We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Margo Zelle a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Margo, thanks for joining us today. Do you think folks should manage their own social media or hire a professional? What do you do?

When I was in highschool, I traveled frequently from my hometown of Austin, TX to go to Nashville, TN. I got deep into the music industry in Nashville, and part of that led me into meeting a socal media manager. For a few months, she managed my socials– and did it well!– but I soon realized that the fans I was gaining weren’t organic fans, and I also missed the thrill of creating and posting on my own. I separated from the social media manager and started digging into social media on my own, and it was a long process. I spent years trying to figure out the algorithms and do what other people did, trying to get my TikTok in particular to go viral. It wasn’t until I started creating unique, entirely original, completely me content that I started to see a true pickup in engagement. Since then, I have garnered attention on my main socials, TikTok and Instagram, and have additionally managed other peoples’ social media accounts. I always try to do something new when it comes to handling someone else’s page, highlighting their uniquity and staying true to the brand. Honesty, interesting content, forming a cohesive brand, and grit go a long way when combined. I think it is wholly possible for a company to manage social media completely internally, although I also believe that having a second opinion, at least for consulting, is extremely valuable.

Margo, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

From a young age, it was obvious that I was meant for the music industry. At the beginning and end of every day, listening to and creating music kept my heart beating, my breathing steady. I took lessons, joined choir, formed a rock band, sang in a jazz band, and eventually started working on a solo career all before I was 14 (and then continued them all!). At 17 and in the middle of 2020, I moved from Austin, Texas to Los Angeles to start online school (COVID) as a vocal jazz major at USC. I then spent 4 years honing my craft as a jazz singer, as well as learning about vocal arranging, teaching, different instruments, being a leader and role model, and myself. Once I graduated, I took a slight step back to take a few breaths, but I kept my eggs in different baskets. As time goes by, I’ve been navigating what I want to focus on in this industry, but I truly love so many things, and I intend to continue my walk down every path I can. I spend a lot of my time teaching, which I am definitely passionate about, but I have also been arranging for myself and others, music directing, performing, recording, making connections, growing my social media, and more. My degree in jazz (with a minor in music industry!) opened up so many avenues for me in the music world, which I am extremely grateful for. I’ve spent countless hours time making jazz digestible without losing its integrity, which is no easy feat. I think it is wholly possible to create music that is both challenging and interesting for the musicians, but also engaging and beautiful for the listeners.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

My reputation is extremely important to me, and so I have been very intentional from the beginning when it comes to creating my brand and showing the world the type of person I am. I sat down and decided my colors, textures, symbols, style, etc. spending many hours on Pinterest narrowing things down. I chose the things that I actually loved, and not just stuff I wanted to seem to love. Authenticity is soooo in and always will be. I have been consistent with those things, and I continue to develop them; so much so that people see my colors and symbols, etc. and tell me that it reminds them of me!
Beyond just physical things, I also pay close attention–sometimes too much attention– to how I come off to people. I always show up early and prepared, am kind even to those who are not kind to me, and I give as much effort as I can into being the best, most bubbly, most welcoming version of myself. Again, none of it is fake, although perhaps at the beginning it partially was. It takes focused self reflection to pick yourself apart (while being nice to yourself) in order to highlight the best parts of you. However, I think that for anyone making a brand of themselves, the type of person they show other people is possibly more important than anything else.
One last way I have built my reputation, and perhaps the most fragile part of it all, is by showing musicians that I’m worth their time. Being a woman and vocalist is extremely difficult, especially in the jazz world, and I have worked really hard to show my worth as a musician on top of everything else. I study, practice, and nit-pick every part of my music, oftentimes presenting things specifically for musicians to see. I have slowly but surely gained not only the admiration, but the respect of musicians across the world while I have developed my following. It’s frustrating that I have to do it at all, certainly so when I know a lot of it is proving my worth to male musicians, but I value it as a part of my now-brand.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I treat everyone I meet as a friend, and this includes clients and fans. I teach music freelance, and I respond to every DM that I receive just as I would my best friend. I think that people get caught up in trying to seem extremely professional– which I have nothing against– when an honest, vulnerable approach can go a long way. Being reliable, transparent, and kind does wonders for your brand.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://margozelle.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/margozelle_/?hl=en
• Other: TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@margozelle