Jessica Roe On Social Media, Marketing And Mystery

JJessica Roe is a digital and social consultant, and the CEO of Level Theory. She recently spoke at The Music Conference in Malmö, Sweden, where she talked about building a successful online presence.

In this interview she talks about the importance of mystery, her best marketing tips, and how to engage with fans in the best way possible.

Oscar: What’s the biggest marketing mistake a musician can make?

Jessica: This is a really hard question as each musician is a unique case. I would say that it’s important not to give 100% of your personal life away to your fans. Firstly, the bigger you get the more this can make you feel trapped, secondly fans like some mystery and finding out little pieces of information becomes a mystery hunt so all the more exciting for them. Giving your personal opinions on topics such as religion, politics or current affairs can also lose you fans and get you into a lot of hot water, so steer clear unless it’s something you feel extremely strongly about and you have all the information.

What’s your best marketing advice for musicians?

It’s very important you think hard about how you want to be seen by others before you do anything else. Spending some time writing notes on other brands/bands/fashions that you associate yourself with can be a good starting point and then try to create some brand guidelines for yourself, such as “I will avoid arguing with fans on social media, I am all about ‘High Energy and Excitement’, I want my fans to be 18-24 years, etc.” You can then refer to these to make sure you are sticking to your goals and not wasting time making posts that will mislead your audience.

If you spend too much time trying to market yourself in a certain way just to gain fans, you will end up being just like everyone else.

What can a musician do to “stand out from the crowd” today?

Be a true artist. For a musician, it’s important that you immerse yourself in your art: Writing incredible music, giving an incredible performance – these are the job of only the musician. Marketing can be done by others and it’s easy if the artists really understands themselves and what it is that they do. If you spend too much time trying to market yourself in a certain way just to gain fans, you will end up being just like everyone else. Find your talents and embrace them completely, don’t worry what others think until later.

How does one create engaging content on a regular basis?

Jessica Roe

It is a lot easier to do when you have some brand guidelines or notes to help keep you on track. If you have that, try to create a bit of a schedule for the type of things you want to say, for example: One entertaining post from the internet a week, two tips on music production a week, three pieces of ‘behind the scenes’ info, and one ‘sales’ post about my next singe/tour/merch, etc. By breaking it down into a rough schedule, it can remove some of the pressure you feel in trying to ‘fill the space’ in the week and also help you keep the type of things you say varied and topical for your audience.

In terms of keeping your content engaging, it’s really down to watching how your content is received and learning what works and what doesn’t for your specific audience. You have to be willing to try things out whilst not repeating your mistakes.

How can a musician engage with fans in an “organic” way?

Talk to them. Remember that social media is a conversation – you wouldn’t walk into a room filled with your fans and just shout statements at them, you would say something, listen to how they react, and then respond. You don’t have to comment on every single posts a fan makes, but you might want to ask 1 question a week such as ‘Who should I get to remix my next single’ or ‘I’m heading to New York, what should I see while I am there?’ and then comment or like or reply to 2-3 of the answers so your fans feel listened to. You don’t have to do the things they request, but it’s important they feel like you care about what they think. You never know, they might also genuinely help you out!

Remember that social media is a conversation – you wouldn’t walk into a room filled with your fans and just shout statements at them, you would say something, listen to how they react, and then respond.

You’ve been involved in the music industry since a young age; what’s the most important thing that you’ve learned from past experiences?

I try to keep learning new things every day! I guess the most important is that you should always make time to introduce yourself to people and to never make enemies. The music industry is huge but also incredibly small. Word spreads fast if there is an artist who is rude and impossible to work with. Always maintain a professional, helpful and polite attitude and be open to meet everyone. Make an effort to treat everyone the same whether its the Head of Sony or the intern and a small record label, you never know where that person will go to next and you can be sure your paths will cross again!

Oscar Hjelmstedt is a Swedish journalist, student and bass player, with a passion for music and Tarantino-flicks.