Your fans may very well be tired of you... talking about you!
Here's an idea, talk about other bands....
Good ways to tweet and post on Facebook is to talk about some of your favorite musicians, what they are up to, their new cd, why you like their music. Ask your fans what their favorite new (old) finds are.
Go ahead and plug a show for your fave band in your area, or if they are playing your favorite venue. When it shows up in that bands feed, they are sure to return the favor! Great way to grow your twitter followers.
Have conversations on Facebook and twitter with other bands/musicians, ask them how their gig was...do they like that venue... If you're heading to that city, ask them if they found a good coffee spot with free wireless. Congratulate them on their new release etc etc. "TAV" Takes a Village folks! work together with other musicians to help build awareness about each other. Instead of DIY... think of DIT ... Doing it together!
Is there an art exhibit/movie you've been wanting to check out? Ask fans if they have seen it and ask them to give their impressions, great conversation piece for fans to easily participate in. If you just start the conversation they will do the rest on their own.
Write a song with your fans via the Facebook and Twitter feed. then post a video of yourself performing the final song you came up with based on their contributions.
When you're cruising Youtube at the wee hours of the morning and you find a video you like (not of you!)... simply press the "share" button then the twitter button and add a message. So easy to use social media for much more than promoting your shows... which actually makes promoting your shows more effective in the long run.
Are you opening for someone? Post links to their music each day as a count down of starting the tour. Get your fans engaging and talking about the other band so they will be excited and cross pollinate. If the headline band/management see what you are doing, they are likely to help out. Might even win you more spots on their tour if they see how active you are at promoting their shows.
Got a cause you care about? Or a non-prof org that is doing great work... tell your fans about it.
Find out when your fave non-comm/community radio station fund drive is and ask your fans and followers to support them. Comment on your own wall, and the wall of the radio station as well. Tis the season.
You don't need to take hours to do any of this. spend 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening to get in touch and post a simple comment or observation. The more genuine it is the more likely your fans are to participate. They can smell fake from a mile away!
P.S. need some twitter advice? connect with @drpants... he's managed to wrangle in over 5000 Twitter followers. They may not all be loyal fans or even active for that matter... but he has greatly increased the odds of getting people out to shows and buying stuff, and it's free marketing.
Just a few thoughts for the road. Safe journeys to all my touring friends!
