Plugola Inc.

How To Feed Your Band Website

Filed under marketing

[image source]

When I first began marketing online in 2000, admittedly I had little to no clue as to what I was doing. I was like many, thinking that, if I just put up a website and a couple of “buy” buttons I was on my way to wealth. Of course that frame of mind couldn’t have been further from the truth, and today I laugh at my old, inexperienced self. I struggled for a couple of years trying to figure out why I was making nothing more than pocket change. I discovered someone else who was marketing the exact same products as me, but he was actually successful at it. I studied what he was doing different than me, which wasn’t much, but there was one thing that really stood-out to me, and that was that he had built this massive “feeder” site. I didn’t know what it was called at the time, but he basically built one site to feed all of his other smaller sites/pages, and all those smaller sites were in turn feeding his one big “feeder” site.

What exactly is a feeder site you ask? Well, I couldn’t find any exact definitions, but to put it simply; it’s a web site designed to feed targeted/filtered traffic to other similar websites. In a sense, your social media profiles are feeders to your main website. I’m telling you about this because it’s a great way to drive traffic to your website and attract new fans. So how do you build your own feeder site?

Before we get started I’m assuming that you already have your own website. If you do not, you absolutely need one. Not just for a feeder site, but for numerous reasons. However, you will be wasting your time with a feeder website without having your own destination, and no, social media platforms do not count. Now, let’s begin.

You need a plan

First, understand this is not a golden ticket that will solve all of your website traffic woes. Like anything else in the world that is worthy, it will take some work, planning and perhaps even some trial & error before this will begin working for you. The great thing about a feeder site is, once you have laid the foundation you can keep building and building attracting even more targeted visitors to your main website. However, before you do anything you need to figure out how you are going to go about it.

Focus on your niche

Everyone’s overall goal when building a feeder site is to attract new, targeted/filtered traffic to their website(s). ‘Targeted’ or ‘filtered’ visitors on your website just means that you have taken the steps to ensure that you are bringing in people that are actually interested in what you have to offer. In other words, if you are a heavy metal act, bringing in hip hop fans is probably not going to help you, nor is it going to help to bring in every single person that might have the slightest interest in you or your music. You are going to want to focus on the hardcore fans of your niche.

Build your website

I realize for some people this is easier said than done. Personally, I’m no web designer and my knowledge in HTML/CSS is at a basic level, however there are plenty of services (some are even free) that can help you. I can’t say enough good things about WordPress. It’s free for most and they have a plethora of free layouts/themes that can have a new, fully functional website up in a couple of hours. Of course you can do this any way you see fit, but if you do use WordPress just download the software and install it on your server. Find and install a theme that works for you and you will be on your way in no time.

A couple things to keep in mind; while clear, outbound links to similar artists (see below) are very important, be sure that all buy/follow/etc. links are also clearly visible.  Yes, the idea behind a feeder site is to feed your main website with fresh traffic, however you still want to take advantage of new ears and eyeballs. We are all lazy to some degree and sometimes, as dumb as it may sound, making that extra click to a website is all it takes to lose them forever.  Make it easy for your visitors/fans and give them the option of going directly to your music store/social profile(s) without having to visit your main website first.

Invite similar artists

The more content you have on your feeder site, the better; not to mention having more links pointing to your feeder site. My point is, try to team up with a few other similar artists, because this will help all involved. To paint you a little picture, say you are in a punk band. Try inviting two or three other punk bands (in your same sub-genre — if you’re a pop-punk band do not invite hardcore punk bands) to participate. Once they agree, make sure each band adds a link to the feeder site from their own website and does some of their own promotion. Voila! You already have fresh, targeted traffic coming in and fresh, targeted traffic going out to each band’s website.

As far as your feeder site is concerned, your number one focus should be on traffic. This means that when designing your website you should lay it out in a way that focuses on the bands/websites that are sending return traffic in. Truly interested parties will take the time to look deeper into your site, while others will either close the site and move-on or hopefully click-thru to another participating band site.

