Branding

5 Traits Every Musician Needs to Have to Be Successful Online

May 21, 2012 By Ney Leave a Comment

No one artist is guaranteed to be successful promoting his or her music through social networking sites. While there are methods and tricks of the trade to help increase your visibility and impact online, a site or app can’t do its magic if the person using it fails to do his or her part. Below are 5 basic traits that every artist needs to possess and work at maintaining in order use social networking as an effective way to promote upcoming shows and new music.

Organized

As we’ve already discussed, with all of the resources available to help promote your music online, the worst thing you can do is sign up for all of these sites and fail to maintain them with updated, relevant information. It’s better to have a presence on 2 or 3 sites that you will regularly maintain than 12 sites that are outdated. An easy way to turn off fans is by making them play a guessing game as to which of your profiles is more reliable.

Dedicated

No one said social networking is easy. However, with 800+ million people logged into one social media site or another almost daily, many assume promoting online is a no brainer. The Top 6 most followed people on Twitter are musicians. However, unless you’re mother monster, a teen heartthrob, or pop princess, garnering a solid following takes effort. If fans post to your Facebook wall or send you a message on Twitter, and you are not there to answer them in a timely fashion, they will lose interest.

Social

Social is the key word in social networking, so it’s safe to say it is one of the key traits one must have to be successful at it. Scheduling tweets and posts is useful, but you cannot simply talk AT your fans, you must talk WITH them. Social networking is a TWO-WAY street. You can’t expect to become a topic of people’s conversations without first getting involved in a few conversations of your own.

Creative

As an artist you most likely already possess an abundance of creativity. Turn your talents towards social media when finding ways to engage with fans. Maybe it’s through video blogging, behind the scenes photo shoots, contests, fan input, free giveaways, etc. Maybe it’s something like this. The most important thing is to know your audience, give them what they want, and find ways to keep them coming back for more.

Productive

You can’t be successful at promoting yourself online if you’re not busy creating things to promote! It’s a hard line to straddle, but you do need find a balance between spending time online and spending time doing things to then post about online. The best way to keep fans engaged is by giving them something different to come back to each time they visit your pages. Connecting your social media sites to your mobile phone is a great way to stay connected without staying glued to your computer 24/7.

Remember, even the overnight success stories don’t exactly happen overnight. Anything worth having takes time and commitment. If you possess these traits you’ve already won over half the battle.

Have you come across any other great tips for using social media to promote your music? Share them with us below!

Filed Under: Branding, Business, Development, Digital Media, Management, Marketing, Philosophy, Promotion

10 Reasons Why All Musicians Should Have Their Own Website

April 19, 2012 By The Boss Ladies 2 Comments

Branding is one of the most important things an independent artist can do to stand apart from the competition.

Since the digital takeover, artists have more resources and tools at their disposal than ever before to build their own brands.

While social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are essential to growing your online presence, you should not rely on them as the only components of your online branding strategy. Give your brand the solid foundation it needs with your own domain.

Here are ten of the many reasons why every musician should have their own website:

1. It makes you look professional and serious about your career.

2. You can setup business email addresses ending in your domain name.

3. You are in control of everything from content to advertising to the user experience.

4. You can make more money by creating your own e-store to sell your music and merchandise.

5. You can completely customize the design to fit your brand image.

6. Having your own domain gives your brand a stable home base, so you don’t have to rely on the existence of third-party websites.

7. Registering your domain name prevents others from claiming it.

8. You can increase your online following by promoting and driving traffic to your social media profiles and pages.

9. Hosting only costs $5-$10 a month and there are many inexpensive (and even free) options for designing your own site if you cannot afford to hire a professional.

10. You can strengthen your fan base by creating your own online community where you can interact with fans through message boards and offer them exclusive content.

If you have more reasons you’d like to share, please let us know in the comments section below!

Filed Under: Branding, Business, Development, Digital Media, Management, Marketing

5 Steps to Keep Track of Your Social Media Profiles

March 13, 2012 By The Boss Ladies 4 Comments

One of the most common problems Vicki and I see artists having when trying to promote their projects online is keeping track of so many profiles! In today’s world of online social media, it is difficult not to have a Twitter account, a Facebook account, a LinkedIn page, etc. For an artist, add to that list a ReverbNation account, a Bandcamp page, a YouTube channel, and (possibly still) a Myspace page. Below are some tips to keep in mind to help artists like you stay on top of all the social media messiness that comes with promoting an album or show.

