This week's question from our new Q&A portal "Francis Freedom Fighters: Ask Roxie + Lucas" is actually one of the most common questions we get asked! 

I keep hearing that I should be using ads on social media to send people to Spotify and build my fanbase! I’ve also tried boosting my posts but it hasn’t really helped! Is there a Facebook Ads strategy you recommend?

Yes, you want to run ads for new potential fans to hear you on Spotify and YouTube. But DO NOT send them directly to Spotify and YouTube!

Why Not?

When you send people discovering you for the first time directly to Spotify and YouTube, you’re putting yourself--an unknown person to them--side by side with every other artist on Spotify and everything on YouTube. 

They might listen to 1 of your songs for a few seconds before moving to what’s already familiar. People are wired to stick to what’s familiar.

 You’re not even giving them a fair chance to discover your amazing new music, which in that moment is totally unfamiliar to them! 

Plus you don’t know who any of these people actually are. You’re not capturing any info or emails!

Here’s where you DO want to send them:

YOUR WEBSITE WITH SPOTIFY AND YOUTUBE EMBEDDED 

Why?

Now they’re on YOUR website, where there’s zero competition and the only actions are to scroll or click to another tab about YOU. Now you’re in control. Now you’re building massive know-like-trust much faster and in the crucial first impression.

Plus: 

• You still get the streams from Spotify and YouTube for social proof and royalties. 

• Put a signup form below and/or pop-up offer for your VIP Freebie by email invite. Now you’re capturing emails and growing your list! You can’t do this on Spotify! 

• You have total control over the visual/content experience you want your fans to have. 

• If you’re starting out, when you embed on your website your lower numbers are hidden, so they aren’t pre-judging. Unlike on Spotify and Youtube where your smaller streams/followers/subscribers/likes are in plain view. 

• Install a Facebook Pixel on your website to track ALL visitors. You can’t track visitors on Spotify/YT, except unknown subscribers you can’t contact. Many artists keep spending money on ads sending people to Spotify/YT, never knowing who they are or being able to contact them. When you ‘pixel’ your website, everyone ‘gets pixeled’ so you can send future ads directly to your VIP Freebie or paid offers. 

But just sending fans to your website with Spotify and YouTube is not the entire goal with Facebook Ads!

Here’s the basic strategy for how Facebook Ads can be used as your fanbase-building machine 365 days a year.

When you create any piece of content to share online, the first question you should have in mind is: why am I creating and sharing this? What is the result I want? What is the action I want people to take?

With Facebook Ads, you’re always creating each campaign, audience, and ad with the intention for a specific result.

The goal is to set up a mostly automated fanbase building system that can run every 365 days of the year. 

Ideally, you want to direct 3 types of traffic using ads running at all times:

1 Email List (fan capture and long-term nurture + offer)

2 Social Media (social proof)

3 Spotify/YouTube (social proof + royalties)

These are the exact strategies that have helped our clients during COVID go from $0 to $1200/gig and build 100+ REAL fans in a few short weeks in 2020!

If you’re willing to do whatever it takes to create the results you desire in your fanbase, impact and music biz, know that it’s here for you, and it’s here for you NOW.

If you’d like to submit a question, email us at info@iheartmyvoice.com.