To further analyze Dan + Shay’s marketing efforts, their Instagram page offers insight into the use of social media to foster their brand and artist to fan relationships. Aside from standard promotions, Dan + Shay post a lot of exclusive content. For example, they have posted backstage photos with their dogs, wives, and son, teasers of new music, texts between them and Tori Kelly, and re-posts of fan-content (Dan + Shay, Instagram) (See Figures 12 & 13). In addition to sharing fan-content, Dan + Shay often comment and like fans’ messages. Smyers once posted a series of stories on the group’s Instagram page stating that he had been responding to fans for hours. Here, he emphasized that only he and his bandmate, Mooney, have the passwords to their social media accounts, so it is always really them engaging with their fans.
Unfortunately, rather than celebrities being the only ones running their social media accounts, they often hire a manager or team to post their content (K). In this way, Forbes explains that within her own digital marketing agency, her artist clients would often give her their social media passwords and expect her to create their image with little to no authentic contribution. This reality is the reason Forbes decided to discontinue her social media services, as she stresses the importance of authenticity of artists within their marketing in order to effectively foster their brand and fan connections (Forbes). Direct interactions such as Dan + Shay’s show how much they are willing to go out of their way to build meaningful relationships with their fans.