MSi9W – Week 6 (2nd ed.) ~ Newsletter and Fan Communication

 Music Success in 9 Weeks  1 Response »
Aug 052010
 

Week 5 (1st ed.) Week 6 (2nd ed.)

Week 5 has come around at just the right time! Newsletter time! Click here to check out this month’s issue and please sign up!

To begin I have to make a confession. Bless me Father for I have sinned – the SIN of SINS in marketing and direct mailing: I purged my email list. Yes… I did. I threw it in the trash, right-clicked on my mouse and it was gone. (OK you PR people, you can get up off the floor now…) Let me tell you why I did this and then you may judge me.

My wife and I moved to Connecticut after living in NYC for many years. While in the city, I had been “sort of playing out” as a solo singer-songwriter, playing a lot of trombone in small orchestras, I was active in a composer’s collective that wrote mostly for Indonesian Gamelan, I was writing for theater and I played bass as a sideman in a couple of rock bands. I was not Darryl Gregory the guy that plays “Hard-edged Country, with a soft heart” and I was not promoting myself as myself.

The names I collected for my list were occasional and varied. Some people liked my serious compositions and some liked my acoustic guitar playing and then some liked to come to the bars to see the band I was playing with. It was a mixed up list and when I trashed it I did so thinking that it couldn’t do anything for me. I wanted to start anew. I wanted a list with names of people that had come to see Darryl Gregory and then wanted to be connected to that entity.

A year ago I started on my songwriting and performing path with renewed energy and a more focused plan. The purging of my email list was just a reaction to my symptom of wanting to start all over.

But I didn’t throw everybody off the island. I kept close friends, a few true fans and some family on the list, but I that only added up to about 30 people. In the last 9-months I’ve grown the list to around 125. I know it will grow as I perform more and get better at collecting names, but I feel that I know what to do with those names once I get them because they signed up to be a part of the Darryl Gregory experience – I’m thinking like a business.

So now that I know who is on my list I can talk to them much more directly than before. The main way I communicate with this list is via my newsletter. I’ve put a lot of time into crafting my newsletter and I still feel like it’s a work in progress and I learn something each time I put it out. It goes out once a month whether I feel I have something to say or not, but usually I do (have something to say that is…).

The key to communication with fans, as I’ve learned from Ariel Hyatt and others, is to be a giver, not a getter. You should be a consistent bringer of news and tidbits about yourself and your services. You should also interact with the reader and ask them to do things for you and with you. This last bit is what I’m still working on and it was reinforced by reading Chapter 5 of MSi9W. After reading and re-reading Chapter 5, I decided to ask my readers help me out with my next CD project. I’ve invited them to following my blog postings about the CD process, listen and comment on song demos and help me decide which songs will go on the CD.

I always have my gig schedule and I start off with an introduction that I try to write as if I had that person sitting right in front of me. I always include a blurb about what I’m listening to on my iPod and I recycle my blog posts in my newsletter which is a great way to get readers to go back to my website. One huge piece of advice that I have for newsletter writing is to proofread and rewrite – yes I’m a teacher. I can’t believe all the mistakes I catch when I proof my writing.

One last thing about getting the emails out to your list: management software. I’ve tried several “list management” services to get the letter out and I’m still up in the air about them. Right now I’m using Constant Contact just because it is very easy to use and their templates were simple and direct. CC also has a good name collection system that allows me to give away my mp3’s via email. It’s drawback is the expense. There are cheaper management systems out there like ReverbNation, but they’re not as flexible nor do they have as many analytical tools as Constant Contact or Vertical Response or MailChimp. So you get what you pay for or don’t pay for. Here’s a good site to help you compare services www.email-marketing-options.com

Let me know what you think of this month’s newsletter and I’m off to Chapter 6.

MSi9W – Week 4.3 ~ Blogging, Podcasting, Twitter and Flickr… Oh My!

 Music Success in 9 Weeks  2 Responses »
Jul 312010
 

And… perhaps a final word here about Twitter and Flickr.

It has taken me almost a year of using Twitter to really grasp it. I’m not a social person, I do badly at parties and mixers and schmooze events, but I understand the necessity and I usually can hold my own for a bit. People tell me that I’m quiet, but I prefer to think that I am ‘verbally efficient’. I comment and talk about things that I know something about and things that interest me.

