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Everything Is An Opportunity

June 11, 2009 in Interact with 1 Comment

The cookie is what's expected, but it's the fortune that makes it special.

The cookie is what's expected, but it's the fortune that makes it special.

Don’t freak out… this post isn’t meant to make you more paranoid, it’s meant to try making you see the promotional potential in everything you do. Keep that in mind as you read the next bit, and if you’ve ever read any Seth Godin blogs or books, the themes in this post may be familiar to you, but hey… if you’re in a band and you’re reading Seth Godin, then you’re on the right track already!  So keep it up!

When you’re a band, and you’re putting yourself out there into the public eye (instead of staying locked in the basement), everything you do can be viewed as an interaction with a possible fan. Everything. There’s the obvious – being on stage performing, selling merch, mingling after/pre-show, all really valuable opportunities to give potential fans a meaningful interaction with you, and you’re most likely going to be “on” when you’re in these situations, so you’ll already be able to make those interactions as meaningful as possible.

But what about the less obvious times? What about when you’re just out picking up beer, or gear, or working your day-job? What about when you receive an email from a fan, a facebook message, myspace comment?

Pretty much everything you do could be viewed as an interaction with a potential fan, so it might be interesting to try to think of ways to make all those situations just a little bit special. What if you gave the cashier at the beer store a download card for a free song? Went out of your way to comment back to someone online, or post something on your blog mentioning someone who recently sent you an email about the band, or what if you gave someone who’s buying a CD from you an extra copy for free, so they can give it to someone else?

There are all sorts of ways you can give someone just a bit of something more than what they would expect – all you have to do is find ways to tie those little extras back to your band, and try to genuinely incorporate that behaviour into your daily lifestyle. Suddenly everything you do could become an exercise in making fans, and if you give someone a little bit extra, something more than what they were expecting to get, you’ve increased exponentially the chance they are then going to tell someone else about you too.

It’s Not The What, It’s The Why

June 4, 2009 in Interact with 2 Comments

whyWhen it comes to interacting with your fans and friends, and sharing information with them online, keep the subject heading of this post in mind.

Social networking is extremely useful for showcasing your personality, or posting “slice-of-life” information that’s designed to give readers/viewers/listeners an inside perspective into what you’re all about… They want to know who you are, and they want to be interested in you, so give them the information that’s going to be interesting to them.  And when it comes to being interesting…. it’s not the what… it’s the why that’s most interesting.

Consider these examples…

“Having lunch at McDonalds, then off to soundcheck.”

“Jimmy’s late, waiting for him before we can start practicing.”

“Meeting tonight at 8pm.”

Now, compare those “what” messages, that tell your fans what you are doing, with these “why” versions:

“At McDonalds for lunch… I love collecting the happy-meal toys.  I like to stick them on my amp during soundcheck.”

“Jimmy’s late for practice again… he’s a bit of a narcoleptic though, so…”

“Band meeting tonight at 8… deciding what to name the next record!  Exciting… you’ll hear it here first.”

Immediately you can see that offering up the “why” makes those inside-look posts a thousand times more interesting.

Sure there’s always going to be factual info that’s needed… tour date announcements, release info, new songs posted, etc.  With those types of communications, it’s always best to just avoid sounding over-hype.  All caps, a billion exclamation points, and repetition are all things that convey the hype.  Use them sparingly, if at all.

Who’s Listening?

May 20, 2009 in Interact with 5 Comments

listenThere are a lot of bands registering for Twitter these days, and while the subject of this post is not specific to Twitter, it certainly was inspired by what I’ve seen a lot of while spending time using the service.  I know I’ve touched on this topic briefly in one of my previous posts, but I feel this particular behaviour needed a post of it’s own.  The behaviour I’m talking about, is “broadcasting.”  This is when a band (or a person) uses the internet as an outlet to send outward one-way communications.  Something like “NEW SONG NOW POSTED ON OUR MYSPACE” is a broadcast.  Sure, it’s informative, but it’s not engaging at all, and it doesn’t make the most of the opportunity that having friends/followers listening to what your saying presents.  And when this is the ONLY type of communication being sent, and in the worst case scenarios, the same message is being broadcast repeatedly, with no other types of messages in between, the offending communicator ends up doing themselves more of a disservice than they would by deleting their account and keeping quiet.

