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Marketing Tweaks Feature MEME

Marketing Tweaks Chess Challenges MEMEMost great indie artists have incredible art but experience challenges connecting to new fans because their marketing approach needs tweaking.

 

There is a healthy contingent of artists who are legitimately trying to market but are naively going about it the wrong way.

 

A keen understanding of marketing is exactly what will put the power in your hands and that power is more than you can imagine.

 

Marketing Tweaks Power In Your Hands

 

 

Yes, you the artist, can hold all the cards if you simply make a few tweaks in your philosophy of marketing.

 

 

I wanted to provide some clarity to indie music marketing with this article.

 

First, indie artists must understand, as basic as this is, the difference between distribution and marketing.

 

 

 

 

Putting your song up on iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, Bandzoogle, Bandcamp, Reverbnation, and YouTube, etc. is distribution.

 

 

 

 

 

Distribution is WHERE consumers will go to purchase or consume something.

 

Marketing is WHY the consumer is going there to purchase it.

 

Marketing Tweaks Marketing Stage MEME

 

For instance, most of you have probably made a purchase on Amazon. They are a distributor. But you didn’t buy the product because it was on Amazon, did you? You weren’t just randomly “shopping” by scrolling through Amazon web pages when you came across this shiny thing that made you pull out your credit card.

 

 

 

No, you were marketed to first. You were made aware of the product and somehow your buying decision was influenced enough to want to purchase it. That’s marketing!

 

Then you chose to go to Amazon to get it. That’s distribution.

 

Big Difference.

 

I want you to think about marketing your music with that story in mind. What is going to get people excited enough to learn more about you and your music?

 

Marketing Tweaks Growth Seedling MEME

 

Putting your original songs up on YouTube is distribution. The only people who are going to experience that music are already aware of you as an artist. Think about that. This approach is not getting you into growth.

 

 

 

Marketing your music is not JUST about making sure your current fans are aware of any new releases.

 

Marketing for the indie artist is about finding new people to expose your music too.

 

The previous statement may sound ridiculously elementary to some of you, but you’re not using the tools you currently have in the correct manner to grow your audience.

 

I know this because I see it every day with almost ALL indie artists as well as signed artists!!

 

One slight tweak in your approach on YouTube changes everything.

 

Marketing Tweaks Find MEME Possessed

 

 

Post a video of you interpreting a cover song that is popular right now. This cover song will generate a ton of traffic and a small percentage of people who are looking for the original artist’s video will stumble across your version and watch it.

 

 

 

That equals new people watching you as an artist. That’s growth.

 

Not only are they experiencing your spin on a song they are already familiar with, but because they know the song, their subconscious focus is on your interpretation.

 

The information that is coming through as they watch is your artistry.

 

Marketing Tweaks End Card Template YouTube

 

If you’re good, people will respond. Not for nothing, often by doing this important work you’ll find things that people respond to that you weren’t aware you posessed.

 

If you ask them, they’ll subscribe.

 

If you’re smart, you’ll give them a free download in exchange for their email address so you own the information. More on that later.

 

If they learn to like YOU, the artist, then they’ll be far more likely to listen to your original music. When they do listen, they’ll have an open mind and an open heart because your cover rendition won their heart and they’re prepared to love you.

 

This is marketing on YouTube.

 

If you think about it, it’s not that different from American Idol or The Voice, is it?

 

Marketing Tweaks The Voice Traffic MEME

 

It’s important to note that in a situation like TV, old popular covers will be effective because the TV show is bringing the new people to see the artist. The TV show is providing the traffic but on YouTube the new songs are what is driving the traffic.

 

Get it?

 

 

 

Always ask yourself, where’s the traffic coming from? This will influence your song choices.

 

Second, let’s talk about social media.

 

Most indie artists copy their idols’ social media behaviors. They have posts doing this or that on stage or behind the scenes, etc.

 

Marketing Tweaks BLIND

 

 

This method is important but you need to recognize that it only supports the fans who are aware of you as an artist. Think about it, if they don’t know you, how are they going to see a post like that?

 

 

 

 

Don’t get me wrong, this is an important piece of your social media strategy, but only for your current fans. This method does little if anything for expanding your audience.

 

To market on social media means getting your content in front of new people that aren’t currently aware of you.

 

This requires a different thought process and execution strategy.

 

Take off your artist hat and put on your record label executive hat just for a second.

 

Marketing Tweaks MC X Factor MEME

 

You just signed the greatest baby act in the world; YOU.

 

But nobody knows about this new artist so how are you going to get that artist in front of a new targeted group of people who will probably like your artist’s music?

 

 

 

Well, let’s say this new artist you signed (you) is a rap artist. In the interest of clear communication, let’s give your new artist a name; MC X Factor.

 

Right off the bat, we have TONS of rap artists with faithful followers on all their social media accounts.

 

But let’s drill down some more.

 

What kind of rap artist is MC X Factor, exactly?

