For those unaware, in the Fall of 2019 I was recruited to teach a digital marketing course at University of the Pacific, MMGT 121: Media Promotion.
Although the class had been taught before, a lot of the material was already outdated or did not apply to how I operate as a digital marketer. Therefore, I have been creating the course from scratch since that first (trial) run.
Fast forward through a successful trial (based on student evaluations), and we are currently in our 3rd semester running through my ever evolving design.
For context, the course is run like a digital marketing agency. Students team up or work solo to take on a client, plan and build a marketing campaign, execute, then analyze and present the results as well as future recommendations (as the final exam).
There is quite a bit of time spent consulting 1-on-1 with each project. A really great question came up recently. A question worth answering beyond the attention of the 10-11 students we had in attendance that evening.
The question…
What’s your take on DM’ing new followers a quick “thank you” message and showing appreciation? Do you think it helps build followers and community or do people find it annoying?
Robby.Reviews
Short answer: Depends on how you approach it.
My perspective?
You should spend most of your time in Direct Messages. That’s where the really meaningful and fulfilling interactions and engagement takes place.
In the below video I go into much more detail. I also discuss why 98% of artist bios I see in my daily life suck. Really, they just do.
Watch the video for tips on how to makes your not suck.
One thing you should realize as an indie artist is that there are multiple levels of communication occurring simultaneously in the digiverse.
- Direct to fan. More personal, more intimate, your tribe.
- Direct to business. Agents, venues, labels, playlisters, anyone who can expose you to larger audiences in order bring more individuals into your “direct to fan” frequency.