The feeling that type of communication engenders in the listeners is one that tells them the band doesn’t care about them at all.  At least, not beyond needing some attention paid to them, and they don’t care from who.

In this modern age, attention is fleeting, and it is PRECIOUS!!!  Someone who follows you has gone out of their way to click on (or search out) your profile, and then click again to request to follow you (or subscribe to your email list, or friend you on Myspace, or what-have-you)… and while a few clicks don’t seem like a lot of effort, they really are.  Because that person didn’t have to bother at all!  That means you’re speaking to someone who wants to hear what you have to say.  Unless of course, you followed/friended them first, and they’re reciprocating to be polite.  Those people need to be treated with respect too, but while they have said it’s okay for you to send them your messages, they may not be your biggest fan (yet!), so keep that in mind when communicating and don’t presume anything.

The bottom line is, just because you’re online, it doesn’t mean the unspoken rules of conversational behaviour go out the window.  Respond to people who say something to you, answer people when they ask you questions, don’t just broadcast your promotional messages all the time.  Treat your listeners with respect, and take good care of the attention they are giving you, because it’s very easy for them to give their attention to someone else.

Listening to what your listeners are saying – responding, asking questions of them, and engaging them in conversation are things you can do to make the experience they get from listening to you, much more rewarding for your listeners.

And then they’ll listen to you even more.

Twittering Bands – Good and Bad Practices

April 15, 2009 in Emulate, Featured, Interact with 6 Comments

trying to help bands avoid communication fails...

trying to help bands avoid communication fails...

Back in February I published an article, “Building Fan-Band Relationships In 420 Characters Per Day” that put forward some tips on how bands could take better advantage of the Twitter platform, and utilize it to more effectively communicate with their fans.

Since then, I have seen a large growth in the number of bands who are using Twitter, and have seen many examples of good practices and some examples of not-so-good practices, some of which I’d like to call attention to here.

Some great example posts of good use of twitter by a band:

- “We’re #1 [national] artist for most views on Youtube today!! You guys rock keep checking the [song title] video! -N

This is a great post because it’s informative, yet promotional, but doesn’t sound egotistical, in fact it has a thankful tone, contains a directive inciting fans to perform a desired action, and the post is “signed” by the band member, so a reader knows which band member logged in to Twitter that day.

- playing at 1714 XXXX street in LA at 2pm. directions at http://XXXX.com – only room for 50 people so come get in line asafp!!!

Another great use of twitter, in that it announces a promotional message that your fans would care about, (a secret show), gives specific details, conveys urgency, and excitement.

- @username What exactly is a garbage plate?

This is a great example, because it’s a conversational response to something one of the band’s fans actually said to the band.  Interacting with the fans is crucial, because the Twitter platform is not meant for one-way communication.  It’s meant for conversations.

- http://twitpic.com/XXXX- yes, you can play with the mac, just don’t touch the keys or drool on it.

This one is great because it uses a twitpic, and everyone loves to see pictures posted from their favorite bands.  Especially when the photos and caption provide insight into what you’re doing, showcases your personality, or something that you’re passionate about, and has an interesting caption.  The immediacy of Twitter makes the photos seem even more special because there’s the feeling they are happening right “now.”

- sick with flu, in bed, brain full of emptiness. watching DVD of doctor who and drinking hot toddys. life, love & time are great mysteries.

Another post that shows personality, talks about some non-music related interests, keeps fans updated in a very intimate way, and still manages to contain a profound thought.

