Online Band Marketing & Social Networking Crash Course

This week we are going to take a brief look at the importance for you and your band to be an active member in today's social networks, as well as some basic brand marketing tips for your band.

In our current society we are constantly glued to our tech devices and continuously downloading massive amounts of data through both our personal computers and mobile devices. In fact, over 488 million people use Facebook over a one month span with numbers growing everyday. With evidence like this it is no wonder that it is so important for artists to "put themselves out there". Gone are the days of searching the Yellow Pages for a phone number, or buying a map to plot a course for vacation. These tasks and more are easily and efficiently carried out over the internet.

So what are some of these social networks, and which ones do I need?



An all-too-popular answer is: "all of them!" And though I don't think this is necessary, it certainly doesn't hurt. Remember, your goal when marketing your music will be to spread your band's name and music as far as you can, and to everyone you can. The greatest benefit of social networking is the ability to reach millions of potential fans in mere moments, and at little to no cost to you.

Some of the most popular and beneficial social networks used today:

• Facebook – Ask just about anyone these days, and its pretty likely they have a Facebook account. One of the most popular social networks with over 488+ million users monthly, and over 42 million "Pages", literally everyone is on Facebook. Though there is a large amount of speculation on whether or not Facebook will stand the test of time, it is clear that this social network will play a large and vital role in your bands social image. Recently Facebook has also added a hashtag (#) feature similar to Twitter which is certain to increase branding for those looking to market and advertise within the network. 
• Twitter – The second most popular social networking site would definitely have to be Twitter. Intended for short bursts of information, it is a great way to reach your audience on a more personal level. Garnering attention through re-tweets is a great way to allow your fans to advertise for you by means of sharing stories with their respective followers. Offering incentives to your followers is a great way to get re-tweets flowing by encouraging fans to do the heavy lifting for you. Though not as popular as Facebook, Twitter still sees about 107 million US users, a great reason to get your band started.
• Youtube – Though Youtube isn't exactly a "social network", many of the features and abilities within the website create enormous potential to reach new audiences all over the world. Apart from having a massive collection of musicians and artists alike posting their work, Youtube has the benefit to post and catalog your music videos which you wish to showcase, as well as the ability to post content related to your brand and music such as concert announcements, backstage features, or video blogs.
• Google+ - Still fairly new to the social network game, Google started its social networking platform, Google+, in August 2007 and has been growing in users steadily since its opening. Though only about 8% of Americans older than the age of 12 have Google+ accounts, almost 48 percent of Fortune Global 100 companies are now on the new social site and growing in popularity. Fan communities are fond of the new "Circles" feature which allows users to organize groups with similar interests. Probably the most popular reason to have your band's profile on Google+ is the ability to improve search results on Google's parent search engine.
• Soundcloud – Easily known as one of the most popular free websites to host and stream music, since its opening Soundcloud has improved and offered many great features to help musicans and sound artists share their music. Not only can you stream your music here to your fans, your fans will be able to favorite, share and comment on tracks you post.
• Reverb Nation – Though decreasing popularity in recent months, Reverb Nation is still a popular place for musicians to host their music and share it with fans. Hosting a bokeh of different features and insight to help progress you and your band's music, Reverb Nation can be a great place to host music and share tour dates with your fans. However, with Facebook's new linking feature, artists can link their page to their Reverb Nation account quick and easily. By linking the two, artists can then easily share their new music on their page and direct fans to the rest of their catalog through the application.
• Myspace – Easily one of the least popular social networks today, Myspace used to be the biggest name of the block. Though not used much today, some analysts are predicting a comeback for Myspace with its revamped focus on music. In fact, this past SXSW saw the reemergence of the site as a competitor, with Justin Timberlake endorsing the new site. In order to get a chance at getting into his secret show during SX, eager fans had to create a new account on the site. Though a successful marketing ploy, I am still unconvinced of a Myspace re-emergence.

Other social networks to consider:

• Instagram – Instagram is great for creating a behind-the-scenes look into your band’s life. Sporting a hashtag (#) feature, seeing who attended your show and sharing fan photos has never been easier. The new video feature also allows 15 seconds of live footage, with a number of optional filters, quickly becoming a popular choice to the Vine fans. With over 80+ million active Instagram users, Instagram is solidifying itself as the social network staple.
• Blogging – When maintained, blogging can be a fantastic way to drive traffic to your bands pages, social networks and website, as well as providing an inside look into your bands world to provide as reader entertainment. From tour announcements to album updates, blogging helps keep your fans in the loop in a more intimate way than Facebook or Twitter can provide with its limited character posts.
• Linkedin – LinkedIn is great for musicians, but even better for music industry professionals. Known as the 'professional' Facebook, LinkedIn is a community of professionals to connect with other professionals. It’s also a great way to see who’s good at what in the industry, including management, marketing, and audio engineering among other skills and talents. Try searching LinkedIn the next time you need to find out about a producer or engineer!
• Message Boards – Also known as "forums", checking in regularly and participating on message boards related to your music or brand is a great way to connect with your audience and keep tabs on what your fans really think about your music. These message boards are also a fantastic way to keep tabs on your fans and find their opinions. Good message boards to keep track of include ones that you may have on your website, Tumblr, Pinterest and Reddit accounts managed by members of your staff or fans, and lyric interpreter sites like Rap Genius or Song Meanings.

