If you're looking to up your game as an independent artist, or maybe you're signing tracks to a record label and you'd like to grow your social media following, then Lobisen - who works as part of the marketing team at Enhanced Music - has brought us some invaluable tips to help guide you in the right direction.
Lobisen is a DJ, producer, and has a passion for helping artists develop and achieve their goals. Whether it's playing a gig at a certain venue, growing a following, or getting more streams, Lobisen has supported artists to achieve these milestones alongside making and playing his own music.
Keep scrolling to hear the dos and don'ts of music self-marketing.
Socials: @lobisen
Thank you for joining us Francesco, can you tell us where are you in the world right now and what projects are you currently working on?
I made the move to Cornwall four years ago to pursue Creative Music Technology at Falmouth University. I graduated in July 2023 and then headed to London to kick start my career at Enhanced Music. For me, music is a way to escape the daily grind. Producing, singing, and writing music serve as an excellent stress relief.
Over the the past year, I've churned out around 50-60 songs, with some completed and others just demos so far, however they all contribute towards keeping the creative flow alive.
2023 has been a whirlwind on the artistic front. I've played numerous gigs and wrapped up an album of IDs. Interestingly, my goal wasn't to release loads of music last year, as my artistic career isn't the focal point of my vision right now.
"One of the most fulfilling parts of my role is witnessing people's daily expansion on social media and as an artist"
Can you tell us a bit about your job within the marketing team at Enhanced?
Sure, I joined Enhanced in 2023 just after graduating and I've been immersed in their incredibly inspiring and stimulating work environment since. My connection with the label goes way back to 2014 when I started following them after being amazed by some of Tritonal's iconic songs. The label's sound and the sense of belonging had me hooked.
Fast forward 10 years, and now I'm contributing to the growth of artists on the roster. I specialise in creating marketing strategies for their releases across all the Enhanced sublabels. I work with a diverse range of artists which always keeps it fresh and interesting. One of the most fulfilling parts of my role is witnessing their daily expansion on social media and as an artist.
Here's one of Lobisen's self-released songs called 'Tell Me':
"Rapid social media growth can often be attributed to a shift in mindset from being a passive user, to an active participant"
I guess the idea of success will vary between artists, how do you work with this while trying to grow the artist?
Yes success varies a lot. For some, it might involve achieving a specific number of streams, while others, it could be performing at a particular event or gaining a certain number of followers on social media.
From a broader perspective, over the past few years I have focussed on assisting artists in identifying a direction to pursue. Each individual possess unique strengths and weaknesses, and the crucial aspect of my role is effectively channeling them to where they are most needed.
Reflecting over the past few months, I helped an artist reach the 10,000 social media followers milestone within six months of his initial release. This accomplishment was achieved through market analysis and guiding him on the necessary steps.
What were some of the other key factors that made this artist have success on social media?
His rapid growth can be attributed to his shift in mindset from being a passive user of Reels/TikTok to an active participant, while consistently questioning why certain types of content resonate with the audience. By ensuring the quality of his music and thinking about the strategies needed to enhance his social media presence, he managed to organically expand his platform with his next releases.
It's also worth noting that labels take a keen interest in these numbers. Growth on social media can position an artist favourably for signings and its not uncommon to find yourself in the position of making major deals after achieving notable success.
Here we have 'Your Name' released by Lobisen in 2022:
"Keep the momentum going by creating content for unreleased or seemingly not-so-great songs, you might be surprised by what catches listeners' ears."
So if you're someone who wants to give this ago yourself, then here's Lobisen's 5 do's and don'ts for self-marketing:
DO's
Get creative with your content: If you stumble upon something cool on Instagram or TikTok, don't just copy it, put your own twist on it. Just because it worked for someone else doesn't mean it will work for you.
Be real: The internet loves relatable content, and you've got to love what you're doing. Don't force yourself into things that don't make you feel confident or don't match your personality.
Stay on top of trends in your niche and understand your audience: Knowing what your audience likes makes everything easier. If you're stuck, check out what others are doing in your genre and figure out a why people dig their content.
Put in the time: Keep learning and don't settle for your first idea. The little details matter.
Show some professionalism: Aim for quality in your content. Even if your idea is great, it won't get the attention it deserves if it's not polished.
DON'Ts
Don't let your profile go dormant for too long: stay active even between releases. Instead of just pushing your songs, promote your brand. If there's a gap between releases then it's like starting from scratch each time. Keep the momentum going by creating content for unreleased or seemingly not-so-great songs, you might be surprised by what catches listeners' ears.
Don't post too much random stuff on your Insta feed: your feed is for your brand-related content, and you can use stories to post more random day-to-day content. Whatever content you decide to post, you just want to make it clear to anyone checking your profile what you're all about.
Don't rush your content: take your time and make a plan! I've seen artists go all out with two pieces of content a week during productive periods and then drop off after a month. If you can carve out some time, record content and schedule releases in advance so that you keep the flow of content coming without burning out.
Don't classify your releases as tier one or two: even if you don't think much of certain releases, don't miss the chance to promote them. They might not be your favourites, but the public doesn't know that!
Don't stop: balancing content creation and life can be tough, but with the right promotion at the right times, you can double your growth. Keep pushing forward!
Lobisen's latest release with NOYSE - 'Emptiness' from 2023:
So it sounds like whether you're self-releasing or releasing via a record label, there's always scope to get creative with your own content and to do some of your own promotion. Is there anything else you'd like to add on this note?
Personally, I believe that collaborating one-to-one with a label for track promotion is a crucial element in today's music industry.
With the intense competition on social media, artists need to be more experimental with their approaches in order to break through. Similar to crafting a great song, you don't necessarily need the fanciest equipment or the biggest names in music. If the idea resonates, you're already halfway there.
This principle also applies to content creation. Everyday we witness different types of content on the internet propelling songs to go viral, and it's often the simple concepts that work the best.
A record label provides an established platform, and the artists themselves need to aim at the public and their audience. Take a look at content that labels typically share, analyse the types of videos that perform well and ask yourself - why does this particular video have so many views. Then, inject your own unique ideas into the mix.
Insta links: