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Google+ A Ghost Town for Musicians?

Many musicians have kept an eye on Google+ to see if it would be a platform worth utilizing to evangelize and keep fans updated with their latest news. Unfortunately, some new stats may make musicians think twice about spending their time on the new social platform.

According to the Wall Street Journal in an article titled The Mounting Minuses at Google+,”It turns out that Google+ is a virtual ghost town compared with rival Facebook Inc.” They go on to reveal that although the sign up numbers were impressive, there is very low activity. “...Users on Google+ are only spending three minutes a month compared with seven hours a month on Facebook.”

A musicians should always be looking for new opportunities to market, but these new stats may just reveal that Google+ is not the platform to be spending their precious time marketing. My advice is to musicians is to stick with Facebook and Twitter for now, but to keep an eye on Google+ user activity. I’ll keep you updated here, so check back or subscribe below for updates.

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HOW TO CREATE A FAN HOTLINE FOR YOUR BAND

This video provides step by step instructions on How to Create A Free Fan Hotline for Your Band using Google Voice. It is a great music marketing tool and brilliant for fan engagement.

Comment below on your thoughts or questions! We'd love to hear how your fan hotline is working for you or how effective contests are using the hotline!

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Why Your Band Should Build A Mobile Website, Not An App

If you are still debating whether your band should have a mobile presence then check out our previous post on "Why Your Band Needs A Mobile Presence in 2012."

If you are going to have a mobile presence to connect with fans you should start with a mobile website, not an app.

Here's why: 

To reiterate from our previous article, "Industry experts agree that the breakout mobile channel of 2012 will be the mobile web." [Source] ...not apps ;)

1. No Need For Fans to Download From An App Store with a Mobile Website:

Your mobile marketing strategy should be for a purpose and that is either to engage new fans or to cater to your already loyal fans so they can keep up-to-date. Most indi artists that are building their fan base will want a mobile presence to engage new fans.

Simply put, you want fans to be able to easily connect with you. You would be surprised how one extra step in the process will deter someone from completing a task. In this case, that extra step is having to go to the app store and download your app before they can engage with your content. Mobile websites are universal and any phone can access them making them the ideal interface for connecting with new fans. "90% of phones shipped today have access to the mobile Web through a browser [Source]."

At your show, tip your audience off that they can connect with you at www.YourMobileSite.com and anyone in the audience on any phone can start connecting.

2. Mobile Websites Don't Limit Your Audience:

Keep in mind that building an app would limit your engagement to fans that have the particular platform you build your app for. You would have to build multiple apps to be on multiple platforms. So, if you wanted to reach a majority of smartphone users you would have to build an app for i0S (Apple), then to reach Android users you would have to build a separate app for Android. You get the picture.

Contrary to the purpose of connecting with new fans, if you are going to build a resource for die-hard loyal fans, then an app proves the way to go. A complete strategy if you are an established band would be to have an app for loyal followers and to have a mobile site for new fans to connect.

All in all, there are many hassles and complications that arise when you have to manage multiple platforms if you build apps instead of a mobile website. The submission process can be slow, tweaking multiple apps for small iterations is a pain, the development costs are generally more and did we mention you limit your audience and make it harder for fans to connect? ;)

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Now is the time to Start Building Your Band's Mobile Strategy

Do you have further insight or questions? Comment below.

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Sometimes it is the simplest things that work the best for marketing. I feel this is a good time to mention a simple yet extremely effective example I saw earlier this year at SXSW in Austin, TX. I’m sorry for the blurry picture above. It proved hard to walk, take a picture and hold a beer at the same time.

These signs, although simple, demanded attention. You could see them from forever away. If they had a mobile website listed on there I can imagine they would have gotten some great real-time engagement. I look forward to the 2012 SXSW to see more examples of how musicians will market. I'm betting we will see a lot more mobile technology being used.