- What are some new bands/artists that don’t suck? I need some new music that doesn’t sound like some regurgitated crap I’ve heard before.

Okay, so this one isn’t articulated the best, since its a little negative, but the idea of polling your followers to get them to talk about other bands they listen to is a great idea.  Not only does it engage your audience, get them talking about music, but it actually also gives you useful info about your fanbase that could help you better market your music.

In general, posts that inform, inquire, engage, and interact are the best.  For a really great example of an artist who is being extremely effective on Twitter, check out @amandapalmer.  She’s the lead-singer of the band The Dresden Dolls and also a very talented solo artist.  Whether you like her music or not, you could learn a lot stylistically from her twitter account.  She does twitter-based Q&As with her fans, holds impromptu secret shows announced via twitter, does quick promos like “first five people to @reply me get on the guestlist for the show tonight”, surprise fan meet-ups, polls her audience, talks to them, has conversations with them, posts lots of twitpics, and demonstrates many other lessons in effective online fan-communication via Twitter.

So just before I wrap this up, I think it’s only fair to comment on a few bad practices, however I’m not going to call anyone out or anything like that, but here are a few “please don’ts” to keep in mind…

- please don’t publicly thank people for their support when really what’s happened is that you followed them first, and now they decided to follow you back out of courtesy.  Note, this is especially bad when you do this with famous musicians.  @depechemode is not showing their support of your band, by returning a follow.

- please don’t REPEAT OVERLY PROMOTIONAL TWEETS THAT ARE WRITTEN ALL IN CAPS.  PLEASE DON’T REPEAT OVERLY PROMOTIONAL TWEETS THAT ARE WRITTEN ALL IN CAPS.  PLEASE DON’T REPEAT…see what i mean?

- if someone follows you, don’t automatically assume they’re now your fan.  Don’t auto-DM them thanking them for their interest in your music, or make any other assumptions like that.  Consider that the online equivalent of someone saying “hi, what do you do?” and you’re response being “Oh my god, it’s so great you talked to me, because now we’re best friends, and we’re gonna hang out every day and you’re mom’s gonna bake me cookies.”  It’s a little weird.

- please don’t ignore questions or comments from your followers.  Even if it’s only 140-characters worth of attention they gave you, that’s still effort they didn’t have to bother making, so if they’ve gone out of their way to do it, you had better pay them the respect of replying.

I’m sure there are more of both good practices and bad practices… but I’ll tell you what… I’ll stop here, but I invite everyone to continue this post through the comments section.  What are some more good and bad practices that you’ve seen?

Be Interesting, and Be Interested

April 11, 2009 in Featured, Interact with 1 Comment

interestingTwo things that sound similar, but are completely different.

When you’re planning to send an outward communication, whether it’s online, on-stage, in an interview, in a conversation with a fan, or whatever… always try to think about what your fans want to hear from you.  Try to be interesting. Share unique anecdotes that illustrate your personality, show examples of some of your personal quirks, likes, or dislikes.  Talk about the things that excite you, the bands you’re listening to, etc.  Always try to put “interesting” out into the world.  Don’t just talk promotionally all the time, as people will stop listening.

Conversely, to speak to the second half of this post’s title… be interested. This means pay attention and react to those who are talking to you, both online and off.  When someone comes up to talk to you after you’ve just finished playing a show, stop what you’re doing and listen to them.  Stop packing up your gear/merch, don’t ever look over their shoulder for someone else to talk to… look them in the eye, ask them their name, shake their hand, treat them with respect, and have a conversation.  Similarly, when interacting online, if someone emails you, @replies to you, comments on your blog, or whatever…respond!  Answer questions asked of you, get involved in the odd conversation online, reply to your emails, etc.  This is the type of “humanizing” that a fan wants… they want a meaningful interaction with you… they don’t necessarily care what you ate for breakfast, unless what you ate for breakfast was really interesting.  (cheerios with chocolate sauce, for example… though I don’t recommend it.)  If that’s the case, go ahead and share!

