How to Use Social Media for Make Music Vermont

A comprehensive social media guide for promoting Make Music Vermont, covering strategy, organic content, paid promotion, and platform-specific tips.

The Big Picture: Pay-to-Play Social Media

What Changed

Social media is no longer the "Wild West" where good content automatically grows your audience. Since mid-2014, platforms have become "pay to play" — you need to put money behind posts for them to be seen, even by your own followers.

Platform Breakdown

The Silver Lining

Paid promotion allows precise targeting — you can show posts to people based on location, interests, demographics, and behavior.

Rethinking Follower Counts

Old thinking: More followers = bigger megaphone

New reality: With pay-to-play, having 1 million followers doesn't matter much if you still have to pay for each post to be seen.

What this means for Make Music Vermont:

• Don't obsess over follower counts
• Focus on fewer, better posts rather than posting daily
• Put your budget behind your best content
• Quality engagement > quantity of followers

Workarounds for Limited Budgets

1. Partner with Sponsors

Brands want to associate with good causes. Go to corporate partners and say:

"Here's a post we created about Make Music Vermont (or about our partnership with you). Can you help us get the word out?"

They can boost it using their following and budget — and you've saved them content creation work.

Vermont sponsor opportunities:

• Local breweries and restaurants
• Music stores
• Vermont arts organizations
• Local media outlets

2. Leverage Influencers

Algorithms still favor influencers with large, engaged followings. Provide them with:

• Photos and videos from events
• Key facts and talking points
• Graphics they can share

Let them speak authentically in their own voice — they know their audience best.

Vermont influencers to consider:

• Local musicians with strong followings
• Vermont lifestyle/tourism accounts
• Local food and drink accounts
• Regional music bloggers

What to Post

Content Principles

• Don't make posts look like traditional ads — community-minded content performs better
• Use A/B testing — create two versions with different messages or graphics, put $5 behind each, see which works
• Every post needs an image on Facebook (text-only posts get no traction)
• Video performs extremely well — keep videos short and captioned
• Facebook Live gets algorithmic priority (if you can pull it off)

Best Uses for Social Media

Content Ideas

• Music Facts — Share interesting music trivia with eye-catching graphics
• Make Music Day Facts — "Make Music Day started in France as Fête de la Musique in 1982"
• Music Tips — Share advice for musicians (posture, practice tips, gear recommendations)
• #TBT Posts — Share photos and videos from previous Make Music Vermont events
• Spotlight local musicians participating in MMD VT
• Feature Vermont venues hosting events
• Behind-the-scenes prep content
• Countdown posts leading up to June 21st

Instagram Best Practices

Instagram is the most used social media platform for Gen Z and Millennials. As of late 2021, Instagram shifted from a photo-sharing app to a video and content-sharing platform focused on creators and Reels.

Types of Posts

Reels (Best for Reach)

Short, entertaining videos that get the best results:

• Keep it short, fun, and entertaining
• Hook viewers in the first 3 seconds — if they're not engaged, they'll scroll past
• Use lists/numbers (e.g., "Top 5 Reasons to Join Make Music Vermont") — curiosity drives watch time
• Comedy works — if you make people laugh, they'll share and tag friends

Photo Posts

• Use high-resolution images
• Keep descriptions short to medium length
• Include 5-8 relevant hashtags

Carousel Posts

Share 2-10 images in one post — great for step-by-step content or event highlights.

Video Posts

Horizontal videos can be up to 60 minutes, but reach is very low compared to Reels. Favor vertical Reels instead.

Hashtag Best Practices

• Put hashtags in the comments section (not the caption) to keep posts clean
• Only use hashtags related to your content — unrelated tags hurt reach
• Suggested hashtags for Vermont:
• #MakeMusicVermont
• #MakeMusicDay
• #MakeMusicVT
• #VermontMusic
• #VTMusic
• #LiveMusicVT

Instagram Tips

• Design your Highlights — Keep past IG stories organized in branded Highlight covers (use Canva)
• Engage with other accounts — The more you engage, the more engagement you'll receive
• Repost content from musicians — Always credit the original creator
• Tag local accounts — @bigHeavyWorld, Vermont venues, local musicians
• Use location tags — Tag Vermont cities where events are happening

Facebook & Instagram Advertising

Facebook: Boost vs. Ad

Facebook Boost

• Best for: Reactionary promotion of posts already performing well
• Use when: A post is getting good engagement and you want to amplify it
• Caution: Don't boost just because Facebook suggests it — focus on content that moves Make Music Day forward

Facebook Ad

• Best for: Planned promotions for events or special projects
• Advantage: Geographic and demographic targeting
• Use when: Promoting your main event, musician/venue recruitment

Targeting Tips

Geographic Targeting

• Set a mile radius around your town center
• For rural Vermont chapters, consider a larger radius (25+ miles)
• You can target multiple towns if your chapter covers a region

Demographic Targeting

• Age: Consider your target audience (18-65+ for broad reach)
• Interests: Music, concerts, local events, community activities
• Music genres: Recruit specific types of musicians

Benchmarks for Success

Facebook Events

• Organic benchmark: 1% response rate is considered successful
• Paid benchmark: 2%+ response rate indicates a successful ad

Facebook Posts

• Organic benchmark: 10-12% engagement rate is successful

Instagram

• Engagement per follower: 3% is good
• Reach rate: 1-3.5% is good, 3.5-6% is excellent

Budget Recommendations for Vermont Chapters

Advanced Targeting

Behavioral Targeting

Google AdWords (free for 501c3s via Google Grants) shows ads based on search terms:

• "Live music Vermont"
• "Performance opportunities for musicians"
• "Free outdoor concerts Vermont"

Facebook retargeting can show ads to people who visited makemusicvermont.org.

Sequence Ads

Set up a series of ads that build on each other each time someone logs in — telling a progressive story about Make Music Vermont.

Organizing Your Social Media Work

Batch Your Content

• Write all posts for the week on one day
• Use scheduling tools like Hootsuite or Meta Business Suite
• Check in periodically but don't stay glued to platforms

Best Times to Post

Seasonal Strategy for Make Music Vermont

Measuring Success

Adopt a "fail forward" mentality of testing and learning:

1. Set specific goals for each post:
• This post recruits musicians
• This post raises general awareness
• This post thanks sponsors
2. Track results:
• How many people saw it?
• How many engaged (liked, shared, commented)?
• What was the outcome?
3. Adjust based on what works — sometimes surprising things succeed!

Recommended Tools

Don't Forget Email

Email marketing remains an unmediated channel with high engagement rates. Build your email list and use it alongside social media.

Vermont-Specific Recommendations

• Coordinate with Big Heavy World for statewide reach
• Tag Vermont locations in all posts
• Cross-promote between Vermont chapters
• Leverage Vermont pride — Green Mountain State, local music scene, community spirit
• Partner with Vermont tourism accounts and hashtags
• Connect with college radio stations and music programs

Adapted from Make Music Alliance workshops and conference calls for Make Music Vermont