 

Marketing Tweaks Lil' Wayne Album Cover

If money and connections were no object, what rap artist would you put MC X Factor on tour with because the headliner’s audience would relate to MC X Factor’s music?

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t look now but you are in the process of defining your artist’s audience.

 

Once you have determined exactly who they are, now you have to find where they hang out.

 

This is called targeting.

 

If MC X Factor would absolutely CRUSH it on tour with Lil’ Wayne because his fans would love your artist’s music, then start following people that follow Lil’ Wayne on Twitter and Instagram.

 

Marketing Tweaks Love Them First MEME

 

Love them first. (See how it’s always about them?)

 

 

 

Be the first to reach out, shake hands, and say “Hello”.

 

A decent percentage of these new people will follow you back and hang if you have interesting content.

 

Don’t try and slam your mix tape down their throats immediately after they follow you back because they will unfollow you.

 

You would hate that too, right?

 

Marketing Tweaks start a Conversation MEME

What if when they followed you back you asked a question about THEM? You already have common ground in that you both like in Lil’ Wayne. Start there.  Between current news, tracks he’s featured on, lyrics, artistry, etc. you have a truck load of content to start a conversation.

 

 

 

What if you focused on at least the first exchange being about THEM and not you? That will forge a solid first impression.

 

This is creating a relationship with someone new. This is getting you into growth.

 

Marketing Tweaks Stupid FB Posts

 

 

Y’all are perfectly happy bitching about politics and your personal lives on your social media platforms to people who don’t give a crap. I assure you this method is easier and far more effective because everyone is interested in talking about themselves.

 

 

 

It’s little steps. Baby steps.

 

But these little gains every day add up over time.

 

The bigger your social media grows and the more you engage with that audience, the more attractive you become to new potential fans and the industry.

 

Marketing Tweaks OWN the info MEMEThird, how about your live shows?

 

What are you doing to ensure that you OWN everyone’s contact info after they’ve experienced your live show?

 

 

You may have followers, but you DON’T OWN your social media contacts so that’s not enough!

 

I’m going to repeat that because it’s SO important. YOU DON’T OWN YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACTS!

 

You could have 5 million followers on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter but you don’t own them, the respective platforms do and it will cost you to contact all of them.

 

Marketing Tweaks World In Your Hand

 

Social media and YouTube are amazing vehicles to target audiences and connect with them but you must take it a step further and convert them into a contact that you own.

 

 

 

 

Want to be a mogul? OWN THE INFORMATION.

 

Y’all already know about Facebook and how few people see your posts unless you pay.

 

Get a squeeze page and work around that problem.

 

For live shows get a text capture technology. It’s super inexpensive.

 

Marketing Tweaks Permission Marketing MEME

 

Permission Marketing is simply the idea that the lifetime value of a fan is worth exponentially more than the .99 cents or $10.99 you’re trying to shake them down for right now.

 

 

You’re supposed to be an entertainer of some sort. Entertain them on social media and get them to love you.

 

Find new people to entertain every day.

 

Then capture their info and deepen that relationship.

 

An artist with tens of thousands of engaged contacts is quite powerful to the industry, to brands, and to other artists.

 

Once you accept this as the one viable method to grow your brand and expose your artistry, you’ll become discoverable and be on your way to making a living.

 

Stay

 

In

 

Tune.

 

 

If you like the content in this article, please SHARE it and COMMENT below.

 

Music Change Comedy Tragedy masks

We can all agree the market has changed in the music industry. If the market has changed then so must the marketing methodologies. Alas, the industry hasn’t changed and the record sales are a direct reflection of this lack of adaptability.

Music Head in the Sand image License Peter

Photo: Peter
License: http://bit.ly/1jxQJMa

 

 

 

This is part one of a two-part article that dissects exactly how the market has changed and how consumer behaviors have changed.

 

 

 

Leon C. Megginson was paraphrasing a concept out of Charles Darwin’s book Origin of Species when he said, “It is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself.”

 

Music Time For Change Chalkboard image

 

This also applies to artists like you.

 

 

 

It’s not the strongest, the most intelligent, the richest, the most talented, the most well-known, the most creative, the most original, the best songwriters, or best musicians that will survive; it’s the most adaptable to the changing environment.

 

 

Let that sink in for a second.

 

Do we have a changing environment or what?

 

This means that if you focus on marketing as an artist, REALLY focus on marketing, your audience will be there when you’re art is ready. It also means you’ll be ONE OF THE ONLY PEOPLE with a grip on connecting to and creating relationships with audiences in the new music industry. This, in turn, means that your audience will be the most loyal as well.Music RIP Mass Mktg 2 Collage

 

That’s a pretty big advantage.

 

Marketing in and to the mass media is essentially a dead exercise; just like 1,000 previous dead religions and dead languages, it’s hardly pragmatic these days. It’s not really useful. Mass media/mass marketing will become the highbrow discussions of intellectuals 30 years from now, 50 years from now, even 200 years from now.

 

This is because you need reach a “mass” of people to make “mass marketing” work. The crowd plays a significant role when influencing the masses.

