MasterMind Drummer
Newsletter #40
23rd Sep, 2024
How To Grow Your Social Media In Just 3-Steps
Welcome, it’s nice to have you here.
This isn’t just any week… This is the 40th week I have been writing Newsletters for MasterMind Drummer. Wow!
40 seems like an odd number to celebrate, but as it’s been approaching I’d be lying if I didn’t feel somewhat of a sense of pride for having made it this far.
Writing is enjoyable, but it’s certainly not easy.
Putting all your thoughts down in a cohesive manner, making sure that everything is legible, understandable, and hell, INTERESTING! (no guarantees there lol).
I enjoy it. I always have. It’s cathartic.
I noticed early on when I started posting clips on social media about 8years ago, that often the video that accompanied the post was merely a vehicle for the thoughts I wanted to share.
The video was almost a second thought to the text I was writing below.
This has been, (and still is), a very enjoyable process for me, and something I am still attempting to get better at each and everyday.
No matter which Newsletter you jumped in on here at MasterMind Drummer, thanks for joining me for the ride! I appreciate the time you take out of your day to read them.
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So what I wanted to do today was flesh out a post I made a few days back, regarding social media. It was titled –
How To Grow Your Social Media In Just 3-Steps
I come back to this topic a lot, because it seems to be on everyone’s mind, and for good reason. I’ve mentioned this before, but over on Threads I seem to see a lot of people discussing how to crack the code on how to build their audience, or just complaining about their inability to do so.
After doing this for some time, and having a reasonable amount of success with it, I wanted to share a simple 3-point system of what to keep in mind when it comes to building growth on your social media.
Before we get into those 3-points, let’s just preface this by acknowledging that you need to know EXACTLY why you want to build your audience in the first place. So….. do you?
Is it to get more students? Is it to get more gig opportunities? Studio work? Is it to get endorsed? Is it purely to make your mark in the international drum scene? Maybe it’s all of the above? Maybe it’s just a creative outlet for you, and you aren’t too concerned about whether it grows or not? Totally fine also.
Knowing why is super important, so you can at the very least keep your content heading in that direction.
If you know my story, you’ll know that I only started doing social media in the first place as at the time I had made the decision to pull back from touring to raise my young family, and all that gig energy I wasn’t using, went into sharing my concepts and ideas online. Thats it.
I had a lot more time to practice, and the same obsession I always had, so I spent it developing my pocket, facility, dynamics, and mechanics, and then sharing the results online, coupled with some thoughts.
Then, over time, it got traction.
So why am I talking about this? Well, I think it’s important to know that my social media has only ever been a form of expression, and if for whatever reason, I’ve felt it start to become disingenuous, formulaic, or somewhat contrived, (which has happened), I’ve stopped doing it.
I would then usually revolt in some sort of dramatic way, and do something drastic like delete all my content. Hahaha. (seriously)
But, by in large, my policy has always been this –
‘Be as honest and authentic as humanly possible, and if I don’t dig it, I don’t do it’. Thats it.
This approach has, by-in-large, maintained a sense of enjoyment with my social media, and is a lot more sustainable, too. Which in my opinion, is paramount to growth.
So, with that in mind, let’s dig into my 3-steps…
Step 1 – Know your voice (on AND off the kit)
This could be framed in many ways, but labeling it simply ‘know your voice’ gets the point across pretty quickly.
What do you have to say on the kit, and off the kit? What is your preference? Your style? What are the details about your voice that you want people to know about you? What are your strengths? What sort of opportunities do you want to attract? Essentially, what is your brand?
These questions are really important to answer.
The reason being is right from the start, you need to make sure you are being the most authentic version of your self –
A. So you are always nurturing a genuine side of your playing, and B. So that you never find yourself in a trap of being something, or sharing something, that you are not.
This comes down to a couple of things.
1. Your goals – short and long term. Knowing your voice, in part, comes down to identifying the player you are currently, but also, the player you want to be in the future. Once you figure that out, you can work your way back and do what’s required to achieve it.
2. Understanding exactly what you stand for as a player and a person.
Look, the world wasn’t created and then man and woman stood there with a fig leaf over their unmentionables and a set of sticks in their hands. This whole thing is a man-made. If you zoom out far enough, it has no rules. Keep that in mind.
The point is, ultimately, there is no wrong opinion or answer here, as it’s just creative expression. Specifically, your creative expression, so start thinking about what you have to say, and start sharing it – and at the risk of someone disagreeing too!
