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Independent Artist Need To Learn From The #Alt-Right

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I was executing a social media listening campaign on a clients twitter account and ran across this propaganda account. I decide to browse their timeline and peep some of their assets and messaging points

Now I know my client didn’t purposely follow this account nor did anyone at the Digital Urban Intelligence Agency. The account may have met one of our broad twitter search query criteria and was included on a follow list by mistake. AS one of the stages in our community building process, we identify + Follow + Examine + Purge. Individual Digital Urban Intelligence Agency team members perform each task separately along the community building process timeline of the community building campaign.

As I looked at the various post on this twitter account I could see how they are clearly an Alt-Right political Bot that is deployed to cause disruption and fear in “White America.”  Their message is full of keywords and phrases to trigger irrational emotions and confirm subconscious stereotypes. Their post are full of us VS them messaging.

 


As a marketing guy this is great for me, it is great research and learning opportunity. I think that any independent artist who’s trying find “super fans” should  and use the techniques that these Alt-Right and NRA bots use to spread their propaganda message. They know how to set the “US vs THEM” tone in their messaging and imagery. As an artist you should have a solid foundation of your audience’s core beliefs. You should know what they like and what they don’t. Listen to friends, fans, and co-workers and actually take note of the things they don’t like about some of the most popular Artist, websites, videos and radio stations and show them why you are a “Fresh Alternative” to the bullsh#!t they hate.  NWA did a great job with “Fuck The Police!”  The group members constantly heard and saw Police harassing black people and knew their fan base saw the same things and  would agree with them. They repeatedly mentioned west coast gang terms and slang in their songs reinforce the fact that they were street dudes just like their core fans. They degraded women constantly to reinforce that they weren’t the music for the romantic R&B type of guys. They were for Gangstas only and deep down everybody wanted to be gangsta at one time or another.  

Many Artist dramatically slow down their career growth by trying to satisfy everybody all at once. Sometimes Artist spend a lot of time and effort marketing and promoting, trying to force people into joining their movement;  when they have no interest.   You can’t Satisfy everybody. Cypress Hill targeted the weed head crowd. Ruff Ryders aligned themselves with the rebel street biker movement. Everybody did not like the Beatles; and they sold millions and millions of records. They targeted middle class teenage girls.  Everybody didn’t like Led zeppelin. But, they are considered by some to be the greatest rock band to ever live.  Barack Obama was considered by many to be a great representation of what a president should be. But by some, he’s the worst president ever. Donald Trump won the Presidency when many thought he had no chance. Donald Trump won because he was able to rally his “Super Fans” and get them ready to fight on the “US vs Them” agenda. Donald Trumps “Super Fans” will lie, cheat and still to show the world he’s the best president ever.

 


Don’t be afraid to let your audience know who you really are and what you really stand for.  Cardi B did it and she has had a phenomenal last couple of years.  The “Fake It till you Make It”, “I’m Ballin and You Ain’t;” attitude strategy is killing independent artist careers… 90% of the time it hurts the artist way more than it helps get real fans. “Fake followers and fake likes don’t help and they don’t work.

As an independent artist your first 2 years of of your professional music career should be spent finding your core audience of “Super Fans.” At the Digital Urban Intelligence Agency we suggest that new artist should put out 10 to 15 songs in a 2 year time period to give your fans time and opportunities to get to know who you are and what your movement is about.  If you can do that your career will be golden.

 

The point of this whole post is find your voice, find your core audience, then amplify you core value messaging to them. Don’t be afraid to offend those who don’t understand you.  Just make sure you constantly speak directly to those they do.      

 

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