Top 3 Social Musicians on Facebook

This is a weekly Friday installment from Stuzo documenting consumer engagement tips and tricks, both for day-to-day community management and for large-scale custom engagements. Hopefully this post will spark an idea for your brand or client, and if it does, be sure to let us know in the comments.

According to AllFacebook.com, nine of the ten most Liked people on Facebook are top recording artists. Clearly, major labels are embracing the site as an integral part of their artists’ social marketing strategies. With access to 600 million users, Facebook has become the main social hub for today’s top artists to market and promote their music. Like other global brands, these artists use Facebook Pages to engage with their international fan bases through a multitude of apps, sharing features, and custom social experiences.

In December 2010, Billboard launched its Social 50 Chart ranking artists by their social networking activity. The top three are currently Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna. Coincidentally, these artists also happen to be three of the ten most Liked people. How do they do it? Of course most of their Likes are based on their already established fame, but they do not solely rely on this. They also utilize Facebook’s social tools to give fans the content and connection they crave. While there are similarities between the three Pages, each has a unique component that reflects each artist’s image. By examining how the top three do it, brand and community managers can build and maintain an artist Page that will continue to attract fans.

All three Pages had the following applications to provide fans with full access to their media and highlight their current promotions:

• Music player: Fans can listen, share, Like, comment on, and buy song and albums from iTunes or Amazon
• Music video engine: Fans can view, share, Like, and comment on videos
• Newsletter: Fans can fill out a simple subscription form to signup
• Tour calendar: Fans can view upcoming dates, RSVP, share, and purchase tickets
• Store: Fans can view, share, and purchase merchandise through the artists website

In addition to these applications, all three music superstars rely heavily on their Wall to directly connect with fans. This is where their personalities really shine. Their status updates generate thousands of Likes and comments. They post frequently, usually daily and sometimes multiple times a day. Their status updates vary in topic and content to keep fans interested and coming back to the page daily. Some of these updates include:

• Personal quotes
• Song lyrics
• Behind-the-scenes photos and videos
• Exclusive sneak peeks
• Links to other social channels
• Fan photos and videos

As mentioned above, all three Pages are very similar in their use of the Wall and applications; however, each has certain elements that speak directly to each artist’s fan base. Lady Gaga, for example, is the only one of the top 3 to have an interactive social experience on her Page called Gaga + Robin Hood. Robin Hood is largest poverty-fighting organization helping New York City. Monsters are asked to vote on their favorite organization to decide which will receive $1 million donation. Fans can also enter to win free tickets to a private show benefiting Robin Hood.

Rihanna shows love to her Navy with a Fan Gallery application that allows fans to submit their own photos and vote on others for a weekly winner. She also frequently calls out to the Rihanna Navy on her Wall.

With nine applications, Justin Bieber leads the pack providing Beliebers with everything they could ever want. The Connect with JB application gives fans access to an enormous amount of Bieberified goodies including Facebook banners, twibbons, AIM icons, posters, and wallpapers. The application also lists all of his social channels, so fans can connect with him on all levels.

Now that we’ve seen how the best in the industry are doing it, here are some tips that any music brand or community managers can utilize to create a Facebook Page that captures the attention of fans:

• Give fans free and instant access to full-length songs and music videos
• Provides fans with the ability to purchase music, videos, and merchandise
• Take advantage of this platform to cross-promote the artist’s other social channels
• Incorporate links into applications to drive traffic to the artist’s website
• Make fans feel special with exclusive access and sneak peaks
• Grab the attention of fans with frequent and varied updates that encourage participation
• Highlight the artist’s current promotions such as albums and tours
• Include interactive features such as galleries
• Let fans Like, comment on, and share all of your content