Band Interactivity In “The Real World”

February 11, 2009 in Interact with 0 Comments

It's not all about selling something... except for selling yourself.

Build your community at the live-shows too...not just online.

Interactivity for bands and musicians definitely takes place online a lot.  But what about those times when  you’re not on Myspace, Twitter, updating your website, sending e-newsletters, reading blogs (hopefully this one) or otherwise engaging the online community… what if you’ve taken one giant leap for band-kind, and gotten yourselves out of the basement and onto a stage somewhere?  Interactivity is just as important in the live setting as it is on the computer, more so even.

It can be so easy to get caught up in all the work… slogging gear, tuning guitars, getting your stuff up on stage, getting your stuff off-stage, drinking, hiding backstage like a rockstar so people don’t see your new ironic t-shirt before you storm the stage… and so forth.  But you can’t let that happen.  Look at it this way – you’re there networking, so network your butt off!

Start off with your arrival time -  get there early, in plenty of time to load in, and watch the other bands do soundcheck.  Talk to them.  If they’re anything like you, they’ll probably really like talking about their band.  If you have time after soundcheck, and you’re going to grab food, why not ask the other bands if they want to join you?  Make a friend.  Build your network.

Then during the show, be accessible, watch the other bands perform as much as you can, until you need to go backstage just before the show to get ready.  Hang out in the crowd, talk to the person next to you about the band performing… maybe you mention that you’re playing later.  Talk to people though.  And try not to stick to just your friends either.  This is work, it’s not party-time, you know?  Go make new friends.

When you’re on-stage, play the hell out of your songs.  Don’t half-ass anything, ever.  And even though it’s not “cool” to be too self-promotional, its imperative that you say your band name after several of the songs.  Plug your website, and make sure you let the crowd know you’re on Myspace.  At the end of your set, make sure you tell the crowd to come say hello to you right after the set at your merch table.  This is not negotiable.  You must try to drive people over there, and telling them to “come say hi to you” is about the softest sell that’s acceptable.

Then, as soon as you walk off stage, get over there.  Not five minutes later, not twenty minutes later… get off stage and walk right over to your merch table.  (and trust me, you’re not too cool to do this either.)  I’m sure you have a friend who can help your band by taking some of the gear off-stage for you.  Possibly the person who was watching your merch for you while you played?  At any rate, figure it out, and make sure you get right over to the merch table, before people start to forget about you.  (That can happen very quickly…usually as soon as the drink they’re currently sipping runs dry and they have to go to the bar to replenish.)

So you’re at your merch table right after the show, (or at least your main spokesperson is there… ie the one who does all the talking into the mic between songs when you play)… again, don’t just hang with friends and ignore people you don’t recognize… now is not the time for self-congratulatory post-show festivities… now is the time for making lasting connections with new fans!  Don’t wait for someone to interrupt your current conversation so they can purchase something from you… be aware, greet them yourself, first!  As soon as you spot them lingering… they’ll be there, about two feet back from the merch table, watching, debating what to do.  Deciding whether to approach the table or not.  Make the decision for them, spot them, smile and say hello!  Engage them in conversation, talk to the strangers about the show if they bring it up (they will), invite them to give you their email address so you can email them bi-weekly about news relating to the band.  Tell them how often you would email them, I use bi-weekly as an example.  It’s also good to offer an incentive right away too… for example, “Hey, if you want to sign up to our bi-weekly e-newsletter, you’ll get a download card with two of our songs on it for free, plus we do a draw every month for a free album/t-shirt prizepack.”

Then, if they buy something, say Thank You!  Wish them a good night, and tell them you hope you see them again.  Make their experience everything you would want from your favorite band.  And maybe you just might actually see them again after all – rocking out in the front row of your next show, with the three friends they dragged out to see you.  Repeat.

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