Facebook Promo Success Story: Builder of the House

For years now you’ve been hearing bands announce from the stage that you should like them on Facebook, right?

But I’ll bet you never actually took out your smartphone or laptop and liked them right there on the spot, did you? The band was still playing. You were distracted by the flirt sitting next to you. You had to beat the lines to the bar before the headliner went on. You had to go to the bathroom. You were tired and had to work early the next day.

And chances are you didn’t like them the next day either. You had to wash the dishes, go to work, get some exercise, etc. Time marches on!

Melding the real world with the world of social media has always been tricky for musicians.

Not just another band asking you to like them on Facebook

Last month I went to the album release concert for a friend’s band called Builder of the House. As I watched the opening act, I started to notice little tent signs on all the table tops. Lo-and-behold, there was one on my very own table too. It looked like this: 

I thought to myself, “Well, that’s a good idea. I’m not sure if I’m gonna get my phone out right this minute to like Builder of the House on Facebook, but at least everyone in this room knows the name of the headliner now!”

Then a guy who was helping the band sell merch came over to my table and said, “Hey, just wanted to let you know that if you like Builder of the House’s music tonight, you can like them on Facebook and they’ll send you a free MP3 tomorrow. The Facebook URL is on the back here….”

So, here’s what I think is brilliant about this whole thing, if it isn’t obvious already: Builder of the House brings their Facebook marketing into the real world in a relatively non-obtrusive way, silently broadcasts their band name to the entire crowd for the duration of the evening, and adds the extra human touch– a guy coming around introducing the band to each person at the show, inviting them to like ’em on Facebook, and rewarding those who do with a free MP3.

Best of all, because I was given the details in-person during the opening band’s set, I had the rest of the night to get my smartphone out and press that one little button. With 2 more bands left to perform, set breaks, lulls in conversation, and lines at the bar– I definitely had a few empty moments to fill with a smartphone.

The Follow-Through on Facebook

Builder of the House’s MP3-giveaway strategy didn’t just require planning on the front-end. The band had to then go to their Facebook Page’s admin panel the next day and personally contact every person who liked them during the show in order to get them the MP3. So if you plan on putting this kind of thing into practice, be sure to follow through– and in the promised timeframe. Builder of the House did, and I had a free track from them within 24 hours!

Have you had success combining your real-world and social media promo efforts? Let us know about it in the comments section below.

[Photos by Amazing DJ Music].

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