Finding effective strategies for marketing your band is a priority. Most would agree with this, but only when you get time to think about it. The problem for many bands is actually finding the time to think, then think marketing then think ‘strategies’. It amazes me how many times I still come across bands who are still not using basic online tools to market themselves.
Just this week I was asked to attend a band rehearsal prior to some UK dates and was shocked to hear that having already completed their album there is still no basic online marketing strategy in place! Implementation of a marketing strategy so often becomes a real problem.
With this in mind it really is best for bands to quickly start putting together a small team of let’s call them ‘helpers’. In the current climate of Music DIY there is a need for a DIY team approach to succeed.
In the hope of saving you some time I am going to share with you some highlights from a post by Tom Williams highlighting some fast and free strategies you can use to market your band and I’m sure you will love the idea of fast and free.
Tom rightly points out that sending out friend’s requests on MySpace is not without merit, to some degree but realistically a wise use of your time? We don’t think so. As mentioned and I quote “If you insist on using this strategy, hire an unpaid intern or enlist a friend/sibling in high school to do it for you.” See, more ‘little helpers’ needed.
An hour a day on the following will set you right:
Start Your Own Blog- Twice a week write a paragraph (or more) about what you’ve been doing, what you’re thinking, what you like, what you don’t like, what you want to do, what influences you, share touring stories, ask questions, answer questions, post videos of yourself/band, share unreleased material, and engage with fans (potential and current). Make sure your blog is linked to your website and a place where your music can be purchased. Make sure every website you have (Myspace, Facebook, etc) links to your blog.
Build Relationships With Bloggers By Commenting On Their Blogs– Pick 10 or 20 music blogs that you enjoy and which write about music similar to the type you produce. Read them every day and at least once a week comment about something they post. These comments should be genuine and relevant to the post. Make sure you leave the URL for your website but do not promote yourself or music at all. These comments are about the blog, not about you. Their purpose is to make these bloggers aware that you exist and that you are an interesting person.
Keep in mind OFFLINE is as important as ONLINE: Here are 5 Ways to Market you’re Blog Offline:
1) Talk about it: Yes talk to everyone about your bands blog! music friends, contacts, every opportunity you get to open your mouth mention your blog – when you next meet those individuals ask – Did you check out our blog?
2) You band biz card: You’ve got one right? All contact details and BLOG details included.
3) ALL Corespondence: Biz card, Promo flyers, email signature, you name it, it should have your Blog info clearly visable.
4) Marketing Materials: Blog details must be on everything – If you have a short promo video on Youtube or other video sites you must use the closing credits to direct viewers to your blog – the place they can find up to date info about the band.
5) Market your Blog: That’s right don’t market your band, market your BLOG! Let the blog do the talking for you, share some expertise or experience the band has and and use it on your blog, it’s a great way to hook people in.
I think that will do for now, information overload is one of the other problems we all suffer from. Let’s break this down into ‘bite size’ and see what you can achieve.
Call to Action:
TAKE STEPS TO START A BLOG: The video on the right is a simple step by step guide to starting a blog with Blogger. Next schedule twice a week content updates and link your blog to your website where your music can be purchased. Done it? Now try choosing just 10 blogs in your genre of music, read them daily all this week and then post genuine comments at start of next week.
