Social Media Manager Portfolio
I have four years of experience in social media management in the music industry working with GB&J (2022-2024), as a social media manager and band member, and Letterbomb (2022 -present) as a social media manager and band manager. I am proficient in navigating social media platforms, particularly Instagram and TikTok, monitoring trends, and editing content in-app. I also have experience in editing content, primarily short-form, in CapCut and Canva. As a band manager, I also assist with booking and digital communications.
I am also a co-founder of “Bleacher Babez,” a Seattle-based women’s sports fan club, where my role focuses on community organizing and social media management (linked above in a separate tab).
The brand came together rather seamlessly— leaning into being the ““girl band”” (plus one boy) that puts flowers in their hair, coined by lead singer-songwriter Annabella Gelmetti, accompanied by bright colors, cute animations, and DIY scrapbook-type album art (thanks to our visual artist Finley Knellhorne), an original mix of jazz, folk, and indie sounds, and with emotions ranging from watching flowers bloom in the spring to melancholic heartbreak. We had a signature look— but at the same time couldn’t fit into a particular box.
Examples:
Identifying Our Target Audience
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Identifying Our Target Audience 〰️
GB&J
My role as social media manager included overseeing all band social media accounts, creating and editing short-form content, and maintaining a cohesive brand identity. I identified target audiences and expanded reach through social media campaigns supporting single and EP releases, post-release engagement, and merchandise promotion. I also built connections with listeners and artists to strengthen community engagement.
I collaborated closely with fellow creatives in the band, including singer-songwriter and visual lead Annabella Gelmetti and digital artist and animator Finley Knellhorne to accomplish our shared goals.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gbjband/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gbjband
Social Media Campaign Example - the “Julia” Single Release
Step 1 - Logistics & Aesthetic
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Step 1 - Logistics & Aesthetic 〰️
We had an idea of who may like our music, as our personal influences included our experience as music students, favorite artists, and hobbies such as reading fantasy books and playing Dungeons & Dragons. This of course, came with trial and error. We wanted to find listeners just like us, but also branch out to audiences that we may not have originally anticipated.
Examples:
When it came to promoting “Julia,” the first step was logistics. The plan was to release the singles eight weeks apart, and we created a calendar of what promotional material we needed, with close collaboration with our visual artist, and when to post it, leading up to and for the weeks after the release.
Our artist created all of the visuals for “Julia,” all sourced from the animated music video she created.
Julia was a sea monster who had those signature dark blue hues, glowing eyes, and aura of mystery. This was an experimental contrast from our established brand, but remained consistent with our songwriter’s whimsical storytelling.
Step 2 - Who is Julia?: Developing a Persona
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Step 2 - Who is Julia?: Developing a Persona 〰️
“Julia” is a sea monster who exists… or does she? The videos attached provide a brief explanation of the history of Julia, and inspiration for the song. As a lover of cryptids, our singer-songwriter Annabella was moved. Giving Julia a personality and sharing her story brings this song to life. It is also interesting to hear about the songwriting process and how the idea turned into lyrics. I thought about the popularity of Genius videos— people want to know the meaning behind songs.
Sharing this story and incorporating it into the campaign builds on our image as a band and what our creative process looks like, and how it makes us unique.
Examples:
Step 3 - Marketing “Julia” to a Larger Audience
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Step 3 - Marketing “Julia” to a Larger Audience 〰️
Supporting a band you’ve never heard of isn’t going to catch everyone’s attention. Posting content explaining the meaning behind the song might not matter to someone who’s never heard it.
The next step is combining previous methods of sticking to our brand as a band and the image we’ve created for “Julia,” brainstorming possible overlapping communities, monitoring trends, considering our personal influences, and communicating with our listeners.
The song brought in a crowd that loved D&D, Percy Jackson, pirates, fantasy books, and history. At the time, the “Dabloon-Tok” trend was happening (third link below), which perfectly fit the vibe of our campaign, and I used that to our advantage.
Examples:
The Brand
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The Brand 〰️
Support and Up-and-Coming Band, Why Not?
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Support and Up-and-Coming Band, Why Not? 〰️
One marketing strategy that I leaned into was that we were an up-and-coming, or “underground,” band. New listeners were more likely to support us knowing that we were self made and independent . This also helped us form connections with other artists that were in the same position as we were. Especially wihtin the indie genre, people strived to be unique and find a band before the trend.
Examples:
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8pj8QJY/
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8p2WcLh/
We were musicians on social media to market a product— but we’re people too! I valued taking a break from pushing our music every once in a while to build a connection with our audience, so they know a little bit about us. Community is just as important, if not more important, than the numbers.
Examples:
It was important to me as a social media manager to not only focus on creating content, but also engage with our listeners by liking and replying to comments, answering DMs, showcasing their playlists (often with creative names) on our accounts, and overall making sure they felt a sense of community, belonging, and know that we don’t take their support for granted. Our music being heard was a major inspiration for us to continue moving forward.
Examples:
Behind the Scenes and Connecting with Our Audience
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Behind the Scenes and Connecting with Our Audience 〰️
Promoting and Selling Merchandise
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Promoting and Selling Merchandise 〰️
Linked here are a couple examples of posts marketing our merch (and a screenshot of our merch page)— while simultaneously having fun and letting our personalities show. Shoutout to our artist, once again, for the beautiful designs!
Merch Site: https://gbj.creator-spring.com/
Letterbomb
As the Band Manager for Letterbomb, I practice my writing and communication skills most frequently via email and direct messages. Exchanges I have on behalf of the band include booking inquiries, gathering concert information such as set times and backlining, receiving photos from photographers, and submitting applications for shows, music festivals, and radio stations. I am representing the band and their interests, and work to provide new opportunities for them to share their art.
As the Social Media Manager, I have carried my skills from my previous position. I have excellent collaboration skills, as a I transform the band’s vision into content as well as offer my own ideas to grow their audience. I am also active on social media and involved with the online community, interacting with our listeners (comments, direct messages, etc).
During live shows I am working– making sure the band is where they need to be and when, filming videos for future content, and live coverage on social media.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/letterbomb.mp3/
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Instagram 〰️
I utilize the band’s instagram in the following ways:
Booking: Communication with other artists about booking, including inquiries and groupchats to coordinate the logistics of upcoming shows (set times, backline arragements, etc).
Live show promotion: Posting fliers made by the headlining band or venue and reposting regularly on stories leading up to the show.
Community engagement: Being active in comment sections, direct messages, posts made about the band, and supporting other bands.
Story highlights: Organizing past story posts into appropriate highlight folders.
Live coverage: Posting updates about live shows in real time, such as location, lineup, set times, behind the scenes footage, and pictures/videos.
Live footage: Posting videos taken either by me or sent to us by professional photographers.
TikTok
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TikTok 〰️
I utilize the band’s TikTok primarily for music promotion.
The following are examples of different formats I use for content creation:
Live footage: Using either the live audio or aligning it with the official audio, showcasing the songs as they are, or posting photos taken by photographers. What works for some is hearing the songs without excessive marketing strategies.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8pMHcsU/
About the band: A few words to let people know a little about the band and why they might enjoy with their music. There are certain key words that I keep consistent such as “grunge,” “pixie",” “90s,” and “female-fronted.”
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8pMqp8C/
New audiences: Thinking of what communities would resonate with their music, drawn from the band’s sound, aesthetic, and songwriting.
Behind the scenes and trends/humor: this helps the band connect with the audience by being more personable.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8pMv5E2/