The Buzz Factor (Powerful Music PR Tips) Bob Baker's "The Buzz Factor" Delivering music marketing tips, self-promotion ideas and more since 1995 - http://TheBuzzFactor.com/ August 26, 2003 - Vol. 9, Issue 24 In This Issue: 1. Turning Good Deeds Into Powerful Publicity 2. What I Found in the Buzz Factor Mailbag 3. Meet Bob in Nashville and Minneapolis 4. What They're Saying About ... __________________________________________________ See the end of this message for details on how to get on and off the Buzz Factor mailing list. __________________________________________________ Welcome! => 1. Turning Good Deeds Into Powerful Publicity When most artists take steps to get media coverage, they put the focus where it seems to make the most sense: on themselves, their CDs, their live shows and more. There's nothing wrong with that, but many artists I've talked to recently found it can be more profitable to be less selfish when seeking publicity ... Read my newest article on this topic at GetSigned.com at http://www.getsigned.com/bob67.html Thanks to subscribers Uke Jackson, Debbie Fortnum and Stu Shulman for supplying some great examples to support the article. On an unrelated note ... I'm a big advocate of displaying your personality when you promote your music, especially through e-mail and on web sites, where it's easy to loose sight of making things warm and fuzzy for your fans. That's why I have to share this short bit of text from a recent e-mail from my friend Gregg Hopkins of the St. Louis band The Melroys: "Here's a last-minute reminder that The Melroys will put on our little extravaganza at CJ Muggs tonight from 9 pm to 1 am. The food is hot, the drinks are cold, the dance floor is smooth, the music is hoppin', the catfish are jumpin', your mama is good lookin'. Please, no coolers, pets or firearms! Gregg TheMelroys.com P.S. Persons peeved by these perpetual pestering posts will be promptly purged upon proper petition." Now that's got personality! Think about how you can inject your communications with a little vim and vigor of your own. Get out there and promote yourself! -Bob P.S. As a subscriber, you get exclusive access to the Buzz Factor Premium Content site, featuring special subscribers- only articles, e-zine back issues and other goodies. Take a look around at http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/zine/pc.html __________________________________________________ => SPREAD IT AROUND Forward this issue to your friends and fellow musicians. Encourage them to subscribe. It's easy ... and it's fr-ee! __________________________________________________ => 2. What I Found in the Buzz Factor Mailbag A couple e-mail notes caught my attention last week. Let's dig into them and uncover some lessons. Dave Graham, a musician from the UK, wrote: "I just wanted to say thanks for the info and advice you have made available through your sites and e-zine. You have helped me get through a long phase of "if only" -- if only I had more money, or if only I had a laptop, etc. You've helped me realize that you have to start NOW, with what you have -- and you've also made me realize that, as a solo artist, your PR and marketing should be part of the creative process, and that they can be as rewarding and as fun as the artistic stuff." Cheers to you, Dave, for recognizing your mental limitations and being brave enough to know you can break through them. Sadly, many creative people never get past "if only" and continue to blame people, places and things outside themselves for their fate. But not you. Congrats on your progress! Also, you're right again on being creative with your marketing. There's no need to shut down your artistic instincts when you promote yourself. In fact, you'll be served well by your innovative thinking -- along with being profession, pleasant and persistent. Now let's turn to a letter from Christian humorist Rich Praytor (www.richpraytor.com): "Here's a quick note to let you know I really enjoyed the 'Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook.' The points I really took ahold of were creating an identity statement, how to benefit my customer and acting now. "First, I changed my motto from 'Christian Comedy That's Actually Funny' to 'Comedy You Can Believe In.' I ran it by several pastors and they liked it a lot more than the previous one. "I also changed the wording on my web site and promo material from words like, 'Here's what I've accomplished' to 'Here's how I can benefit your event or church.' "Finally, I was at work reading the chapter on acting now and thought to myself, What could I be doing now during my down town at my job? I had some postcards handy so I hand wrote 10 postcards to some churches I've been targeting and sent them off that day. It took me about 10 minutes. Then I got a call from one church three days later wanting more info. By taking 10 minutes to write some postcards, I'll book this gig at $1,500. 