Social Poker Face - The Social Media Success Formula

The current thought is that success, in our "current economic reality", rests on the indie's ability to press the flesh, virtually, via that magic buzzword that makes us all a-twitter - Social Media.

Don't know what we're saying? Take quick scan over these articles and you'll notice a common theme:
Social Media for Bands and Songwriters
5 Superb Social Media Tools
How To Promote Your Band Using Social Media
10 Mistakes Bands Make in the Social Media Age

Build your fan base. Engage. Be that social butterfly you were always meant to be, let loose the chains that keep your inner diva locked up tight. Bust out of the fetters that keep you mute!

For some, swimming in the waters of social interaction is like taking a cool dip in Barton Springs on a hot Austin day. For others, it's more like diving into the shark tank; at best, a sweat-inducing endeavor of dubious value.

Now if you create things with your hands or perform a task that requires skill, the hope is that the skill alone will earn the attention it deserves. If your barbeque smells good, the neighbors will come a-knockin'. If not, maybe the silence should be post-mortemed.

This is only right. Pointing out your own skill is boorish. Tooting your own horn is uncouth.

But notice that "engaging your audience" isn't the same as tooting your horn. Check out what this article says about horn-tooting success.

Engaging = interacting with, which requires language skills, time, and a forum for said engagement.

Audience = the people who like or might otherwise shell out cash for your item of trade.

So if we may:

Success = Interacting with your clients, hobnobbing with your customers, shooting the breeze with your peeps.

But we gotta say: Sounds a little thin for a formula that guarantees success. And we'll go a step further and say we doubt the existence of a valid formula, be it in the music industry or any other industry.

Point 1: Audience. Before we blithely lump all music fans as lovers of the bombastic rock star, we should consider the range of musical styles and who attends those styles. Do reggae fans stay glued to their twitter feed? Do death metal heads spend most of their waking hours tethered to the Internet? Do fans of the top 40 get their cues from Facebook?

Point 2: Mystique. Before we define success as verbosity from our favorite acts, we best be sure that that's what we want. Would knowing what Reznor had for breakfast make us adore him more? Will finding out about Snoop's hygiene habits lure us to buy more records? Would knowing how long Gaga spent applying makeup increase our idolatry? Naw - It's the mystery; the implied supernatural endowments that keep us tuning in, trying to assemble the clues we have about our idols into applicable steps to our own success.

That said, we've got to step back and say Sure, some have succeeded this way.  Talking to your fans does help: Take a look at how The Quiet Company does things, and you'll see true masters of Social Media in action. Or see what Major's doing for his band, For The Most Part, to get an idea of how some are able to tailor social-media tools to a band's brand.

But does this success formula work for all?  Should you pin all of your hopes on a steady outpouring of tweets and status updates?  Does more talk = more fans??

What say ye? Is Social Media the Formula for your band's success?

Bring the comments:  Shoot us down, praise our genius, or just SHOUT. 

---