1. Make a List of ALL Accounts

As an artist there are many “staple” sites in which it is crucial to maintain a presence, such as ReverbNation, PollStar, Bandcamp, and of course, Facebook. There are even sites that you may have had to create a profile for simply to access other people’s music, making it easy to forget every site. Do a Google search of yourself to see what comes up and make a full and complete list.

2. Make a List of Usernames & Passwords

As many of these sites use emails as usernames, it is best to link as many sites as possible to one email address in order to keep track of email updates and notifications. While you may want different passwords, keeping them all related to one another for easy recall is also helpful.

3. List the Purpose of Each Profile

While many profiles may feel as though they repeat the same information, it’s important to know why you are on a certain site. If you can’t think of why a site is beneficial to the promotion of your music, is the profile worth maintaining?

4. Narrow Down to What You Can Manage

Be realistic of what you can handle, especially if you are a D-I-Y artist. If some profiles overlap in purpose and benefits and you’re likely to not spend time online updating these sites, narrow down your list.

5. Get Organized & Simplify Your Life Online

Figure out what works for you. Whether it’s a spreadsheet, post-it notes, or an app like Hootsuite, find a way to stay organized and up to date with your online promotions. An editorial calendar is also a great way to plan out your Facebook posts and tweets for the upcoming days or even weeks.

Filed Under: Branding, Business, Development, Digital Media, Management, Promotion, SpotLiGHT, The Boss Ladies

More Than The Music

August 9, 2011 By George 48

Thank you all for tuning in. As this is my first post on my newly
renovated site, I expect you to flip through the virtual pages of my
business catalog. Take time to explore, learn 48 ways to achieving your
goals.

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m G48, but as my business matures,
so have I and am now known as George 48. So when you breeze through the
site and see “48″ this and “48″ that, I’m referring to myself and the
knowledge I offer you, not a literal 48 numbered checklist.

Now on to more important matters, and that’s what matters to you. I
specialize in consulting aspiring music artists. The dream is the same,
record music, hear it played on the radio (do a jig by yourself in the
living room), GET PAID! The difference is HOW? You’ve all seen the
thousands of contestants in each city that will sacrifice hygiene or
would sell out their grandmothers for a spot on the American Idol stage.
So what do the rest of you do? You call me.

Excuse me, the phone is ringing…

Where was I… Oh right, music. You get it, I have vast connections and
knowledge of the music industry. But my experience and company are about
more than the music. Through this blog and consulting, I will provide
insight on establishing yourself through all walks of life. You want to
be established and successful in any line of business. I want to make
sure you are.

I will give you my philosophies, insights, answer questions and share
experiences that will inspire you to harness your talents and believe in
the power of you (Self help section, second floor to the back). But
seriously, why would you need help if you knew what to do. So let me.
I’m looking forward to it.

George 48

Filed Under: Branding, Business, Development, Management, Marketing, Philosophy, Promotion

Design Matters

July 27, 2011 By Ney

Design matters

Sometimes writers think that design and communication are separate. That it’s the writer’s job to communicate with well-chosen words, and then the designer’s job to “make it pretty.”

Design is actually much more important than that.

The right design doesn’t just look good. It actually communicates something important to your readers.

Good design conveys your authority. Professional design shows your commitment to your audience, and that you aren’t some “fly by night” who slapped a site together.
Good design enhances your content without drawing attention away from it. You don’t want your readers to say, “what a great-looking design.” You want them to say, “what a remarkably useful blog, I’m going to read this every day.”
Good design allows you to highlight what matters most to you. Clean, open design with plenty of white space allows the ads and images you choose to stand out on the page.

Good design always serves the needs of the project. A wonderful theme for a photography blog would be the wrong choice for most writers. A craft shop owner has very different needs from a real estate agent.

Real designers takes into account what you’ll be using your site for, and supports your purpose beautifully.