OK, that said, how does it apply to Twitter? Well Twitter is a lot like a cocktail party: a lot of little conversations going on. Some of them are interesting but most of them are silly mutterings that have nothing to do with anything I want to talk about or comment on. That’s OK, I will politely listen. But at some point I have to get in on a conversation and start making relationships. I do this by retweeting peoples’ statements that are relevant to me and commenting on statements that I feel I can add to. I mentioned in the last post (week 4.2) that bloggers just want to be recognized for what they do; so do tweeters. It is ‘micro-blogging’ after all. You get a Tweeter’s attention when you comment or RT and then they follow you and at some point want to know more about you. YOU = MUSIC = GIGS = CD SALES —> or so the story goes.

The other thing that I’ve learned about Twitter is how to automate it. Since I’ve set up my Google Reader I can extract blog posts that are relevant to me and tweet about them. I do this using TwitterFeed.com. Another way to automate tweets is by scheduling them using Hootsuite or TweetDeck. Whenever I write  blog post I use excerpts from the post as tweets that I then schedule across the week so that I keep drawing attention to my post.

There is a lot one can do with Twitter just ask @Carlalynnhall author of Twitter For Musicians. I have a gig coming up in Ohio and I’ve intentionally started following some Clevelanders in hopes that they will come to the gig. I’ve only mentioned the gig once and NEVER directly to them. But I’ve struck up a relationship with them and when I really start tweeting about it I hope they will then ask me what’s up and what the details are.

Flickr. I’m still on the fence about it. I’ve set up an account, but it doesn’t excite me. I can post pictures to my Facebook Fan page and to my Tumblr blog. People can also see them and comment on them. So what is the difference? Perhaps you can leave a comment telling me?

OK – on to week 5 and my newsletter. Good timing because it is the first of the month and time for a new issue to roll out!

MSi9W – Week 4.2 ~ Blogging, Podcasting, Twitter and Flickr… Oh My!

 Music Success in 9 Weeks  No Responses »
Jul 292010
 

As I said in my previous post, this is going to be a multi-part blog-o-rama on this topic of week 4. Today I spent about 4 hours scouring the web for blogs that do reviews and podcasts that play my genre of music. I then put the findings into a database spreadsheet that was suggested by Chris Bracco on his Tight Mix Blog.

I started out using delicious.com and typing in some keywords. I found a few blogs, but it was slow going. Then I had a light bulb go off over my head and thought about the great newsletters that I get from CyberPR that often (well always) have interviews with podcasters and bloggers. What better way to research than to go to CyberPR’s New Media Interview archives and pillage!

I easily filled my quota of 30 bloggers (20 to go) and podcasters from the list of interviews I found. I also found a reference to a great source for bloggers called the Blog Catalog which allows you to explore the blogosphere using keywords. Blog Catalog is a great resource and very easy to use and capsulises what the blog is all about so you don’t have to waste time.

My next steps with the info I’ve collected:

  • put the blog URLs into my blogroll
  • bookmark the blogs into delicious.com
  • add the blog RSS for each blog into my Google Reader
  • monitor the blogs and start commenting
  • follow the ones that are on Twitter and Facebook
  • get some music up on the Podsafe Network

Next on the agenda:

  • add more blogs to my list by going to google.blogsearch.com and technorati.com
  • search for reviews of like sounding indie artists
  • check out last.fm and thesixtyone
  • start using my Flickr account – I’ve had an account for a long time, but haven’t used it

To Be Continued…

MSi9W – Week 4.1 ~ Blogging, Podcasting, Twitter and Flickr… Oh My!

 Music Success in 9 Weeks  No Responses »
Jul 282010
 

(This post and the consequent chapter 4 posts are a combination of Chapters 4 & 5 of the 2nd edition of Ariel’s book which I did not have at the time of this writing…)

This topic is going to require multiple posts this week, I can feel it. I’ve read through Chapter 4 several times and I’m just starting to map out my strategies and schedule my work.

Let’s start with Blogging and Podcasting. I’m a blogger and I’m a podcaster, so I know a bit about both. The question is how to get MY music on other people’s blogs and podcasts? If the average blogger/podcaster is like me then they are probably a combination of the following:

  • music-lovers
  • music-thinkers
  • musician-helpers

they most likely have:

  • day jobs
  • families
  • not a lot of time

they are also:

  • independent
  • somewhat organized but not efficient
  • happy to help, but don’t like being ‘sold’ or ‘pushed’

bloggers and podcasters don’t always ‘Do it for the Money’, but:

  • they do like praise
  • they do like FREE stuff
  • they do like to be recognized
  • they do like to be mentioned

While I may have an insight into who a blogger/podcaster may be, I still need to find them and create a relationship with them. Here’s my strategy so far:

  1. Create my Google Reader
  2. Subscribe to and follow blogs and podcasts found on delicious.com
  3. Keep track of podcasters and bloggers from the CyberPR’s newsletter
  4. Schedule weekly times to comment on blogs and listen to podcasts
  5. Create a database spreadsheet of blogs and podcasts
  6. Follow up

It’s all about the relationship and community. I plan to release a CD in the summer of 2011 and now, almost a year in advance, is the time to sow the seeds.