Promote, promote, promote

You have your new feeder site live and you have partnered with similar artists (with return links); what’s left is promotion. Since it’s your site you will probably have to be the one to get the ball rolling, but be sure that it is clear to partnering bands that it is partly their duty to promote the site as well. After all, it will be beneficial to them too. A feeder site will work beautifully, but only as long as all involved parties cooperate and put in the same effort as you.

 Update regularly

The last thing I want to do is create even more daily tasks for you, but it is essential that you update your feeder site (or all sites for that matter) somewhat regularly. This brings fresh eyes/ears to your site, keeps regular visitors/fans happy and it doesn’t seem like you built the site and deserted it. No one likes to come to a seemingly old site that’s never updated. The good news is, perhaps partnering bands can(/should) help; maybe one new blog post a month from different participating artists, or decide on a certain day when new music is available on the site.

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I’m always available if you have any questions. I also offer consulting services for more in-depth projects that require some sort of campaign/planning.

 

It’s Not Just About the Records

Filed under design, format, marketing, packaging

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If you have ever attempted to sell music online before you will know that great music and cool cover art just isn’t enough these days. Even though interest and sales of vinyl records have been on the upswing, artists cannot solely rely on that to sell records to even their biggest of fans. On Hifidelics, artists are essentially raising funds in order to release their record and pre-selling can be even trickier. Especially when the old music model is used.

I’ve noticed with several folks that I’ve spoken to in the past about the possibility of releasing a record through Hifidelics that, they just go and release the record themselves. Of course that is fine, we’re not here to force anyone into something they are not interested in; however I believe they are also missing the point of Hifidelics. Sure, anyone can release a record by themselves, but it’s not just about a vinyl release. If that were the case there would be no reason for us to exist. After all, we are not a pressing plant and technically we are not a record label. Our goal is not only to help artists release a high quality vinyl record, but to assist them in creating a mind-blowing design of both the packaging and the disc, and to get current (and potential) fans excited and involved in the release BEFORE production even begins. This way, artists are essentially selling the record before it’s even released. Trying to market your album to fans after it’s been released is just working backwards, uphill.

First, artists need a well thought-out promo/marketing plan before they even begin releasing music to the public or start pricing production costs. We are using a simple, proven formula. It’s no secret. In fact, it’s been being used in one way or another for a long time, yet most never use it:

Connect with/engage fans + give them a reason to buy

To be clear, let’s break this all down. And to add a little disclaimer here, writing great music first is ALWAYS a given.

 

“Today’s music business is much less about the commerce of art and much more about the art of commerce.”

Connect and Engage

I’ve been really feeling like social media has made artists lazy in their online marketing efforts lately. Some get it, but not enough artists do. I’m still seeing far too many social band profiles being used as straight-up advertising all about them, and then it seems they think that is enough to attract and connect with new fans. I once heard an established artist (I wish I remember his name) say something along the lines of, “Today’s music business is much less about the commerce of art and much more about the art of commerce.” He hit the nail on the head. Even if an artist doesn’t think of music in terms of business, it’s about using creativity to interact with fans online and build an audience of potential new fans. When it comes to marketing and promotion online, content is king.

Artists are at an advantage here, because they are already content creators and have many opportunities to create even more. I’m not necessarily talking about hiring a professional to make a music video, but what I am talking about is; pulling out the photo/video camera at rehearsals, in the recording studio, or on the way to a gig/tour. Of course the music is going to be the biggest and best advertisement, but all that extra content will keep fans engaged and feeling connected on a more personal level in between releases.  However, throwing random content at an audience will not do much in the long run. Artists still need to give to their fans a reason to stay on their radar. I’m sure you have heard the saying, “Out of sight, out of mind.”

Storytelling

One of the best ways to engage an audience online and keep them coming back is by storytelling. That doesn’t necessarily mean a ‘once upon a time…’ story, but using all that content to craft another kind of story. An artist’s fans are the ‘heros,’ and are guided along on a content marketing version of their own journey into the artist’s world.

Reason to Buy

In the digital world, outside the fact that it’s the right thing to do, there are not many reasons to pull-out the ol’ credit card to make a music purchase. We can hear just about any song, by any artist, at any time we would like. Of course music in the digital format is way more convenient and portable, however if one is going to spend the money it might as well be on something special that’s a thrill for the senses. Put yourself in that situation; what gets you more excited, a digital file or a beautiful tangible piece of art that contains the same content of that digital file?

