Archive for the ‘Promotion Tips and Tricks’ Category
Engaging Fans on Twitter
I’ve had a few artists ask me about Twitter and why it’s so important and how to effectively use it to promote their music, so I thought I would take some time to make a short list of what I feel is how Twitter can be successfully used.
Twitter is about communication. It’s a tool that allows you to communicate directly with your fans in 140 characters or less. That may not seem like much, but because of it’s very nature, you can get your message across quickly and effectively. But in order to communicate, you must understand that the best communication is two-way. So if you’re just using Twitter for making announcements or posting random facts, then it is my personal opinion that you’re missing the point.
You don’t have to reply to all of your fans, but pick a few questions a day and respond to them. Not only are you bringing fans INTO your conversation, but in doing so, you make them feel more like a friend than a fan. This sort of relationship is not only necessary in today’s music industry, but crucial.
Also, you don’t have to give up personal details of your life to engage fans on Twitter. But giving them glimpses into your creative processes, how a song is written, how a song is recorded, how a live show is produced – this is what they’re interested in. Make them a part of your process and not just something you throw announcements to.
I see too many artists that wonder why they have very little fans, but usually this is because they haven’t yet learned how to engage fans on Twitter yet. Or they don’t know how. Or they’re too afraid to.
You don’t have to tweet a lot, but make your tweets important to those who are following you. And make others want to follow you as well. It just takes a little acknowledgement of people who are responding to what you have to say.
Really, it’s this easy:
1. Acknowledge that your fans are actually there and reading your tweets.
2. Read some of their tweets and respond.
What You Can Learn from Barack Obama
Don’t worry, this isn’t really a political post. So whoever you voted for, if you voted, you’ve done a good thing.
This is about how Barack Obama and his team used technology in a way that was unprecedented and had never been used before. And about how that use of technology seemed to have worked and in fact, may have played a part in his eventual winning of the 2008 U.S. presidential contest.
First and foremost, Obama and his team mobilized people on the web. They reached out not only through their website, but through MySpace and Facebook and Twitter and many other social marketing websites. They used these sites to keep people updated on debate dates and times, to ask for donations, as well as to keep people updated on the latest news about their candidate.
And people responded. Obama has been called a “rock star.” Maybe because he’s used the web in a way to mobilize people that only musicians have seemed to have understood.
But he took it a step further. He stayed in contact with his “fans” and they were always aware of what was going on in his campaign. This made the campaign transparent and everyone who supported him felt they were part of the greater cause. He included his “fans” in nearly every way and kept them engaged.
Text messaging also played a part in the election. Text messages were sent on a regular basis to those who signed up for them to also keep people interested and engaged. And on election day, everyone got messages reminding them to vote, even including details as to when polls opened and closed in their state.
Musicians and bands could learn a lot from a politician. I’m sure that’s the first time that’s been said!
Reach out to your fans… engage them… keep them interested and never stop having conversations with them. Respond to emails, send them messages, update them on every little detail that you can.
The result? You’ll get fans that are more likely to be involved with your act, as well as get fans that are more likely to care enough about you to pay for your music, merchandise and shows.
Do you have a story to tell?
So I’m hooked on this new t.v. show called Z-Rock on the Independent Film Channel (IFC). It’s funny and at times appears to be real. What is it about? Well, it’s about a heavy metal rock band that happens to be a kiddie band by day (it pays the bills, apparently).
It’s funny and endearing and sometimes offensive, but always more or less pretty close to the truth of what it’s like to have a band (although maybe some elements are glorified a bit).
And it’s also based on a true story. The guys in the show? They’re really that band. They spend their nights rocking out in the clubs and their days playing birthday parties for children.
Someone thought their story was compelling enough to give them their own t.v. show.
Do you have an interesting story about your act or band? If so, tell it! You’d be surprised at how interesting it just might be…
Here’s a challenge – take something that’s happened to you as a band and re-enact it for a video. Throw the video up on YouTube and let the fans see into one of your stories. Make it entertaining and it could very well go viral.
Attract Subscribers, Not Visitors
Great article about the importance of building up your mailing lists and using them on Bob Baker’s Site:
Attract Subscribers, Not Visitors
How Not to Promote A Band
There’s this band that I absolutely love. I have both of their albums and I listen to them regularly. I’ve been wanting to see them perform live for a very long time. I discovered about a month and a half ago that they had a date in Atlanta coming up. However, there was never any information posted about the show.
After a few weeks of waiting to see if information would be posted about the show (which is at probably one of the best live venues in the country, the Tabernacle), the date appears on MySpace (it had been on their website for some time) and it says something to the effect that it’s a free show sponsored by Blender Magazine and that more information will follow.
I’m impatient. I’ll admit it. And being that I have to drive 2-1/2 hours to the venue to get there, I wanted more information. Who wouldn’t? So I sent a message to the band’s MySpace, as well as leave a comment. I also track down some contact information for Blender Magazine and e-mail them as well. And finally, after hearing nothing from “the people in charge,” I sent an e-mail to a DJ at an Atlanta radio station. Who did get back to me, but only to tell me that they’d be giving tickets away on-air for the show that week. But I don’t live in Atlanta, I don’t listen to Atlanta radio stations. I did listen from time to time that week over the internet, but my timing must suck – I never heard any info. about the show.
The show is now in two days and the band’s MySpace still says “Info. to come.” And there’s no information on their website (which is down more than it’s up, I might add). I give up. That’s one less band I now need to support.
Did I mention they’re signed to Atlantic Records (major label)? Did I mention the band’s name was Jet?
If the big guys can’t get their proverbial sh** together, they’re setting a very poor example for the little guys.
All I can say is that if someone contacted me about any of the bands we work with, or even bands or musicians we know, I’d have that information to them asap.
There’s a reason the major labels are griping about losing money, and it’s not all due to illegal downloading.
Of course, this WAS a free show and I’m sure neither the label, nor the band, nor Blender Magazine really cared much about it in the first place. Another way to expose people to the band completely and utterly wasted. Why even bother?