1. Be Approachable

Being successful on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media outlet is a lot like being successful in a bar—If you want people to talk to you, you need to be approachable. Showing your "human side" will help. An easy way for musicians to do this is to post candid photos and videos of "non-music" activities.

Examples…

• your tour bus at a drive-thru window 
• your van on the side of the road with a flat tire 
• hanging out backstage 
• your 5-star hotel room 
• your 1-star hotel room

2. Give Value

Don’t just bombard people with marketing messages of where you’re playing, where your album is for sale, or requests to “vote” for you in some contest. Instead, let people know where they can get a free download of your music, where they can get photos of your current tour, or be part of your upcoming music video.

Here is a bumper sticker by children's artist Mr. Billy that does this well...

3. Start a Conversation

Social media isn’t a one-way street, so don’t just talk to people, talk with them. To do this:

• ask questions
• focus on interaction, not revenue

Another example from Mr. Billy...

4. Think Beyond Text

Break up text messages with audio and video. A picture is worth 1000 words.

5. Ask For It!

Don’t expect the person reading your message to read your mind also. If you want somebody to “like” it, respond to it, or share it with a friend, tell them!

And here is the bottom line about how to do it…

Give more of yourself, put the necessary time in, and make you communication "personal" by sharing aspects of your personal life. Doing these things, you have a great opportunity to stand out. If you’re not willing to do these things though, you have a better chance as ever of getting lost.

Martin Atkins is best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd., Ministry, Pigface, and Killing Joke. He is also the founder of Invisible Records.

Two things you should know...

1. Martin is getting ready to release a new book called  "Band: Smart - Succeeding in the Music Business on Your Own Terms." It has not only his advice, but advice from dozens of other music industry experts, including me.

2. He has a Kickstarter campaign for it, which includes some cool bonuses you might be interested in, including one-on-one consultation time with Martin. Other bonuses including music and collectables from Invisible Records, a "Welcome to the Music Businesss... You're Fucked." t-shirt, and more.

If you're looking for solid advice to help take your music business career to the next level, whether you go for the one-on-one time with Martin or just the book, this is a great way to do it. It's also a great example of how you can get creative and have fun with a Kickstarter campaign. 

This is a guest video/post from Chris Rockett at Music Marketing Classroom.

Notes from the video...

Email Marketing in a Nutshell

• Get fans on the email list, entertain them on a regular basis, and then link to something they can buy.
• Start off with low priced products (downloadable songs, for example) and move people up the ladder to higher priced items.

When to Send Your Emails?

• Use your email service provider to schedule your emails to go out at 4:30am, so that you’re there when people first check their messages in the morning.
• If you want to send two emails per week Tuesday and Thursday are good because Monday is a busy email day and people are a little bit distracted on Friday.

Ideas for Your Subject Line

• Use odd looking numbers - “Why did this video get 53,345 views?”
• Ask a question - “Did You See This?”
• Stack the value with brackets - “My Guitar Got Set On Fire! [Video Inside]"
• If you send two messages in a week send the second with the same subject line as a reply - “RE: Why did this video get 53,345 views?”
• Use the words YOU and YOUR in the subject line - “Your FREE Tickets...”
• Old favorites: Try out “Thank You” and “I’m in love...”

Increasing the Clickthrough Rate in Your Emails

• Keep your emails short and sweet - people may get bored and hit delete if you send something massive.
• Make each email about one topic to keep your fans focused on the message.
• Make sure that you include a PS because people sometimes skip the rest of the message and just read that.
• Have three links per email. One after the first line, one in the middle and the last one after the PS.
• Including an image in your email that looks like a video increases the chance of a click.
• If you want to send people to a blog post then consider pasting the text into the email itself.