Design and Packaging

I don’t know about you, but calling a thumbnail image ‘album artwork’ is laughable. That’s not to say that a great deal of effort didn’t go into creating that cover art, but it seriously lacks detail and fails at helping draw us into the musical world the artist has created. Obviously there is not much wiggle room in the art department when it comes to digital files, however music in a physical format (namely vinyl) artists have a real opportunity to take things to the next level and really standout. Each and every release should be a memorable one to fans, both audibly and visually. There is a lot of great music out there and a extraordinary release that fans can own will be remembered for a long time to come. Even more so when it’s available in limited quantities.

Collectibility and Scarcity

In vinyl’s heyday records were mass produced, much like CDs in the 90′s; however, never were they unlimited, as digital music is today. In other words, there is nothing special about digital files, or anything that has been mass produced. Of course most artists are special in their own right, but the recording is not. Artists want their music available to as many people as possible, and in the digital age that is finally a reality. However, when it comes to true fans (as opposed to casual fans) something extra special goes a long way. I’ve never heard hardcore fans say about their favorite artist, “I have every single one of their digital files!” In theory, creating a limited version of a release (or any merch for that matter) that cannot be easily reproduced will have the most dedicated fans excited and clamouring to get their hands on it.

Why Vinyl?

Most think the vinyl revival is about nostalgia or a “hipster” fad; however, as far as Hifidelics is concerned, it’s about the aesthetics and sound quality. There is no other music format in existence where we have so many options to customize it to our liking and fit the music’s theme; colors, designs, shapes and sizes–it’s art all on it’s own.

Many deem vinyl’s sound quality as subjective, however I don’t know many that would argue a record’s sound quality when it comes it’s charm and warmth. Digital music is compressed and missing a lot of the information needed for a fuller sound.

Vinyl records are also engaging on their own. In order to listen to it, one must be part of the listening experience. Personally, I do like to put on some background music, let my favorite selection of music just play as I tend to other things. However, once in a while I want to kick back and put myself myself into the music and art the artist created. I put on a record, study the album artwork, read the liner notes and it’s all much more satisfying.

Besides what I just mentioned above, I believe that the increased interest in vinyl, especially among the younger generation, is a direct result of digital fatigue. Access to the music we want to hear is always at our fingertips nowadays, and that’s great, however access to a very limited amount of music on vinyl is something special; especially if you are one of the lucky few who actually acquires it. Of course I can’t speak for every single vinyl fan out there, but all that I know (including myself) has quite an emotional connection to their records. As an artist, I would be thrilled at being such an important part of someone’s life.

 

And you know what else all of this means? Word of mouth. Word of mouth is essentially free advertising to your audience by trusted sources (mainly friends and family). If you can craft all this together people/blogs/social media WILL be talking about it. I can’t say to what extent exactly, but every bit of it help; especially when it leaves such a long lasting impression.

 

The Musician’s Spam Addiction

Filed under marketing, musicians

 

Spam – Unsolicited e-mail, often of a commercial nature, sent indiscriminately to multiple mailing lists, individuals, or newsgroups; junk e-mail.

It amazes me that with so much information out there on how artists can promote themselves, and “spamming” not being one of them, that spam keeps coming in a steady flow. For me personally, Twitter is by far the worst. Almost everyday I get up to a half dozen “@” messages from artists asking me to to listen to their music or promote them on my feed. While I’m flattered that these artists deem me important enough to carry the weight that will change their career for the better, this is NOT the way to go about it. For one thing, unless you are having a casual conversation, contacting a professional in any industry via twitter is completely unprofessional. Hell, some of them don’t even bother to follow me first, at the very least, before spamming me. I can tell you right now that all of those messages/artists go directly onto the ‘block’ list. And that is not just me; I know many within the music industry that do the exact same thing. Just imagine how music fans are handling music spam. So, these artists are cutting themselves off at the knees before anyone has even heard of them.

