social media 101
EVERY BRAND
has a place in social media
No matter your niche, there’s a demographic or a market for you. Opera is no different. Social Media is the idea place to present proof of concept, points of difference, and educate the public on your brand.
STATS
5.1 BILLion users
average user spends time on 6 platforms each month
usage (USA): 2.5hrs per day
most-used:
tiktok
instagram
facebook
youtube
twitter
linkedin
snapchat
pinterest
opera lives on instagram
…for now
Instagram was designed for portfolio-type engagement, making it, for now, the ideal place for opera to live. It allows space for most demographics, is easily searchable, and is the most easily-navigated social media space for the arts. It was not designed for “entertainment” whereas TikTok was.
Boomers and Academia live on Facebook, but most casting and brand establishment will come from about 60% IG, 20% TikTok, and 20% Facebook.
TikTok - is ideal for narrow niche storytelling, incidentally viral content, and trends. It is not ideal for pivoting, or changing your brand.
why we post what we post
posting psychology
Followers want:
to be entertained
to be educated
to escape
Users want to be:
an entertainer
a guide
a documentarian
UNIVERSAL SOCIAL MEDIA TRUTH: the longer you can keep the public online, the more valuable you are to the app. The more valuable you are, the more your content will be pushed.
METRICS OF VALUE:
Videos - watched to the end
Posts - posts that are shared & comments with distinct engagement (conversation)
Followers (IG) & Reach (TikTok)
PLATFORM STYLES
TikTok: based on the Vine concept, it’s designed for short form storytelling, and one-topic virality. If you have one thing go viral (or develop a distinct following) then TikTok’s algorithm requires you to do that one thing over and over again. If you shift too dramatically you will lose your reach, and therefore your value.
Instagram: based on a portfolio and followers model, it’s designed for a more broad topic baseline, letting you tell multiple stories simultaneously.
long form digital storytelling
making your social media presence more like a documentary than a scripted show will allow you to have an authentic presence that requires casual curating rather than anxiety-driven needs because you “have” to post something. This is why it’s easier to live on IG for now rather than TikTok.
THREE PILLARS OF STORYTELLING
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ROLES/RECITALS
The easiest default topic for any singer.
The sheer volume of subtopics allows for multi-month longform storytelling while keeping followers engaged with details. Other artists will see camaraderie, industry pros will see knowledge/execution of the industry, “civilians” will be educated about the lifestyle of a singer.
TOPICS:
• characters
• languages
• stories told through the medium
• rehearsals
• costumes
• backstage life
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professional development
coachings, lessons, training programs, YAPs
Being in part of a program is a fantastic time to utilize each other for collaborative posts. Other professionals like teachers and coaches can also be used for collaborations in posting content.
Talk about challenges so long as you immediately discuss how you overcame them. Vulnerability is ok so long as there’s something to celebrate (psychology)
-
PERSONAL
It’s important that, like Nadine, the public feels like they know you. If the public craves authenticity, then finding a balance of personal content as well as artistic content is suggested.
The ideal balance is usually 1/3 personal content.
Pets, cooking, travel, or unique skills play well.
Take 10 minutes and come up with 3 pillars for yourself. We will go around and each share one, discuss it, and talk about the best type of posts for it.
Algorithm tricks & how to post.
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wifi signal-style algorithm design. If the public is entertained, TikTok will support it in waves. Heavily trend-based (because trends keep users on the app longer, and have higher volume views)
Pushing to de-throne YouTube, we’re seeing longers content and horizontal content.
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Followers, engagement, and shares. Content is only shown to 10-12% of your followers, engagement ups these numbers.