Bob Baker's The Buzz Factor

I'll admit it. Lately, I've been feeling overwhelmed.

Too many tasks on my to-do list. A constant stream of email in my Inbox. And more demands seeming to come from every direction. Such is the life of a full-time author and small business person.
But I'm not willing to accept this as the normal state of doing what I do.

So here's something simple I'm going to try to get my balance back. And I encourage you to try this as well.

Every morning ask yourself:

What three things can I do today that would have the greatest positive impact on my ...

Then fill in the blank.

You might complete the question with "music sales" or "career as a musician" or "fans." Perhaps "Internet presence" or "live gigs" would work here too.

Really ponder what would have the "greatest positive impact" on your chosen area. And write down your top three answers.

Now you know what's most important and what to focus on today.

Here's another version of this that might be even more powerful. Ask a series of similar questions limited to one thing you can do in the most important areas of your life.

Examples:

• What one thing can I do today that would have the greatest positive impact on my happiness?
  
  
• What one thing can I do today that would have the greatest positive impact on my health?
  
  
• What one thing can I do today that would have the greatest positive impact on my wealth?
  
  
• What one thing can I do today that would have the greatest positive impact on my relationships?
  
  
• What one thing can I do today that would have the greatest positive impact on my contribution to society?

You get the idea.

Instead of being swept up in the endless flow of tasks and trying to get "caught up" -- which never seems to happen for me -- instead focus on the big picture and what is truly important.

Let's try it together. We may still have a long list of things that are "undone." But I bet we make monumental progress on the things that are most important.

-Bob

Get your FREE copy of my Music Marketing Secrets special report. It shows you how to get more exposure, attract more fans, and sell more music! Go here to grab your copy now ...

For months now I've been working in silence on a brand new resource. It's finally ready, and the timing couldn't be better.

I'm sure you've been following news stories about the monumental failures with U.S. financial institutions and the government bailouts.

No matter where you live in the world, you may be worried and wondering how the unstable economy will affect your life and music career.

How will you earn a living now that consumers are getting even more protective of their limited funds? How can you support yourself with all the financial uncertainty in the world?

Well, I help answer those questions on this page.

All I can say is that, for me personally, I have generally done better with my business when the economy was supposedly in a recession. I've never let outside circumstances influence what happens with my own mission and pursuits. I encourage you to do the same.

Again, you can read more about it here.

-Bob

P.S. Did you enjoy this blog post? Get more tips like these when you subscribe to my Buzz Factor ezine -- the longest running music career tips email newsletter on the Internet. Since 1995. Go grab your free subscription now.

Ready to turbo-charge your music marketing campaign? Check out all the new Crash Course packages on Music Marketing, Music Publicity, and Internet Promotion at TheBuzzFactor.com.

After many years of publishing by own brand of Guerrilla Music Marketing books, I am now officially part of Jay Conrad Levinson's series of Guerrilla Marketing books.

You see, Jay wrote the first Guerrilla Marketing book back in 1983. It was one of several books that inspired me to travel the path I've taken.

Jay's original Guerrilla book spawned a series of about 30 books that he's written or co-written over the years, and millions of copies have been sold.

Even though Jay gave me his blessings years ago to use the Guerrilla name, I've never actually been part of his series. But that changes this week with the release of Guerrilla Marketing on the Front Lines.

The subtitle of this new, 300-page book is "35 World-Class Strategies to Send Your Profits Soaring." My pal Mitch Meyerson (an awesome guitar player, by the way) spearheaded this title and asked some of his favorite guerrilla marketers to each contribute a chapter. And I'm one of them!

I'm honored to be in such great company.

Mark Victor Hansen (of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame) wrote the Foreword. Some of the other authors include Alex Mandossian, Michael Port, Rick Frishman, Al Lautenslager, Roger C Parker, Travis Greenlee, Craig Valentine, Grant Hicks, and many more.

Here's the cool part ...

The official launch date is today, Sept. 24. If you purchase the book this week, I'll send you details on how to access a special live conference call that features me, Jay, Mitch, and several of the other Front Lines authors.

You can order the book on Amazon here (please do that today, if you can):

Be sure to forward your Amazon receipt to me so I can send you the conference call details.

Or get an autographed copy directly from me by using this link. Note that I have only about 30 copies in my personal stock, so quantities are limited with this option.

When you order it from me, I'll also send you details to access the call.

This is exciting. Thanks for allowing me to share this good news with you!

-Bob

P.S. Did you enjoy this blog post? Get more tips like these when you subscribe to my Buzz Factor ezine -- the longest running music career tips email newsletter on the Internet. Since 1995. Go grab your free subscription now.

Check out Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook, the classic guide to indie music promotion. Now revised and updated, with four new chapters on Internet and Web 2.0 music marketing.

Cameron Mizell, a musician from Brooklyn, NY, wrote a blog post last week on how to create a fan email list with Google Docs. It's well done and demonstrates just one way that anyone can take existing technology and turn it into a no-cost marketing tool.
Another way to use Google to build a mailing list is Google Groups. With this option, in addition to having a place where people can sign up to get email updates, you can also create a mini fan community where members can create profiles, start discussions, upload files and photos, etc. Be sure to check out all the settings and adjust them according to how you want the group to operate.