Marketing music, or anything for that matter, is no easy task. Most people, whether a music fan or business professional, do not care. I realize that’s harsh, but it’s true and it’s the same for all of us. It takes work and you will not get anywhere without putting in the time and effort.

Here are a few tips in etiquette that will keep artists off the block list and out of the trash bin:

What do you want? -
I know you want me, or whomever, to listen to your music, or watch your video; but then what? And why should I take the time out of my busy day to give a random stranger my undivided attention? Once you have this figured out, please don’t send us to a bunch of different social media sites and/or reviews to find out who you are. In other words, have a plan, don’t waste time and get to the point.

Learn about the person you’re contacting -
Some who spam me think I’m in a band, some think I promote random music, some think I’m an A&R guy. I’m none of those things, and even something as small as a quick read of my very short Twitter bio will tell you that. However, just reading a two line bio is not enough to really know who you are dealing with. For all you know, the person you’re contacting could be a complete whacko, or not at all the person you really need to be speaking to. Do a little homework; read their articles, read their tweets, find out who they are within the industry.

Begin slowly -
So, you know what you want out this connection and you have schooled yourself on who he/she is within the industry. Begin by starting or joining a conversation. I want to know who you are, too. There are many times that I will investigate who you are and listen to your music without you asking me, just because we have developed a small relationship, whether it be social media or we met a seminar/conference.

Be sure you stand-out -
This could be an entire article by itself, so I will keep it short. I’m sure I’m not the only one who is so incredibly tired of the same old same old, whether it be in the musical style or the way it’s marketed. Admittedly, I use this this example quite a bit, but had Moldover contacted me (the right way of course) to tell me about his awesome CD, I would have been knocking people over to talk to him. In other words, wow me in some way, otherwise my interest will more-than-likely be out of politeness.

Be professional -
I cannot stress this enough. If you want to be treated with respect and professionalism I/we expect the same out of you. One artist, whom I’ve never spoken with or had any prior connection, sent me an email to tell me about himself. The email subject line was, “hey.” I didn’t read much further past that subject line before deleting the email.

Always ask first -
This could also fall under “Be Professional,” but you are talking to an actual person. You wouldn’t walk up to a stranger on the street and say, “LISTEN TO MY NEW SINGLE!” The same applies to the Internet. You want to ask him/her first if you can send them something. This also goes for adding people to your email list without them knowing or agreeing; or worse, stealing contacts from other artists’ lists.

Do not promote on other artists’ pages -
Yes, this is spam too! I call it “piggybacking.” If you like and respect an artist enough where you would like their fans to be your fans too, follow the tips above and perhaps you can form some sort of partnership on a project. That way you are sharing each other’s fans and it’s a win for both of you.

If you feel I left something out, please feel free to share your contact/networking etiquette tips in the comments section.

And a special thanks to those who supplied their tips for this article (in no particular order):

Uncommon Nasa: @UncommonNasa
Fawn Nicole: @FawnNicole
Leslie Lavery: @leslav1114
Marcus Taylor: @MarcusATaylor
Michael Brandvold: @michaelsb

['Spam' image source]

How Hifidelics Can Work For Artists

Filed under format, marketing, musicians

If you’re just hearing of us for the first time, Hifidelics assists music artists in developing and releasing top quality, professionally designed, limited edition collector’s vinyl releases adorned in aesthetic packaging. One of the biggest obstacles for any indie artist to release their music in a limited and visually stunning format is money, or lack thereof. We have created a platform to eliminate that obstacle, as well as,  guide artists in providing an experience for their fans they will not be forgetting anytime soon. But why on Earth would an artist want to release their music on vinyl with all this new and exciting digital technology readily available, and for a fraction of the cost?

Digital/streaming music is the equivalent to cheap knock-offs. Great for casual fans but true fans deserve more.

— hifidelics (@hifidelics) August 26, 2012

Your fans can get your digital tracks just about anywhere; whether you provide free tracks, they’re purchased, streamed or downloaded illegally. While your music is special, it’s recording is not; nor is acquiring it. This is about creating something special for your fans that they will keep and proudly display for a longtime to come, something in high quality and scarce quantities that cannot be easily duplicated; ultimately giving your fans a reason to buy or support you. So we put a strong emphasis on the packaging and the overall aesthetics of your record. While we will have a professional designer cross the T’s and dot the I’s, it’s the artist that will bring their own packaging design concept to the table. Releasing an ultra-cool record in limited runs helps create demand outside the normal demand for a new release from you, and we want your fans foaming at the mouth to get their hands on your record.

