Monday, November 9, 2009

Social networking, what's working and what's not, for the Indie artist.


When I Twittered @Pipermckinnon to ask her if I could blog about her in relation to what artists should be doing ( ie:what's working and what's not), she wrote:

"Well, that's great! When you figure out what people 'Should' be doing, I will be the first in line for the information! "

I guess there are no real do's and don't outside of the obvious rules of polite company, but from my vantage point I am fortunate to be 'detached' enough to see what works and what doesn't in the world of social media and independent artists, but am also 'attached' enough to have some credibility when discussing it.

And I want to say off the top, that @pipermckinnon is working it. She's everywhere, writing about everything and using all the tools out there. I see her everywhere, and if I didn't already know she was an amazing artist, I would have been curious enough her to check her out.

So here it is, in the face of my last post about stress and learning how to relax, this post about getting to work on your career, something only you can do. And it is work, a lot of work.

Specifically I want to talk about fans, how to make them and how to keep them, because that is what will run your career as an independent artist 'the fan'. They will buy your stuff and pay your bills.

Just as I was sitting down to write, I remembered a link that Ariel had just sent out, so before started this I read it, and it fits in nicely with my post. Check it out, it's called '1000 true fans':

(http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2008/03/1000_true_fans.php)

In short, Kevin Kelly hypothesizes that you only need 1000 true and loyal fans. An attainable and realistic goal. I believe this, and I want to let you know what I witness as working and not working in attracting and keeping those fans. I have said before that it is all about the relationship you have with people, and it's true, people want to be involved, they want to feel special and they want to know you care.

So here is my list of do's and don'ts, or 'making a fan and keeping a fan': Ready Set Go!

1) DO realize that: "Marketing is not a campaign; it’s a commitment. If you want lifetime relationships with your consumers, you need to invest in them…genuinely…for life. Begin with investing in what we call “commitment to conversation” (monitoring, optimization, response, outreach etc.) (http://www.toprankblog.com/2009/04/social-media-marketing-tips/)".

2) DON'T start something and then drop off the face of the earth. If you have to have away time, let your fans know. (I'm having a baby so won't be here for a while, I have the flu so will be away, I'm on vacation, or I'm reassessing if I can handle all this on my own etc.). Keep your fans involved.

3) DO realize that the Internet and it's new social media is based on instant gratification, so be quick! Get your show photos up pronto, get a quick tweet or blog out to thank fans for coming out to the show (right after the show!), ask fans what they thought of your new band/song/hair style. Your gig is not over when you've finished performing, unless you've got a PR team working for you, YOU have to follow up to stay connected.

4) DON'T over-estimate your own abilities. Be realistic and know your limitations. If you can't be online all the time, or keeping track of fan lists and emails, use a tool (reverbnation etc) or check out @sivers muckworks, or ask for help. Again, don't start something you can't finish, fans want to know you're there and that you're, well, dependable. They're invested in you. And so is the rest of your team, so be honest with yourself from the start, and only take on what you know you can follow through with.

5) DO keep a positive attitude, anything else will make this work seem more difficult than it is. It will soon become a habit, and once you get organized it will really be second nature.

6) DON'T feel like you need to give it all away. Fans don't want your burdens, they want light and easy day to day, as well as serious things, but not everyone needs to know what you do in bed at night, or hear about the fight you had with your girlfriend. Just because you can't always see your fans face to face, doesn't mean you won't suffer the consequences of inappropriate posts. You can lose fans just as fast as gaining them.


I could ramble on, but those are the main points I wanted to get across tonight, after a very insightful weekend.

Later skaters.

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