Your voice matters just as much as anyone elses, no matter where they are on their journey, or you are on yours.
People can disagree – and they will, it’s their right, but the main thing is that you have a clear understanding of what your beliefs are on and off the kit, and that know how to share them clearly and concisely.
Once you’ve figured all this out, you now have an anchor to build from that’s sustainable and authentic. THIS IS KEY.
Step 2. Do not care what others may think.
This is a big one, and I’d say probably the biggest hurdle when it comes to being willing to consistently share your playing (and opinions) online.
Let go. Plain and simple. Let go.
There is a big issue here in New Zealand, where judgment comes the second someone starts to proudly share their playing (and philosophy) online. We call it ‘tall poppy syndrome’, and this country has a terrible case of it.
The key here is understanding that those that judge and criticize you were never your audience in the first place. So why give them the power and control over your output, and most importantly, over your voice online? Its a tragedy.
They are often the loudest, yes, but when you boil it down, they were never going to offer you gigs, opportunities, students, or an endorsement – it’s just noise, so don’t give them the mental real estate that you often do.
And remember too, people may say and think things about your playing that can be a little rough to read or hear, but seriously, does it matter? Really? Everyone is soooooo busy with their own lives, and trying to survive, that it all means nothing ultimately anyway. Comments just come and go. Good or bad, none of it should ever stick.
The most important thing (and this goes for you in your day-to-day life also), is never to hold back on sharing who you are on and off the kit, in fear of judgment. Being judged is par of the course, a necessary step in having your own voice.
When someone judges something I’ve done (and it happens a lot), I get charged up by it, simply because it tells me I know how I am, where I am coming from, and the strength of the opinions I hold.
I think at this point it’s important to point something out also…
When I say ‘know your voice and opinions’, I do not mean to go on to everyone’s pages and start telling them what you think about their playing. This is actually where I think society gets it wrong, and if anything, shows a deeper cultural disorder online.
I mean purely from the standpoint of YOUR social media pages.
Seriously, if YOU do this, stop it now. It’s not OK. Stop commenting negatively on ANY posts you come across, whether it be YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok.
I can tell you now, I have never commented something negative on anyone’s post, EVER. And never will, regardless of the content. I have thoughts, but the sickness is going on to someone else’s page, and telling them.
Let them do them, and you just worry about you.
3. Consistency is key.
Another killer in growth is in not being consistent.
Let me make this very clear. This is the BIGGEST contributor to growth on social media. If you are not consistent, you will not grow.
As genuine and as authentic as I want you to be, you must understand that, at the very minimum, you are still going to have to feed the machine on some level, and on a regular basis.
I suppose we could refer to this part as ‘playing the game’.
At a minimum, all social media sites are built on the premise ‘the more you give, the more you get’.
You can not get around this, so accept it, deal with it, or just move on. But DON’T moan about it.
So, once you identify your voice, your strengths, and you no longer have a fear of being judged, have a think about what different types of content you could create.
For me, I want people to understand within one look at my socials, who I am, and what I offer as a drummer. This helps with the variety of content I like to share.
I play live, I do studio work, I teach 1on1 and online, I sell drum gear, I sell drum courses, I mentor, I podcast, I’m a nerd and love gear, I love to showcase my playing and what I am working on etc. and this all becomes different ways in which I can shape my content, which in turn reinforces what I have to offer.
This is how you build your brand.
I never feel I don’t have anything to post, because I understand very clearly –
A. who I am
B. what I do, and
C. what I have to offer
Define these areas within yourself and being consistent with content becomes much much easier.
I think in summary, I’d just like to make the point too, that once you have all these areas dialed in, understand and accept that it takes time – and a lot of time!
A week of effort, a month of effort, a year of effort, is just not enough. Lock in, be consistent, refine, and keep moving forward!
Oh, and try not to lose yourself in the process either. Trust me. It’s a jungle out there.
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So there we have it!
How To Grow Your Social Media In Just 3-Steps
There is so much to unpack here, and to be honest, we could have gone levels upon levels deeper too, but I respect your time, and feel we dug into some good stuff here, stuff that will hopefully help take your growth to the next level.
Let’s leave it there for this week.
As always, thanks for taking the time, and thanks for all your feedback, too. I really appreciate it.
I read them all. So please, if you have any thoughts, send them through, and let’s get a dialogue happening.
Don’t forget… Stay hungry (and stay healthy!)
See you next week.
Stan