Linkedin is a social networking site that has a specific focus on careers, education, and industry networking. It also happens to be a site underutilized by musicians. Here are some of the key benefits for using Linkedin as a professional musician:
- The opportunity to network with people directly involved in the music industry
- Access to contact information for booking agents, labels, A&R reps, managers, and more
- Opportunity to engage with other musicians
- Access to potential sponsorships and endorsements
- Access to networking groups to get questions about the industry answered
- Get advice from others directly in the industry
- Find opportunities to showcase your music
Like anything else, the content on there should be taken with a grain of salt. You can also gain followers and influence in Linkedin Groups, which will ultimately be of use to you. Here are six proven ways to gain influence on Linkedin:
1) By creating real value: Actually participate in group discussions and add something meaningful, don’t just use Linkedin Groups as a megaphone to promote yourself. This is the foundation of everything else here.
2) Building up your brand: Your Linkedin profile is part of your “brand” or how people view you. Look at the tip above: do you want to be associated as someone who only promotes their own products/services or do you want to be viewed as someone who contributes to others?
3) Make it two ways: You can’t expect others to blindly follow you if you aren’t taking the time to follow them first.
4) Create a niche: Stand out from the crowd by offering unique insights, especially on something that you specialize in
5) Don’t add to the noise: Simply posting your twitter handle and expecting something to come from it isn’t going to help you – if anything, it’ll actually be counter productive.
6) Get to know the mavens: Follow and interact with the top influencers of each Linkedin Group. That will help build your credibility. See what kinds of posts they are making, how they are enriching the rest of the group. Learn from that.
Also, do not create a user account for your band – save that for creating a company page. Instead, you should create a profile for you as an individual. That’s how the site is designed. Like Facebook pages, the Linkedin company page can post updates, services, have some branding, and contact information. Band members can all be tied to the account as employees.
Linkedin Groups can be a great resource for professional networking. But the key is networking, as in working with others. Use it well and it will help open up doors for your music career.
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