Creating Customer Happiness

• Instantly send fans an email after they pay with detailed instructions on how to get their thing. Make it “Homer Simpson” simple and give them your email address to contact you if they have any problems. (Also consider making a ScreenR video to show then how to access the product)
• Surprise and delight your fans with bonuses and freebies they did not expect. (Remember the FRENCH CHEF!!!)
• Set up Survey Monkey to get an idea of how your fans found their experience with you and continue to create more and more happiness.

What people buy and what they say they buy are, almost always, two different things. For example, nobody just buys a new car. When somebody gets a new car, he is buying:

• Status 
• Ease 
• Sex Appeal 
• An Ego Boost

A new car is actually a “middleman” standing in the way. If there is an easier way to get these things, or if the person already has them, there is no need for the car.

By this same token, nobody simply buys music. Most of the time, they are purchasing the feeling they get while listening to that music. For example, the relaxation they feel when listening to some gentle New Age music or the rebelliousness they feel when listening to a gangsta rapper’s opinion of the police.

Music is a soundtrack to our lives. It’s what’s playing in the background when we’re doing other things, because it helps to facilitate these other things.

Archie Bell said it best...

"Just think, no more dancing
no, no, no people dancing to the beat
They’d be no birdy to wake you in the morning
with a sweet, sweet melody"

Music is what adds value to everything else we do in life. You could still dance without music, but it wouldn’t be nearly as fun. And although birds can be very beautiful just to look at, the songs they sing add an entirely different element to that beauty, since they involve another sense.

That is the power of music. It adds a sonic element to everything else we have going on, which makes everyday experiences even more powerful. When you know this is what you’re selling, your marketing efforts will become even more powerful as well.

For a great, non-music example of this concept (although the music in the background adds to what I'm talking about), look at the commercial below to see how Google is selling its products. It's not about email, spreadsheets, maps, online video, and the ability to translate text into different languages, it's about the basic human need of connection.

A few months ago, I put out a request for people to submit music for a documentary film about the Nashville Rollergirls. Within days, we had received over 1700 submissions.

The "test" was successful. People are interested in direct opportunities to have their music in film and television.

The Rollergirls film is in the can, but over the next few months, I plan on having similar opportunities with other films and television shows. To make sure you don't miss them, get on the feed or subscribe to email updates (use the box to the right).

Until then, if you're interested in the "old fashioned" exposure of having your music played on the radio, specifically Music Business Radio, here is the address to send a CD to:

Tuned In Broadcasting, Inc.
ATTN: Music Business Radio
1310 Clinton St. Suite 200
Nashville, TN 37203

Three months ago, I wrote about children's artist Mr. Billy and his plan to record and release 12 albums in 12 months.

Here's an update from Mr. Billy himself...

More musicians should be doing this!

If you're wondering how companies like Apple, Amazon, and Google are kicking ass and taking names, even in a "down" economy, here's the answer...

User experience.

This stuff isn't just for the supernerds who program iPhone apps and websites; it's something you can use in your music marketing and it's a lot more simple than people make it out to be.

For example, take a look at this letter I received in my mailbox yesterday...

It's a simple letter, which probably took all of 10 minutes to write, address, and send. Yet it says something very important to the customer-- you've made the right decision by purchasing from us and you should feel good about it.

If you've never been to a high-end hotel, restaurant, clothing store, or shopping center, you should go, if for no other reason than to observe. In general, everything a customer experiences at these places gives a similar message.

• You deserve this.
• You made a smart move.
• You should feel good about this.

In addition, everything you'll experience at a high-end provider is designed around these two things:

• Ease
• Comfort

Postal mail worked 100 years ago and it still works today. If you're looking for a good way to have your message cut through the noise of voice mails, emails, and text messages, think about using it.

This post isn't about the power of postal mail though; it's about the power of comfort, ease, and reinforcing the good decisions your customers make. You can do this any number of ways, from a mobile phone that needs no instruction manual, to a search engine that finds you exactly what you're looking for, to a free toaster when you open a new checking account.

How will you do it with your music business?

This is an example of a great way to get content for your video, build connections with fans, and spread the word about your music...