10 minutes + 45 minutes for the performance = $1,500 for an hour's work. Not bad." Not bad at all, Rich. Thanks for sharing your lessons learned. Every act could benefit from a motto, which I now call a Brand Identity Statement. It lets people know what you do and why they should care in as few words as possible. Always present what you do in "you" terms whenever possible -- "If you love to dance and get crazy, you'll love XYZ" is much better than "My band just won three awards." And yes, I can't stress it enough ... do something now to promote your music. Even if you only have five or ten minutes, do something to reach more fans and extend your notoriety to the people most likely to embrace your music. __________________________________________________ => 3. Meet Bob in Nashville and Minneapolis The Nashville New Music Conference (www.2nmc.com) is the place to be Sept. 10-13. I'll be attending for the third year in a row. On Saturday, Sept. 13, at 1:30 pm, I'll present a workshop called "How to Attract More Fans & Sell More CDs." Here's the description on the 2NMC web site: "An interactive session with the author of the 'Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook.' Work with Bob as he walks you through 10 steps to widespread exposure, sales and success and as an indie artist. Learn how to stay motivated, get clear about your identity and pinpoint the best ways to build a following and boost your music career to a higher level." And at 4 pm that same day, I'll sit on a "Guerrilla Marketing" panel (what a clever title for a panel :) This year, I'll be hanging out with cool people like Derek Sivers, Gilli Moon, Peter Spellman, Suzanne Glass and hundreds of other active, creative folks. Then on Saturday, Nov 1, I'll be heading to Minneapolis to speak at Musicians Expo 2003, held in nearby Bloomington, Minnesota. Check out www.musiciansexpo.com for details. __________________________________________________ => 4. What They're Saying About ... "The 'Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook' is the most directly applicable, start-tomorrow, creatively inspiring book I've ever seen on promoting your music!" -Derek Sivers, president, CD Baby, www.cdbaby.com More info: http://bob-baker.com/buzz/music_marketing.htm __________________________________________________ "Your book has shown me that marketing is numero uno but also that managing my time is as important. It is amazing how many pitfalls you describe that I find myself doing. You can be your own worst enemy and 'Unleash the Artist Within' shows you how to free yourself and pursue your goals and dreams. This book should be a top-10 bestseller." -Tom Schoblocher, Nuvoman Recording Studio, www.nuvoman.com More info: http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/unleash.html __________________________________________________ "People won't beat a path to your door if you don't tell them where you live -- especially on the Internet. 'Branding Yourself Online' gives you the smart steps you need to take to promote yourself and increase awareness of who you are and what you do. Don't get lost in cyberspace. Let Bob Baker show you the way." -Raleigh Pinskey, author of "101 Ways to Promote Yourself" More info: http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/byo.html =========== Cool Music Stuff You Need =========== Killer Press Kits: The 29 Most Important Elements in Creating Sizzling Music Publicity Materials http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/presskits.html E-zine Music Marketing: Powerful Ways to Promote Your Music with a Fan E-mail Newsletter http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/quiz.html 197 Promotion Tips, Tricks and Resources for Indie Musicians - http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/197.html How to Promote Your Music Successfully on the Internet http://www.rainmusic.com/htpma/buzz.htm Earn Cash as a Buzz Factor Affiliate Make 40% on every title sold through your affiliate link! http://www.bob-baker.com/af/BuzzAfil.html Get Your Own Domain Name for Only $15 a Year http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/url.html __________________________________________________ REPRINT PERMISSION Would you like to run some of the content from this issue on your web site or in your e-zine? You may do so for free as long as you add the following credit: "Reprinted from Bob Baker's The Buzz Factor, featuring free marketing and self-promotion ideas for songwriters, musicians and bands on a budget. Visit www.TheBuzzFactor.com for details." __________________________________________________ To START getting The Buzz Factor, send an e-mail to addme@thebuzzfactor.com with the words "Send Me the Buzz" in the Subject line. Or visit http://TheBuzzFactor.com/ __________________________________________________ The Buzz Factor is published by Bob Baker PO Box 43058 - St. Louis, MO 63143 Phone: (314) 758-7578 - E-mail: bob@thebuzzfactor.com http://www.TheBuzzFactor.com/ (c) 2003 by Bob Baker - All Rights Reserved |