Music Product Diversity - Even more than a record store

Music Marketing Matters: Diversifying…

July 2, 2012 By 6 Comments

Last week I got a bee in my bonnet – yes, my part time job is subbing for Little Bo Peep… what of it? – about the lack of creativity in marketing music. Rather than just whinge and whine, though, I thought I should probably make an effort to turn things around. “Be the change [...]

Music on Facebook

A Friendlier Facebook: 25 Tips to…

March 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In the last few years, Facebook has emerged as the undisputed king of the social networks. Several other platforms hold their own in a niche battle but, as Zuckerberg’s baby nears 1 billion global users and over 1/3 of the US population signed up, it’s almost impossible to ignore Facebook if you want to reach [...]

Types of segmentation

Music Marketing Matters: How to Win Data…

July 30, 2012 By 3 Comments

In broaching the subject of data gathering and marketing for musicians last week, I quickly realized that this was going to be bigger than one post would allow. Unless one is talented enough to compose enormous articles that remain fresh and coherent thrpughout – as can Judy Gombita, for example – one should make like [...]

The Move To Mobile: Making Your Website Smart For Phones

April 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Ill equipped to go mobile?

Photo Credit: Luciano Zanardo

Mobile.

Mooooobile.

MOBILE!!!

Were it not clear from that eloquent introduction, the universe has been shoving me firmly in the direction of considering the impact of growing smart phone adoption this past week.

From webinars and blog posts on the subject, to my finally ditching the defunct Palm/HP phone for a shiny new Android (I still love you, naughty spying Google), it’s been clear that I need to address the mass move to mobile.

In a way that relates to you fantasmic creative types, of course….

Mobile Means More

Mobile Web Development

Photo Credit: Johann Larson

It’s no secret that people are demanding exponentially more from their mobile phones than ever before.

30% of the US population now owns a smart phone capable of everything from e-mailing to internet browsing and shopping. The largest adoption group is by those aged 25 – 34, but baby boomers and their kids are also heavily in on the act, making the market large and affluent enough for most anyone seeking to connect with their audience.
Entertainment and the creative industries are certainly included in this potential. Perhaps even more so, considering the crossover with ever more users seeking entertainment content  on the go, be it via netbook, tablet, or versatile smart phones.

 

In short, mobile means more potential for discovery, increased web traffic, e-mail sign ups, art downloads and, most crucially of all, more fans.

 

Back to Basics

Fitting into the mobile webAs a first step, it’s high time to ensure that your mobile web presence is at least an accessible version of your main website. Happily, this isn’t too tough to achieve if you’re using the right platforms.

WordPress, for example, has several plug ins that will do the basic job for you. My picks would be WordPress Mobile Pack or Wapple Architect, but you can explore any of the popular plugins listed under search term “mobile wordpress” to see which results you prefer.

For other platforms:

- Blogger will move you mobile at the flick of a switch. Simply visit your blog home page, click on the ‘Template’ section, then customize the mobile theme to your preferred settings.

- Tumblr offers a similar feature, buried down under Preferences (cog icon) > Customize Your Blog > Advanced > check the box for ‘Use optimized mobile layout’

- For standard hosted websites, you can investigate freemium tools such as Mobify and Onbile. These allow you to create a mobile version of your site based upon pre-defined themes that they provide, albeit with advertising and/or limitations under the free offerings. Be sure to test out any that you choose on a variety of devices to ensure that the look you’re going for has been achieved, especially before you consider a paid upgrade.

The goal here is to have a version of your site that allows mobile users to access the key areas with minimal navigation. This will give you useful practice in road testing your site on your own smart phone and those of others. If you find yourself scrolling all over the place or zooming in and out, it’s back to the drawing board for another try!

Next Steps

One you have this broad base for those surfing to your site on the go, you can begin to explore the more exciting elements of the mobile web.

Just what constitutes exciting for you at this point depends on your art form. Integration with apps, mobile-only content (art as wallpaper for the phone, for example), conversions specific to smartphone users (e.g. one click purchase from their preferred vendor), or many other possibilities exist for your exploration.

To give you some inspiration for each potential creative style,  I recommend investigating the following resources for starters:

  • Mobile Backstage - An artist to fan engagement platform based on mobile interactions and community building.
  • Soundcloud – Encourage followers to follow you on the Soundcloud app, with obvious application for musicians but also potential for writers to read passages of their work, or artists to explain inspiration behind their visual work.
  • Instant Encore – Tool kit covering both mobile website options and apps for artists and arts organizations.

 

The Long Haul

Mainstream smartphone adoption is almost here, yet many of us – the writer included – are lagging behind in making their web presence a user friendly experience for visitors, let alone an outstanding one.

The time to move towards mobile is NOW!

By getting your bearings now you set up for creating a mobile web presence that will get you noticed in the future.