To be continued…

MSi9W – Week 3.1 ~ optimizing your website

 Music Success in 9 Weeks  2 Responses »
Jul 232010
 

Week 3 of Ariel’s challenge was deceptive. The challenge is all about optimizing your website and as I read through the chapter I was thinking to myself – I’ve already done this… Next chapter – But hold on a minute there, let’s really read the book and go over what is being said step by step without the ego getting in the way. I’m glad I did.

First of all, I do my own web design, so there is no one to blame but myself if anything is amiss. I just recently redesigned my site to bring it up to snuff with what is happening in the online world: interaction. The key components are conversations, relationships and engagement. I had a static html site that had music and picture and a bio PLUS I had a blog. Both of those entities were not serving their master (me) as they should have so I combined them into one site using WordPress and an amazingly customizable theme called Suffusion by Sayontan Sinha. Now my blog and html pages are in the same place and each drives the other. When people read my blog they check out my music and when they come to check out my music they read my blog. The other great thing about this set-up is that the site is not static – the content changes as I post new blog material. This attracts the search engine bots (SEO hoo ha) which in turn increases my web presence.

So as I stepped into Week 3 I didn’t think there was anything new to learn, but it was good to go back over the site and see if improvements could be made.

Step 1 – Add your pitch to your homepage
Well right off the bat I had something to do! I redid my header with the pitch and loaded it back up. Now it has “Hard-edged country – with a heart” smack dab in the middle! I also updated my Twitter page and Facebook fanpage with the pitch I worked on in week 2. I also added a music widget to my front page that stays with each page click as well as having a music/discography page. The problem with these is that they are Flash based and don’t show up on iPhones. Something to be tackled.

Step 2 – Site loads in less than 3.5 seconds
Yep – Thanks WordPress!

Step 3 – No Flash Intros
Been there, done that. I spent a lot of time with previous sites, learning Flash programming and in essence becoming an animator – not what I want to do. Flash does not allow Google to search your site, it loads slowly and doesn’t show up on iPhones.

Step 4 – Have a consistent look and feel throughout the Net
The cool thing about WordPress is that it takes care of CSS issues for you. Therefore your site looks consistent from page to page. I’m still working on the consistency from entity to entity. My Twitter page is not exactly like my website, but it has the same vibe. Facebook is what it is and it can’t be changed, but the content is consistent.

Step 5 – Give Away an Exclusive, FREE mp3/video
What’s in it for me? (wiifm?) I try to look at my site from a fan’s perspective. what do I get for signing up to this guy’s list? After I sign up is there anything else to get for free? I have satisfied those questions with a capture box that gives 2 FREE unreleased songs for signing up and then I give away other freebies via my newsletter (week 5).

One thing that I am still grappling with is the ease of signing up. Right now I require a first and last name, email, city and zip. I want that info so I can target my emails, but is that asking too much of people? I personally wouldn’t mind giving it, but perhaps I should make it optional. What do you think?

Step 6 – Make it clear, set them at ease
The process of signing up for my list is clear. I use Constant Contact for my list management and after they sign up in the capture box it takes them to a splash page that asks for the required info and also to confirm their email address. Then they get a welcome letter with the link to the free tracks. It’s hard to tell what is too much for some people. How many clicks is too many before they abandon the process?

All the fans on my list know that they can unsubscribe at any time. Constant Contact is great about making that clear. It’s disturbing that I still see musicians (that I personally know) still using the old email paradigm: fill up the To space and hit send. I then see my email along with 75 other email addresses in the note about the next gig. In this day and age that’s just bad form.

Conclusion
It was helpful to go over this checklist while looking at my site. Since I design my sites I always ask fans, my wife, fellow musicians and anyone who will assist me to take a look at the site and give me feedback – like having a song critiqued – you need different eyes to look at the site.

Please let me know what you think! Leave a comment with your advice, critique or <praise>. Oh and please sign up for my newsletter at thee top of the page – you get 2 FREE tracks!

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