 

The masses are eroding in the market place.

 

Music Network Collage

In 1979 there were 3 major TV networks and 228 million people watching television. If your show sucked and was in 3rd place, you probably still had 30 million people watching it. That’s still massive exposure.

 

 

Competition back then was about being number one, the most popular programs brought in the largest advertising dollars, but there was an Music Super Bowl 50embarrassment of riches to be had.  (Think about the Super Bowl today. We are blown away by the cost of a 30 second ad, the network can charge these astronomical prices, and companies happily pay because there are so many people watching. I submit to you that the Super Bowl is one of the last big mass marketing audiences)

 

 

 

 

Music Smaller Audience CollageNowadays, there are hundreds of channels and the biggest hit TV shows are lucky to have 3-5 million people watching them. Mathematically, with 330 million people in the USA, that is roughly 1% of the population watching a huge hit show vs. 7.6% for crappy 3rd place in 1979.

 

Competition has now become about survival.

 

If you lost in 1979 you were humiliated but you were still fat, you still ate. If you lose now you’re dead, you’re starving.

 

This dynamic has happened because consumers have choices. When consumers have choices they exercise them.

 

This development is also happening in terrestrial radio. Think about the SHEER POWER terrestrial radio used to have in exposing the masses to a new artist.

Here’s a real world example:

When you get in your car and turn on the radio what do you want to hear?

You want to hear “your jam”.

You want to hear something you KNOW, something your familiar with.

In Milwaukee, WI there were 2 rock stations when I was growing up. I would go to my favorite rock station and (assuming there wasn’t a commercial on) 1 of 3 things would happen:Music Yes No No Collage

  1. They would be playing my jam (So I would stay on that station)
  2. They would be playing something I was familiar with and hated (which resulted in me changing the station)
  3. They would be playing something I was unfamiliar with (which resulted in me changing the station.)

 

There was a 66% chance that I would move down the dial to my second favorite rock station.

 

Music New Music Handcuff Image

 

Once again, the aforementioned subroutine was engaged and there was a 66% chance I would go back to my first and very favorite station, cross my fingers that they would play my jam next, and LISTEN to whatever they were broadcasting at that very moment.

I was exposed to many new artists that way. Some of them I loved, some of them not-so-much but I had to listen.

 

 

Here’s the rub:

Now, with automobiles having 4G LTE Wifi capabilities, equipped with Apple Carplay or Android Auto technology, my “next station” choices as a consumer are infinite.Music Apple CarPlay COLLAGE

 

I can keep changing to other stations, Pandora, Spotify, Deezer, Slacker, IHeartRadio, HD Radio, Sirius/XM Satellite Radio, etc. until I find my jam.

 

Think about that.

 

Music Consumer Choice MEME

 

 

That means I’m going to keep looking until I find something familiar to me.

That means Radio has now lost the power to expose the masses to new artists because consumers have choices.

 

 

 

Consumers like choices and consumers like familiarity (it’s kind of a dichotomy, don’t you think? We all used to “suffer” through the bad songs and unfamiliar songs to get to our favorite familiar songs. The “suffering” was the exposure-to-new-music process).

 

The translation I’m hoping that y’all are getting is that artists are not “breaking” on the radio anymore.

 

I submit to you that rock radio and pop radio have not “broken” any new artists in the last 5-7 years.

 

All the new artists “broke” somewhere else like TV, YouTube, Soundtrack, etc. THEN rock and pop radio started spinning them because they had to. The artists were now popular and in demand.

 

Country radio is still breaking new artists but those days are numbered, man.

Yes there are exceptions to the rule.

No, it is not smart to pin your hopes, dreams, blood, sweat, and tears on a business model that requires you to be an exception to the rule; don’t be an idiot.Music NO Powerball Lottery MEME

 

So how will you be exposed?

 

What is going to be the most effective methodology for artists to actually connect with future fans?

 

How will consumers become aware of your existence?

 

How will YOUR song become MY jam?

Music Emoticon Question Image

 

The music industry keeps trying to invent new ways for consumers and artists to connect and do business.

Spotify, iTunes, Pandora, Bkstg, Reverbnation, Bandzoogle, etc., created new ways for consumers to do business with the artists they are aware of, but these platforms essentially do nothing to expose new music and artists to these consumers. None of these platforms would have ANY TRAFFIC if there were no multi-million dollar brand names on them.

What I’m focusing on, and what you should be focusing on are the reasons why consumers will like you.

If consumers are aware of you and they like you, THEY WILL FIND YOU wherever you are. So the platform really isn’t that important, rather it’s secondary.

 

 

Think about how easy it is to find something or someone who wants to be found these days!!

 

I seriously just screwed up a keystroke writing this article by unknowingly using “Ctrl” + “T” which changed the indent of the next line. Ugh. In 30 seconds I googled what happened and discovered the antidote.

Music Buzz Is Better MEME

Piece of cake.

 

Traffic is what’s important. Buzz is better!

 

Stay

In

Tune (part 2 next week!)

 

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