Think about your fans…

  • How do they want to access your art on the go?
  • What can you add to make this a quick and simple process?
  • And how can you capture that all important visitor data that will allow you to communicate with them further, building the fan-artist relationship?

All of these are questions that should be answered sooner rather than later, developing your creator platform to work harder for you as fan habits adapt to the ever more accessible mobile web. We’ve barely even touched upon mobile traffic drivers such as QR codes and app-based access here, by the way, so expect more detail on those areas in the near future. 

 

Over To You…

Are you already optimized for the mobile web or does the whole thing fill you with dread? What do you most need help with?

And fans, what do you want to see from the artists you follow online? What would make your mobile experience that much better?

As always, your comments are truly valued, either below thanks to the good folks at LiveFyre or over on our slowly developing Facebook page.

Weigh in!

Filed Under: Web Presence Development Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Artist Answers: What Turns Music Fans Off?

April 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Question Mark Graffiti

Photo Credit: Gizella

One of the main reasons for this site’s existence is to assist you, the artist and creator, in developing a more effective online platform from which to showcase your art.

So, what better way to do so than to ask some like-minded creative types for their most burning new media questions, then provide as best an answer as I can muster?

This is where new series ‘Artist Answers’ comes into play; a weekly feature that will help to deliver one of my three guide words for this year: Serve.

To kick us off, good friend and songwriter extraordinaire Khaled helped me out with the first query. Khaled is a hard working and social media savvy independent musician (and aspiring chef!) based in NJ/NY. He is in the process of recording his sophomore album, an effort partially funded online by his dedicated fan base, following a successful Kickstarter project.

Khaled

Khaled asks: “We see plenty of advice on how to engage fans. But what about the opposite? What disengages an audience?”

It’s a good point and important to consider, as a lot of good work can be undone – particularly online – by just one or to behaviors that really bug people. Avoid these off putting habits to maximize the connections you’re building with your audience:

 

  • Add nothing new to a platform. If your Twitter stream is simply a feed from Facebook, why would anyone follow it? If all your blog offers is a rehash of your news page, why bother reading it? Try not to phone in any of your social media efforts in this way.
  • Devoid of personality. A formal tone or purely business content leaves out the one factor that can most distinguish you: your unique personality. Fill your posts and content full of what makes you you.
  • Lack of incentives. Okay, your hardcore fans will follow you through Hellfire, but the rest of us need a little sugar to sweeten the deal of connecting with you, then staying put. It’s so easy to offer a free track, piece of merch, or something small as a reward for that connection. And it’s human nature to seek them out.
  • Fail to involve others. In the rush to push out communications to fans, many artists forget to also pull them in. Social media are intended to aid interaction, so a good portion of your posts and content should be designed to involve your fans. Most platforms reward such activity with increased visibility of what you post to followers and friends, so the pay off goes further than you may think.

At the heart of connecting with your fans online is empathy; understanding just what they’re expecting from you via social media. Tailor your activities to meet and exceed these expectations, at the same time as avoiding the various self-serving approaches covered herein, for noticeable improvement of your audience size and participation.

Over to you….

What did I glaringly overlook?

What obnoxious social media habits have you seen in yourself or others?

 

Filed Under: Concepts Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Freshly Baked: Perspective From a Newborn

April 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Dad Hand, Baby Head

It has been a little while since my last post, but I have a perfectly acceptable reason for this….

And here he is!  :) Benjamin Charles Birkett  > > > >

Yes, I’ve taken my obsession with creativity to the next level and created a new human! Alright, alright, my wife did some of the work too…..but mostly me. 

Though this means that time is now at more of a premium than ever, I shall endeavor to provide more and more regular content to help further your creative careers through new media initiatives.

In fact, my little man has given me a few thoughts on just that subject:

  • “Best laid plans… gang aft aglay.” Ben requires attention when he demands it, as do many other elements in our daily lives. This makes getting the  work done even more crucial, in the quiet times that arise for us to operate without distraction. Take care of administrative and new media tasks in those quiet times, between the most important act of creating.
  • Motivation is priority one. Things are far more likely to get done when you have a clear objective and motivation towards achieving something. Perhaps nothing so motivates as a new life dependent entirely on your actions, but if we find the factors that motivate us most in other areas, the effect is still very powerful.
  • In it for the long haul. Long term planning and action is in short supply nowadays. From creators to finance to government and much more, we focus on the short term. Whatever is next on the list is the biggest priority. This makes us reactionary, failing to employ a wider perspective on which to base decisions. It’s important to plan for the next diaper purchase, but let’s also start a college fund at the same time. The careers of the best artists last not years, but decades.

Rocker Baby Benjamin

I’m sure he has plenty more to teach me….but not bad, for a one week old!

 

Thanks for your various well wishes over the last couple of weeks.

Benjamin and Mum are doing well and the family is getting into a nice routine now, so back to regular programming from tomorrow.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: , ,