Why it works...

1. Fans provide the content for your video. This means less work for you...except for editing, of course.


2. Because fans are part of the video, they'll feel even more of a connection to it.


3. Because fans are part of the video, they'll tell their friends about it.

The idea is not limited to just dancing. You can do it with any action. Driving, walking, running, playing with dogs, climbing stairs, hammering nails, etc.

Want to know more about Butterfly Boucher? Listen to her interview on Music Business Radio.

This question was recently asked to Andrew WK...

"I’m dating a guy who refuses to give up on his dreams of rock stardom. While it’s admirable in a way, I need a little bit more stability if we’re going to make this work. How can I gently break this to him?"

His answer:

"Don’t you dare say anything to him about giving up his dream. You’re not the right person for him. Never ask someone to give up on their dream just so you can feel more stable. It’s his choice and his choice alone, no matter how ridiculous his dream may seem to you, or to society, or even to himself. Dreams make humans into self-realized individuals. Your only responsibility is to love everything about him, including his dreams. The idea of 'making this work' sounds more like a way to make his life more boring and predictable. At worst, it’s a genuine sadistic desire to control someone else because your own life feels out of control — or a cruel need to dominate and break someone’s spirit for the sake of your own peace of mind. Look for stability and peace of mind inside yourself, and not in your relationships or the dreams of others."

More advice from Andrew WK...

Shawn Huberts wrote a book called How to Pack Like a Rock Star. He also wrote the following post...

Whether you're going on tour for 2-3 days, or 2-3 months, the idea is still the same...

While getting ready to leave on tour, there are always a couple of things that must be done first.

1. Make sure you have all your proper gear and instruments.

2. Make sure you've packed your bags for the road.

Warning: the pure joy and excitement of tour can often overshadow the latter… but don't let it! This is a very important step.

I've found that one of the best ways to help a tour run smoother comes directly from a properly packed suitcase.

You think I'm crazy? Well think about it this way... It's 2 minutes till showtime and you've just spent the entire day recovering from your exhausting drive through the night; you and your bandmates are grumpy and hungry (among other things) and the last thing you want now is a 5-minute rummage through your bag only to find out now that you didn't bring your favorite stage shirt. No one wants to go on stage with that attitude!

You say to yourself, "If you had just packed properly before you left, if you had just been a little more organized, you wouldn't be in this conundrum right now when you should be focusing on the show!”

It seems minor, but trust me, after a few tiring days, not to mention after the three-week mark on tour… this can be what puts you over the top… 

Let your suitcase be the Zen in your life…look down at it…feel the warm glow of comfort that may arise in your soul. No matter how stressful a show or tour can get, a well-packed suitcase can be a breath of fresh air. And trust me, fresh air is hard to come by when you’re crammed in a van with band mates who haven’t had the luxury of regular showers.

Ok maybe all I'm saying is this… There are enough distractions and frustrations on a even a smaller 3-date tour, so do yourself a favor and create your own source of inner peace and inspiration within the madness, and you'll be able to more freely enjoy the amazing experiences that touring and traveling has to offer.

Now here's a little advice to get you started and on your way:

1. Place the clothes in your suitcase vertically, as if you were replacing a file in a filing cabinet (see photo).


2. Fold your jeans so that the back pocket stitching is the most visible part (this allows you to easily distinguish which jeans are which without having to search through them all).


3. Fold your t-shirts in a similar manner as your jeans, but this time, have the chest of the shirt most visible (where a logo may be).

In order to make my shorts and jeans the same height (vertically in my pack), I fold my jeans in thirds and then again in half (1/6 total) and my t-shirts in half, then half again, (1/4 total), but modify it to suit your own specific suitcase. 

I don't roll my clothes because it ends up causing more wrinkles in the end… not to mention it's impossible to tell which shirt is which if you have two similar colored shirts… oh and don't even get me started on the "it saves space" argument… just think about this, are building blocks square or round? Exactly.