FOCUS on You is an inspiring talent support program that provides assistance to young performers and composers, working in the field of classical music. This March FOY highlights the importance of social media through its FOCUS on Social Media workshop. The event will focus on the difference between various social media platforms, how to effectively reach one’s target audience, the latest social media trends, while also providing individualized feedback on the participants already existing social media presences.
Although social media and reaching out to audiences in this way has an unquestioned place when it comes to popular music, there is still a perception in the classical music world that the use of various social media platforms is somewhat degrading. This often leads to phrases such as “Just practice a lot, and the high quality of your work will eventually move your career forward.” While this is a nice sentiment, and one would like to believe it is true, experience shows that talent and professional excellence alone do not necessarily guarantee success.
“Besides hard work and talent, visibility is the third most important factor (often in reverse order) when an event management company puts together a programme for an event or when an audience member is looking for concert tickets as a Christmas present.
Many people don’t like social media platforms because they are seen as superficial, time-consuming and uninspiring, but it’s worth looking at them as excellent tools to get your art to reach its audience,” says Orsolya Szabó, cosmopolitan business and online marketing strategist, founder of Zsolya Communication. She believes it is possible to build a professional personal brand that is aspirational and in tune with our style. Through regular – and quality – posts, artists can create a window into their art.
The goal of the workshop is to make the various social media platforms and their potential known and loved as widely as possible. The event will provide knowledge about how artists can figure out and effectively reach their target audiences, the difference between the various social media platforms, and the importance of regular and quality posts. The workshop will also reflect on the importance of building a professional personal brand and the usefulness of being familiar with the latest social media trends. While global trends and statistics provide a good starting point in building an effective social media presence, it is also important to take individual aspects into consideration, especially when building a personal brand. This is particularly important for classical musicians since musicianship is a highly personal and individual career path. That is why participants of the workshop will be provided the opportunity to get individualized feedback on their existing social media presences.
The FOCUS on Social Media workshop will be held online in English on 23 March 2024. For more information about the event, the mission of FOCUS on You and other FOY events, visit their website.