Of course, Google also owns Blogger, which you can use to publish a blog for free. They run YouTube and Google Video. I've also seen some creative uses of Google Calendar to post show schedules.

There are no shortages of free promotion tools. The real question is ...

What will you do with them?

-Bob

Ready to turbo-charge your music marketing campaign? Check out all the new Crash Course packages on Music Marketing, Music Publicity, and Internet Promotion at TheBuzzFactor.com.

In the last post I covered How to Learn More About the Music Biz. This is a direct follow-up to that post, so if you missed it, be sure to read it here.

As you now know, the best way to absorb and remember information is to flood your senses: Read about it, talk about it, listen to and watch others talk about it and do it. Most importantly, DO IT yourself. And, to take it to the deepest levels of permanent understanding, teach others how to do it too.

This is an awesome insight into how your brain works and how you can use it to learn the things needed to further your music career and life.

But there's another aspect of this you can use to market yourself in a big way. Here's the secret ...

Your fans and potential fans learn about music the same way.

Think about some of your favorite artists. How did you become aware of them?

Perhaps a friend talked about them. Or you read a review of their CD. Or maybe you heard them first on a radio show or podcast. Or perhaps you saw a YouTube video of one of their songs.

Something brought their music into your awareness for the first time. Once that interest was sparked, each new exposure brought a deeper recognition and understanding of the artist and his/her music.

And if you look at the percentage breakdowns of how people remember (from the previous post), the same elements apply to fans.

That's why getting a glowing written review of your music doesn't always lead to a boost in sales. Simply reading about new music doesn't make a huge impact. People quickly forget.

That's also why running ads is generally a waste of money. Seeing and reading an ad might help create some awareness, but it does little to create a lasting impression (unless done repeatedly for months and years -- which is not feasible for most indie artists).

Ideally, the best way to promote your music is to hit your ideal type of music consumer from various angles. Sure, you want them to read and hear about you. The more often, the better.

But you also want them to see and hear you at the same time (as with online video). You want them to experience you directly (at a live show). And you especially want them to share their enthusiasm with others (raving to their friends).

So, from now on, when you come up with a new music promotion plan, make sure it includes many ways that current and potential fans can:

• Read about you (in your ezine, blog and media coverage)
• Hear your music (and you speak about it)
• See photos of you
• See and hear your music in a visual format (videos, audio slide shows)
• Experience your music live
• Talk about you
• Share your music with others
• Explain something remarkable that you did

In other words, how can you bombard their senses in such a way that your ideal fans won't forget you?

It doesn't take a ton of money to accomplish that. It just takes lots of creativity and action on your part.

Have fun promoting!

-Bob

P.S. Did you enjoy this blog post? Get more tips like these when you subscribe to my Buzz Factor ezine -- the longest running music career tips email newsletter on the Internet. Since 1995. Go grab your free subscription now.

Check out Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook, the classic guide to indie music promotion. Now revised and updated, with four new chapters on Internet and Web 2.0 music marketing.

You already know this: To be successful with your music, you must have talent and drive and be smart about promoting yourself. You also have to mentally absorb and learn a lot of STUFF.

How do you keep up with it all?

Well, here are some interesting stats about the way people internalize ideas.

WE REMEMBER ...

10% of what we read (books, blogs, articles, etc.)
20% of what we hear (conversations, audio programs, music)
30% of what we see (pictures, images)
50% of what we see and hear (audio-visual presentations, personal observation)
70% of what we say (discussions with others, self-talk out loud)
80% of what we personally experience (do through action)
90% of what we teach others (share what we've learned)

These numbers are loosely based on something called the Cone of Experience created years ago by an educator named Edgar Dale. Apparently, Dale never assigned percentages to his "cone" and warned that the levels of experience don't always apply to every person in every situation.

But the implication is clear ...
The more ways you absorb new information, the greater the chances are it will take root in your mind and make a real impact in your life.

For example, you can read about how to drive a car and get a minimal amount of knowledge that way. You can listen to someone who knows how to drive, and even watch them while they drive ... and that will give you a greater understanding.

But getting behind a wheel and actually driving will give you the most direct experience. And if you take the knowledge you gained through that experience and tell someone else about it -- on top of the previous reading and watching and listening -- you will know how to drive a car on the deepest personal level.

So ... do you wanna learn something new?

Maybe how to "pimp" your MySpace profile, or how to edit video using iMovie on your Mac, or how to get more media exposure for your music?

Then don't just read about it. See, hear and feel it. Involve all of your senses. Read books about it. Listen to audio programs about it. Watch videos about it. Find out who's already doing it and talk with them.

Then try doing some of it yourself. And as you learn things about it, share your newfound knowledge with others -- while also continuing to read, write, hear, see, touch, smell, taste, and talk about as much of it as you can.

In the next blog post, I'll cover how to use these same principles to promote yourself and communicate with your fans.

-Bob

Did you enjoy this blog post? Get more tips like these when you subscribe to my Buzz Factor ezine -- the longest running music career tips email newsletter on the Internet. Since 1995. Go grab your free subscription now.