Website publicity?
- Thread starter marquardt
- Start date
gullyjewelz
New member
dotn know what to tell ya buddy!!!!
im certainly keepin my eye on this topic, cuz im lookin for info on it as wel.
in my experience, the only thing that has worked is jumpin in a shitload of online chat communities, and askin folk to check me out . . . but thats a painstakingly timeconsuming method . . . .
pass out flyers at local record stores . . . i tried that . . . (but my area is not really that big on indie artists so the response was still lukewarm . . .
im certainly keepin my eye on this topic, cuz im lookin for info on it as wel.
in my experience, the only thing that has worked is jumpin in a shitload of online chat communities, and askin folk to check me out . . . but thats a painstakingly timeconsuming method . . . .
pass out flyers at local record stores . . . i tried that . . . (but my area is not really that big on indie artists so the response was still lukewarm . . .
David Hooper
New member
This is just a start, but go to www.blogger.com and start a blog. Search engines love blogs because of the new content.
See www.indiemusician.com to see what I do with mine.
See www.indiemusician.com to see what I do with mine.
Hi Marquardt,
I haven't been directly involved with band promotion online, but I will try and give you a few tips that have worked for me in other areas.
There are always ways to gain great exposure, but rarely without significant expense. I agree with gullyjewelz - starting a blog is a great way to score hits from search engine travellers - and this is one method, if you have the time to spare, that is relatively cost effective. I must advise though, the location of the blog will also affect the quality of exposure and the people to whom it is exposed - and therefore determine the extent of success you achieve.
You need to identify the people to whom you want to promote your music - in other words, your "target market". Start off by promoting your brand to the desired target market, but always be on the lookout for other target markets that you may not have been expecting. (Simple tip for reaching a target market: advertise where they hang out - whether online or offline.)
In my experience, there are two essential aspects of promotion - the brand, and the product. You need to create a brand name for people to identify your particular product. That may seem obvious, but there are some people out there who will simply try to promote songs individually, rather than the brand, ie band name, production company, record label etc.) A brand name that is consistently linked with each piece of your music reinforces your image, product and promotion exposure as people start to recollect seeing your brand before. Whether people are willing to admit it or not, they tend to give greater credibility to brands they have "seen" before, even if they have never tried the product.
In relation to the other suggestions of flyers etc, the same principles of target markets and brand reinforcement apply. However, I would add to that, and say that each avenue you choose to follow in promoting your band can be used to reinforce your existing promotional material.
That sounds awkward, but all it really means is that if you hand out flyers, make sure the flyers mention your website address, your brand name etc. Likewise, if you do gigs, reinforce your brand name / logo where you feel it is appropriate. i.e on the outer facing bass drum skin, banner on the back of the stage etc.
Another technique you might try, is finding out about your local "free" gig guides. Many towns and cities have a magazine devoted to the local arts scene - and you can either invite people to review your gigs, or you can submit reviews yourself. These magazines tend to be consistently short on material and you should have no difficulty getting exposure in them, depending on where you live. In effect, submitting your own review becomes a press release that is published as if it were news or editorial.
Obviously, a 30-second TV commercial during the Superbowl would eliminate the need for all this time consuming dither. But I can assure you, if you put in the hard yards, you can promote your music online or offline with limited capital and have great success.
In summary:
1. Create brand (ideally with memorable logo).
2. Identify target market.
3. Find out where the target market can best be reached.
4. Promote through as many media as you can afford, to that target market.
5. Reinforce the brand name / message through each media.
ABOVE ALL: Work on the quality of your music so that all these people that have just been led to it are not turned away. It sounds obvious, but so many people fail in their promotion because they do not have a quality product.
This is not by any means an exhaustive answer...just some pointers that have worked for me. If you want to ask any questions about anything I've said here, or want me to expand on anything, just let me know.
Best wishes for the successful promotion of your music!
AG
I haven't been directly involved with band promotion online, but I will try and give you a few tips that have worked for me in other areas.
There are always ways to gain great exposure, but rarely without significant expense. I agree with gullyjewelz - starting a blog is a great way to score hits from search engine travellers - and this is one method, if you have the time to spare, that is relatively cost effective. I must advise though, the location of the blog will also affect the quality of exposure and the people to whom it is exposed - and therefore determine the extent of success you achieve.
You need to identify the people to whom you want to promote your music - in other words, your "target market". Start off by promoting your brand to the desired target market, but always be on the lookout for other target markets that you may not have been expecting. (Simple tip for reaching a target market: advertise where they hang out - whether online or offline.)
In my experience, there are two essential aspects of promotion - the brand, and the product. You need to create a brand name for people to identify your particular product. That may seem obvious, but there are some people out there who will simply try to promote songs individually, rather than the brand, ie band name, production company, record label etc.) A brand name that is consistently linked with each piece of your music reinforces your image, product and promotion exposure as people start to recollect seeing your brand before. Whether people are willing to admit it or not, they tend to give greater credibility to brands they have "seen" before, even if they have never tried the product.
In relation to the other suggestions of flyers etc, the same principles of target markets and brand reinforcement apply. However, I would add to that, and say that each avenue you choose to follow in promoting your band can be used to reinforce your existing promotional material.
That sounds awkward, but all it really means is that if you hand out flyers, make sure the flyers mention your website address, your brand name etc. Likewise, if you do gigs, reinforce your brand name / logo where you feel it is appropriate. i.e on the outer facing bass drum skin, banner on the back of the stage etc.
Another technique you might try, is finding out about your local "free" gig guides. Many towns and cities have a magazine devoted to the local arts scene - and you can either invite people to review your gigs, or you can submit reviews yourself. These magazines tend to be consistently short on material and you should have no difficulty getting exposure in them, depending on where you live. In effect, submitting your own review becomes a press release that is published as if it were news or editorial.
Obviously, a 30-second TV commercial during the Superbowl would eliminate the need for all this time consuming dither. But I can assure you, if you put in the hard yards, you can promote your music online or offline with limited capital and have great success.
In summary:
1. Create brand (ideally with memorable logo).
2. Identify target market.
3. Find out where the target market can best be reached.
4. Promote through as many media as you can afford, to that target market.
5. Reinforce the brand name / message through each media.
ABOVE ALL: Work on the quality of your music so that all these people that have just been led to it are not turned away. It sounds obvious, but so many people fail in their promotion because they do not have a quality product.
This is not by any means an exhaustive answer...just some pointers that have worked for me. If you want to ask any questions about anything I've said here, or want me to expand on anything, just let me know.
Best wishes for the successful promotion of your music!
AG