Danny Brown recently published a great post that compared a social media team to a soccer team, going through each of the 4 positions, their tasks, and drafting his lineup of players. This got me thinking about a different kind of team that's more up my alley - a rock band.
I don't hide the fact that I'm a big classic rock fan (I call my Friday link roundup "Whole Lotta Link Love" as my homage to Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love"). So, how about forming a social media rock band?
I've been researching various music blogs that talk about starting a rock band, and I've found some very interesting comparisons that can be drawn:
- If you want to start a band, you have to be willing to put in the time and effort to make it successful.
- Band members should show a high level of enthusiasm by contributing ideas, putting in extra time to get the notes right, showing up to rehearsal on time, etc.
- It's important that your band members not only know their instruments well, but are all on the same page as you when it comes to the kind of music you want to play.
- Being open-minded to other music styles could prove important if the band decides to integrate them into their music or change direction completely.
- "If you feel that you're not getting enough out of a song, change the instrument" (I found this great piece of advice on the Musician's Notebook blog as part of a post about Mark Knopfler, frontman for Dire Straits)
- The brand of your band comes down to each of it's members - what they like, dislike, their abilities and styles, etc.
Sound familiar? Now let's go through the 4 basic roles in a rock band:
Singer: The frontperson of the band and one of the strongest (if not THE strongest) parts of its identity. They know how to establish a rapport with the audience and get them singing along with every song. The singer conveys the message of the songs, and therefore must make it clear so the audience can understand it. They also need to know when to plug some power into the vocals, and when to lower the volume. According to the Musician's Notebook blog, "A lot of singers think 'louder is better' — they'd rather growl or shout than sing. But is that gonna get you over with the audience (whom you're tryin' to get as fans)?" Which rock star is this on your social media team? The Community Manager.
Guitarist: They're technically adept at what they do, provide both rhythm and melody, and also give songs that color and flash to really stand out and get the audience on their feet. The guitarist lends that signature style which is such a huge part of the band's brand. They work in tandem with all the other band members – the drummer for rhythm, the bassist for harmony, and the singer for melody. Which rock star is this on your social media team? The Designer and/or Developer.
Drummer: The drummer may be sitting in the back, but they lay down the rhythm that drives the rock 'n roll train forward. Without them, no one would know how quickly, slowly, strongly, or softly to take the song. That said, they also know not to make the drums louder than the rest of the instruments, when to use "fills" and when not to, and to work in tandem with the rest of their bandmates to make sure the tempo is right. Which rock star is this on your social media team? The Strategist.
Bassist: You may not hear everything they're playing, but you'd notice if they weren't playing at all. Steady and reliable, the bassist plays those crucial foundation notes of every chord of the song, lending depth to the music. Which rock star is this on your social media team? The Content Creator.
I'll leave you with a video of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love". How would you form your social media rock band?
