Welcome to the first of a new three-part series covering best practice for organic and paid music marketing campaigns across Instagram and Facebook.

In this edition, Julia Killer, head of music label partnerships, Natalie Kelly, client solutions manager and Vanessa Bakewell, client partner at Facebook, take you through the ways in which you can enable fans, followers and wider audiences to connect on a deeper level with your artists and the music they love.

Read on for their Top 10 tips on the best ways to build and connect...

Set up for success with security essentials

Two-factor authentication is a necessity for Facebook Profile and Pages, Instagram and Business Manager. It adds an extra level of security to your accounts by connecting it with another device – essential to protect your accounts.

Build your audience across platforms and consider crossposting

By using Facebook and Instagram together, you can reach even more people looking to you for inspiration. You can automatically cross-post Instagram posts and Stories to Facebook, as well as cross-post IGTV videos to Facebook. Find out more here.

Use video where possible

Build engaging video where possible, rather than relying on static images. Video is more likely to capture attention quickly. Use Instagram Reels to expand the distribution...

When building creative, think short, snappy video that captures attention in the first three seconds

As people scroll quickly through Feed, Stories and Reels, landing the message quickly in the first three seconds is key. Aim to feature the artist’s name/logo in the first three seconds of a video.

Use Instagram reels to expand the distribution of your content

Instagram Reels recently launched in countries that have the audio library music features. Reels are a new way to create entertaining or inspiring short videos (up to 60 seconds) to reach new audiences on Instagram. Distribution of Reels is unconnected – Reels can be seen by both followers and non followers, meaning that they are an exciting way to grow your profile and connect with new fans on the platform. For music campaigns, we recommend the following:

• Always use the music from the music library so the correct artist and track get attributed and fans can find your music! Do not use original audio when a music sticker is available.

• Sharing to both Instagram Stories and Grid will ensure that you maximise the organic reach of your Reel.

• Stay relevant with cultural moments, trending topics and popular audio from the music library.

• Keep things simple. Reels don’t need to be overproduced to be successful. There are an amazing array of AR affects you can use to spice up your Reels.

Leverage Global Audio Search on Instagram

You can now search for audio to use in Reels directly from the explore tab on Instagram. This makes it easy to create on Reels with the songs and sounds you love and get inspired by the creativity of others. For artists, this means you can now find your own songs and the Reels being created by fans/users. Share your fans’ content to your stories, react via reels remix or surprise fans by commenting on their content.

Use the Reels Remix feature

This allows you to engage with other creators or musicians and participate in trends on Instagram by creating your own reel alongside an existing reel. Make sure to include a Call To Action to your fans if you want to be remixed. Scroll through the Reels tab and tap on the audio of reels you like to see examples and get inspired. You can save the audio to use later in your own Reels.

Use music stickers and lyrics stickers in your FB/IG Stories to find that perfect song to soundtrack your moment

The Lyrics Sticker is a great evolution of the music sticker with impactful words and sound for others to immediately grasp the meaning of your message.

For paid advertising – go broad

“Targeting more broadly is our main recommended pivot in music marketing,” says Facebook global client partner, entertainment Vanessa Bakewell. “Niche targeting or targeting of similar artists or bands will always be expensive and inefficient for small or large budgets. The audience is always broader than you think. You can only market to people when you reach them so taking limits and constraints off targeting can mean budgets go much further. Reach builds artists, not niche campaigns!”

Test and Learn, iterate!

Measure as you plan and launch campaigns across both paid and organic. The A/B test feature for ads in Ads Manager allows you to test different approaches, analysing quickly, to then make real time changes. Crowdtangle is a valuable tool alongside Ads Manager metrics to assess your organic performance.