The Buzz Factor (Music Web Site Tips) Bob Baker's "The Buzz Factor" Delivering music marketing tips, self-promotion ideas and more since 1995 - http://TheBuzzFactor.com/ September 10, 2003 - Vol. 9, Issue 26 In This Issue: 1. The Big Questions, Open-Mouth Kisses, Nashville Bound 2. The Lost Q&A on Music Web Site Tips 3. Feel the Love __________________________________________________ See the end of this message for details on how to get on and off the Buzz Factor mailing list. __________________________________________________ Welcome! => 1. The Big Questions, Open-Mouth Kisses, Nashville Bound Do you ever find yourself pondering the big questions? Such as "How can I get fans to return to my web site?" Or "Why should I publish an e-zine?" Or "Why isn't anyone talking about the Modonna-Christina open-mouth kiss?" Well, I can't answer the last one (although with all the Britney hoopla surrounding her smooch with the Material Girl, Christina must be thinking, "Hey, I kissed her too. I was there gyrating along with them, remember? What, am I chopped liver?") ... but I can shed some light on the first two questions. In the next section of this issue, I unveil the rest of my lost Vibe magazine interview. I was quoted in the September (10th anniversary) issue of Vibe. Most of the info I sent for the article didn't make it in. That's fine, but I didn't want my responses to go unread so I'm sharing some of those tips with you now. Tomorrow I head south to Music City and the 3rd annual Nashville New Music Conference, where I'll hang out with lots of cool people and soak up as much good music as I can stand. This Saturday, Sept. 13, at 1:30 pm, I'll present a workshop called "How to Attract More Fans & Sell More CDs" in which I'll walk attendees through 10 steps to widespread exposure, sales and success and as an indie artist. At 4 pm that same day, I'll sit on a "Guerrilla Marketing" panel with Peter Spellman, Al McCree and Jon DeMezzo. Visit http://www.2nmc.com/ for the latest low-down on the event. Since you're a valued subscriber, you get direct access to the Buzz Factor Premium Content site at http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/zine/pc.html There you'll find ... - Four Ways to Attract More Music Fans Faster (PDF handout) - Two free chapters from my "Branding Yourself Online" book - Smashing the Press Release Myth by PR expert Bill Stoller - How Radio Promotion Really Works by Bryan Farrish - And more. More stuff that's good and good for you: Read a free sample section of the highly acclaimed "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook" at http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/gmmhintro.html Read six free excerpts from the book "Unleash the Artist Within" at http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/unleash/ Have a great week. Now get out there and promote yourself! -Bob __________________________________________________ => 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. The Lost Q&A on Music Web Site Tips Q: How can artists get fans to keep coming back to their web site? A: Before I answer that, let me emphasize that an artist's goal should never be to reach a certain number of hits or return visits to a web site. The goal should be to establish ongoing relationships with a growing number of fans -- relationships that lead to lots of CD sales, bodies at live shows and positive word of mouth (also known as "buzz"). Keep the focus on connecting with fans, and then view your web site and other marketing tools through the lens of how they can help you accomplish that. Hands down, the best way to keep fans coming back to your site is to get permission to contact them by e-mail. This is most commonly done by offering a free e-zine or e-mail update. Place a sign-up form on every web page and give visitors a compelling reason to sign up. Simply announcing "Sign Up for the Free Band Ezine" is better than nothing, but there are better ways to inspire people to hand over their contact information. Make it sound as if, by signing up, fans are gaining access to a special club with cool benefits for members. Offer exclusive downloads, access to a members-only section of your site, timely updates on upcoming shows and new releases ... all this for free, if only the fan fills out a simple form. Once you have a database of people interested in your music, you can communicate with them by e-mail on a regular basis. And you can make them aware of new reasons to visit your web site. But the bottom line is that you are furthering the relationship you have with your fans. Q: Why is an e-zine a good way to keep in touch with fans? A: Because once a fan has given you permission to contact him or her about your musical activities, it puts you in control of the relationship. A web site without an e-zine component is a crapshoot. You sit on the sidelines and hope that people find your site and return to get the latest news on your act. An e-zine is essential in building fan relationships. However, for an e-zine to be effective, you have to make the most of it. That means sharing a bit of yourself with your fans through your writing. Let them know about interesting things that happened on the road, personal experiences that influenced your songs, etc. Also, don't just list places where you'll be playing; describe the venues and create an appealing reason for people to attend. Also, offer discounts on your CDs and merchandise and make other special offers to your subscribers. Share yourself with your fans, reward them, make them feel special -- and they'll reward you with their time, money and support. [Note: For dozens of tips on publishing a free fan e-zine, check out my "E-zine Music Marketing" special report at http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/quiz.html ] Q: How important is it these days to be listed in a search engine? A: It helps, but I don't think people should get too preoccupied with search engine rankings. Again, focus on reaching fans and networking with site owners who can help you reach those fans. Q: How can artists find web sites to get reviewed in? A: Simple. Go to a search engine like google.com and type in key words related to your music or the names of popular artists similar to you. You'll have to wade through a lot of unusable listings, but you should find many sites that review the kind of music you perform. __________________________________________________ => 3. Feel the Love: What They're Saying About ... "This grass roots guide ['Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook'] by self-marketing wizard Bob Baker could be the one thing you need to launch a profitable music career. Learn how to exploit the media, send CDs flying off the racks, and start turning heads in your town." -Jake Sibley, Musicians' Exchange guide, About.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 __________________________________________________ "'Branding Yourself Online' is loaded with wisdom served up in an exceedingly readable style. If I was king of the universe, I'd make Bob's book mandatory reading for every person who owns a computer." -Jay Conrad Levinson, author of the Guerrilla Marketing series of books 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 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 __________________________________________________ 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 |