said content is for your customers?
This applies to your social media presence as well.
"Don't use social media to impress people; use it to impact people."
Dave Willis
If you show up online to serve yourself and not your customers, you can expect to get the same reaction as that person who walks up to strangers and says:
Hey, I'm a sound designer. Here's my reel.
Hey, I'm a sound designer. Here's my reel.
...#FAIL
I created The Game Audio Pro with the goal of helping others understand the fundamental business skills that are often the difference between success and failure for freelancers.
If you're ready to take your game audio career to the next level, download my guide to The Most Important Mindset for Game Audio Success.