So, how will all this help you and work in your favor? First off, this is another stepping stone in building your brand. In a world where most music fans are quickly scrolling through your images/vidoes, missing your latest posted tracks and/or skipping ahead to the next artist; vinyl stays with your fans, sometimes for many years to come. The beauty of vinyl is that it’s music, art and swag all wrapped into one. No other format can offer that. Secondly, you will build a stronger relationship with your core fanbase throughout your campaign, as well as, create an experience for your fans to remember and associate with your record.  Connecting emotion or a personal experience between your music release and your fans is the biggest success of all! And finally, providing that your Hifidelics campaign was a success, you WILL earn a profit; albeit you will not get rich. We understand it’s not all about the money, but it is a little bit. And part of our goal with Hifidelics is to earn artists a profit. Here are some additonal benefits of releasing a vinyl record with Hifidelics:

Do you need Hifidelics in order to release a vinyl record, or even to raise funds? Absolutely not. However, the dynamics of releasing music in a tangible format, especially records, are quite different nowadays. Anyone can release their music on vinyl. We just want to help you do it right. Each artist/project gets their own A&R representative that will assist and guide artists with their project/release, from start to finish. We urge you to at least try us. Our model is designed to eliminate most of, if not all, the risk involved if you were to do this on your own. You can release any type or style of record at any size, and are not required to release a full 12″ LP. Overall global sales of vinyl continue to rise each year, so now is the perfect time to get some awesome vinyl to your fans. If we still have your attention and you’re interested in learning more, or getting started, please shoot us a message to discuss your plans: hifidelics@gmail.com

 

Recommended reading:

Bob Lefsetz on ‘Emotional Content’

Blueprint for a Hifidelics Campaign

Blueprint for an Online Campaign

Filed under marketing

I originally began writing this post as more of a tutorial for how musicians should plan and tackle their crowdfunding campaign ‘Journal’ on Hifidelics. However, this style of online campaigning will work for just about any field or creative, so I thought it should be shared with everyone.

Selling anything online can be very tough. Somehow we have been conditioned to believe that if you put a buy button on our website that the money will soon start rolling in. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Take a look at the online Adult industry; on average one person joins a premium website for every 1,000-1,500 targeted visitors. And sex sells itself! So don’t get discouraged when most of your new visitors show little to no interest when they’re on your site. It very well could be a lackluster product or service that’s being offered, but more often than not it’s lack of experience in online marketing.

I began marketing online in the year 2000. A lot has changed since then and I learn new things everyday, so I wouldn’t consider myself an expert by any means. However I have tried many different approaches-some successful, some a miserable failure. It was after learning about a few artists having success with their new approach that I began formulating this plan. What I’m about to present you with is a basic, yet proven campaign foundation. There are many different variations and/or concepts that can be added (ie: contests, fan participation, etc.), but I have found this to be the most important to ensure engagement.

Our campaign goal is to create an engaging experience for your fans and followers, and not necessarily to be selling anything. Your goal should always be  fans, not consumers. Consumers will come from your true fans.

By doing this our intent is to:

• Solidify current fans and attract new ones.
• Add another stepping stone in building your brand

Distinguish a Clear Goal for Your Campaign

First thing’s first. Before you go any further it’s imperative that you are actually going somewhere with all this. I have almost forty years experience with “winging-it” and I can tell you it’s a horrible plan. In the case of a Hifidelics’ artist, the basic goal would be a completed vinyl record into the hands of their fans. However, there’s more to it than that when it comes to delivering something of value. Like a business plan, you want to think about and plan for every aspect of your pitch, campaign and finished product. I’ve found what works best is reverting to your school days when you were taught to answer; who, what, where, when, why and how.

