I think that social media can be more effective for promotion than a website. However there is still a need for a website or at least a webpage to further inform potential clients of your product. If faced with having to make a choice however, my answer would be today, in 2018, to primarily use social media. At the very least, an Instagram page or a Facebook music or business page. You have an increased chance of people seeing your page and product on these platforms than by just stumbling across your website.

Personally, I’ve received some of my best work through Myspace (remember Myspace?) and then as Myspace fizzled and Facebook became the more popular platform, and then Instagram. I joined these networks for fun and never thought of it from a business perspective until I began to receive legit work as a result, both international and local.

—Brandee Younger is an international performing and recording artist and harp instructor from New York, N.Y.

I believe that both are needed to promote one’s professional business online, as there are meaningful benefits to each. I consider websites as the professional method and social media as the casual approach. Think of a website as a one-stop destination; the viewer can get a clear picture of the artist in one link, which simulates a glorified press package. It’s an effective and efficient manner of summarizing the past, present, and future into both text and media. Additionally, it is still standard practice for serious professional artists to maintain a website. Also, one should always consider the elderly and those who prefer not to engage in social media…make yourself accessible to your entire audience and community.

Social media can be a powerful tool as well, especially for those who are regularly engaged online. It satisfies the instant gratification factor and allows some the opportunity to glance into the life of the artist in a more casual and exposed manner. It provides access to chime in with a comment, register a feeling, and perhaps even “feel closer” to the artist, while gaining the opinions and comments of others also connected.

—Grace Cloutier, a graduate of the Juilliard School and Yale University, maintains an active career as a performer, teacher, and recording artist in New York City and New Haven, Conn.

Solely using social media is not an effective way to promote a business, in my experience. Social media really does have a limited audience. Your promotion is usually isolated to friends or subscribers. An occasional newcomer may chance upon your promotion, but even in this regard, your post is a fleeting moment in time that they may scroll across as they are browsing through other posts. The single promotion or advertisement placed on a social media forum such as Facebook or Instagram is momentary and can be passed over with the flick of a finger.

Creating a website is a stable base where people can search for your product online and feel like they are stepping into a virtual showroom of what you have to offer. The website is the internet front door to your business. It represents permanency to your customers and allows them to get to know you before meeting you personally. They can come back and visit anytime as the website is always open. I mostly use social media to communicate with my current students and their families to inform them of upcoming events in the studio. My website allows potential students to discover what my studio has to offer before making personal contact. Creating both a website and using social media work hand in hand to inform and attract an array of clientele.

—Evana Webb is a professional music educator and performer and owner of the International Music School in Central Florida