Tips for effective social networking:

• Keep your social networking accounts active! Fans don’t want to see that you haven’t updated your Facebook in months. By constantly and consistently feeding your social networks, you can better identify your audience and make direct connections and interactions with your fans. Also, keeping multiple active accounts lets your fans know that you’re willing to be wherever they are. Let your fans hear about your updates from multiple sources. A great way to manage all these account at once are sites like HootSuite or Bufferapp.
• Taking the extra time to reply to fan comments and questions online can be a great way to keep them coming back for more. If you interact with your fans in a truly meaningful way by having fun, being engaging and interactive with them across the spectrum of social networks, your brand has a real chance at garnering a credible audience with loyalties to you and your music. A dependable fanbase can go quite a distance when you need publicity online or in real life.
• Facebook and Google+ (as well as Google Analytics), have analytics built into the page management section of your social networking site. This tool will help you to track your fan reach and see which types of posts your audience is most interested in reading or clicking on. Keep in mind the usefulness of shareable media when posting online. Videos, pictures and posts go viral when it’s something that people want to share with their online network. Many posts that feature an interesting or entertaining picture or video are more likely to be shared online. 

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

For those of you with a website, you may have already heard about SEO. I won't go into too much length here as the needs of each website needs will be slightly different. In short, SEO is a method to insure your website comes up towards the top of search results on different search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc...).

There are many techniques to increase your websites SEO, including keywords, backlinks, social network links, pictures, and video to name a few. The idea is to create content and keywords that a search engine will find appealing when someone uses a particular word or phrase within a search. Adding creditable information about your band on your website will increase your SEO in theory, though I highly suggest you do some research on your own or hire a professional to help you get your website rolling in the right direction.

Another great way to get noticed on search engines is by getting noticed by your local media like blogs and press. If a blog writes an article about your band, share it with your social networks, comment on the article if you can, and feature the article on your own website or blog. The key here is traffic!

Email

• Though e-mailing may not be the most popular choice of communication, especially with the younger crowd these days, it is still a great way to communicate and connect with fans, promoters, managers, engineers and others within the industry. As a band, when you send e-mails to fans you're creating a lasting impression. As long as you're not too spammy and send beneficial updates, you can expect to see a great increase in fan interaction when e-mailing about what your band is doing. With new e-mailing campaign websites it has never been easier to get that monthly newsletter out to your fans.

Non-Online Marketing

• As a band your look or "brand" image is effected by how you market both online and offline. Using consistent brand imaging will help fans recognize you in multiple locations. Everything from profile images to album and concert promotion art all play a factor into how accessible, interesting, or approachable your brand will be.
• Insure your online press kit as well as your physical press kit are up to date and include links to your music, social networks and your website. Press releases you submit are great for bloggers who will use the information for their posts and articles, so make sure the information they receive is accurate.
• Authentic and original branding is highly noticeable! Being interactive and authentic with your audience across all platforms will insure your audience is receptive.
• Physical advertising and marketing still work! Handing out flyers, putting up posters, or giving out stickers are all valid physical marketing ploys. If you can afford to give your fans free merchandise, you should.

  

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• Strategize your marketing by leveraging your funds and time. If you have extra money in your budget, try to spend it towards publicity for your music and brand. Being creative when it comes to PR is key, and there are lots of way to promote for free.
• Plan releases and show announcements on a reverse timeline to help gain a profitable impact date. This will ensure there are no surprises along the way.
• Seven key areas to focus on when marketing your music are Social Media, Radio, Video, Publicity, Merch/Retail, Touring, and Strategic Marketing.
• Be realistic about who's actually going to pay attention, don't dwell on gathering viewers or fans who are outside your musical circles. Keep reliable information and activity on your social platforms and the fans will follow.

In the end your overall success is measured by your effectiveness to utilize marketing such as social networks or offline physical promotion tactics with your brand. Keep your fans close and reward them with goodies often because they will come in handy when you need someone to help spread the word about your soon-to-be-released album.
If you have any addition suggestions or tips, be sure to let us know in the comment section!