Develop a Story to Drive Your Campaign

I hate to say this, but YOUR goal is unimportant to most everyone else. Sure, your family and friends will encourage you and you may have some strangers behind you, but ultimately nobody REALLY cares. It’s also important for musicians to get the notion that “the music will speak for itself” out of their heads. Yes, great music is very important, but there are already a lot of great musicians out there who will never go beyond their small circle of friends and fans. It’s up to you to paint the picture that surrounds your brand and music, and make them care. This is where you can really have some fun and shape your campaign.  Brian Clark of Copyblogger explains it best in his article, “The Jedi Master Approach to Content Marketing that Converts“.

You need to tell a Star Wars story. And by that, I mean you need to take your prospects along a content marketing version of the mythic hero’s journey.

I also recommend downloading this free e-book from StoryAmp, The Art of The Pitch

Record and Journal Everything

Using multimedia (video, photos, audio, etc.) is important. Nowadays, it’s almost imperative for any artist and/or marketer to own a video camera of some sort; whether it’s a phone camera or a professional.  Most people don’t like to, or do not have the time to read these days, but they will be more likely to read some of your copy if you mix it up a bit with visuals. People always ask me, “what kind of content should I be sharing?” The answer is, anything and everything that has something to do with your campaign and/or project. You can filter what’s important as you go along. Your fans will love getting a glimpse at what goes on behind the scenes and videos, or video blogging, goes a long way. Not only will this keep your fans and followers up-to-date, but it also shows your personal side. This is the next best thing to your fans actually being there with you. Whether it was planned or stumbled upon, Imogen Heap practiced this method back in 2009 for her album “Ellipse” and her fans loved her for it. This will help build a more personal and intimate connection with your fans.

Heap maintained a regular video blog on YouTube.  In total, she posted 40 episodes, during the past 2 years, each running between 3 and 12 minutes long. Although, they’re publicly available, Heap’s vLogs make viewers feel like they’ve been invited into her home (indeed, most vLogs are shot in Heap’s home) for an intimate conversation. The vLogs capture Heap’s personality, her fun and celebratory nature, and allow fans to really get to know Heap even though they may never have met her in person.

Share It All and Build Steam

This goes hand-in-hand with ‘Record and Journal Everything’. You’re telling your story with content and you should share your content accordingly. In other words, you don’t want to just post all your content at once. You want to slowly unfold your story, titillate and keep your fans coming back to follow your progress and to see what you’re going to do or say next. You have probably already heard this a million times, but the goal here is to engage your fans.

You will need a central hub to share all this (ie: blog, journal, etc.), but be sure to also share it on your social networks as well (ie: Youtube, Vimeo, flickr, facebook, etc.) with a link back to your content/campaign hub. Not only will this attract new followers, but they are all set-up for quick and easy sharing; hopefully drawing even more followers to your campaign through word-of-mouth.

Pay-off and Reward

Your reward will come with a finished product or completed goal. If you have followed all the steps above you will have built a steady and loyal following while building more intimate connections with your fans. When fans and followers feel they have a personal connection with you and your campaign, they are more likely to tell their friends about you and more likely to give some sort of financial support, whether it’s for this campaign, the next one or even supporting you on another level (live shows, etc.)

Do it all over again

During your campaign be sure you’re paying attention to what is working for you and what was a mistake. If you intend to run another campaign it’s important not to make the same mistakes this time around. I know, mistakes in a public forum can be embarrassing, but it happens to all of us; myself included. This is how we learn, because what works well for you just might be a miserable failure for me, and vice versa. Once you have this figured out, begin planning your campaign as soon as possible. I’m sure you’re familiar with the phrase, “strike while the iron is hot”. You have already built some momentum with your previous campaign and you don’t want to lose that momentum. Trust me, it will make your next campaign all the more easier.

Additional reading:

Tell a Story for Your CD Release and Beyond

3 Ways to Crush It With Your Music Marketing!

The New Album Release Cycle & Finding the Time to Do Everything

97 Ideas for Building a Valuable Platform

The 3 C’s Of Effective Artist Branding

7 Content Marketing Articles Worth Reading

 

Do you have any ideas or suggestions on what should be added to this? Please share it with us in the comments.