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Why Your Band Needs A Mobile Presence in 2012

I don't care how big you get, you will always be trying to build your fan base. As we move into 2012, the mobile space is going to be red hot marketing real estate that your band should take advantage of. Here are some stats, facts and reasons why your band needs a mobile presence in 2012.

There are more mobile devices than people in the United States

This fact is crazy, but I'm sure you can see how this is possible. I'm betting you have a cell phone on you right now and that business man you passed earlier probably has a personal phone, a Blackberry for work and an iPad to take notes in meetings. We all have at least one mobile device in this day in age.

We carry mobile devices with us everywhere

If you are in a band, you are a fan of music and most likely attend other concerts besides your own. My guess is you carry your cell phone with you at all times to those concerts. Your fans are no different and this opportunity offers a brilliant way for those fans that may not have connected with your band from home to connect with you at your show via mobile.

Mobile payments increased 516% on Black Friday from the year before. [source]

This statistic tells us that A. people are using their phones to access content [why not let it be your music] and B. not only are they accessing content, but they are getting comfortable enough to purchase from their mobile devices. Your fans are a part of this growing mobile community. They access mobile content and purchase from their phones. Take advantage of it!

Your band has profiles on social networks and 40% access their social networks from mobile devices [source]

This trend is expecting to grow into 2012. According to Social Media Examiner 80% of all Americans use a social network. Further, 23% of all online time is spent on social networks with 40% of those visitors checking in via their mobile devices.

These stats certainly show mobile usage, but

it also gives you some insight into how you should be posting on your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Make your posts mobile friendly, ie. short, engaging and shareable. Pay attention to your facebook "insights" tab to see which of your posts get the most engagement and keep refining.

Conclusion

Your band has a sales funnel just like any other business. The first step is to get those fans connecting with you on social media or signing up for email newsletters. Once you are connected with a fan, you can stay in front of them [reminding them of you constantly] and eventually turn them into paying customers. The information in this article s

hows a compelling reason why the mobile landscape offers a very fruitful opportunity for you to get more fans connecting with you.

Start building your band's mobile strategy now.

Read Part II of this post for info on why you should build a mobile website vs. an app.

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So what is your opinion about marketing your band via mobile? Let us know in the comments below!

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7 Social Media Facts Your Band Should Know

There are so many social media sites to manage these days. It can be overwhelming at times as you try to keep fans updated and evangelize new fans. Here are some pertinent social media stats that may help you make sense of it all.

1. Social media users are more likely to be heavy spenders on music

When compared to the average online adult, social networkers are 75% more likely to spend money on music. [Nielsen]

2.  Facebook Is still the top network among social media platforms

Facebook wins the social media race with over 53 million minutes spent by users thumbing around the social network per month. This is nearly 10x more minutes spent than on twitter [May of 2011, Nielsen]

3. Between 40 and 50% of Social Media Users Access Their Accounts From Their Mobile Devices.

Tip: Make posts mobile friendly. More on this in a later post.

4. There are 900 million pages, groups etc that people interact with on FB.

This just shows your band is not the only page they are interacting with on a daily basis. In fact, the average user is connected with around 80 pages and events. Make your posts stand out and highly interactive so you can attract their attention.

Use the new FB insights to see which posts are getting the most attention.

5. People are spending more time on Google+

According to Experian's Social Media Consumer Report, Google+ Users are spending just over 5 minutes every time they log in. This platform is growing at a ridiculous rate. Don't ignore it. See our previous post 6 Reasons Your Band Should Have a Page on Google+ 

6. 98% of 18-24-year-olds get on social media accounts monthly

This stat is crazy. If your band targets college students, make sure you push them to like you on FB. [especially in college towns]

7. 51% of Facebook users and 64% of Twitter users are more likely to buy from brands [that means you] they follow.

Your band has a loyal following. Don't be afraid to push deals on merch and tickets. Interact with them and make friends. Studies show many of them will be paying fans at some point.

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6 Reasons Why Your Band Needs a Page on Google Plus

I have heard from more than a few friends and news articles that Google+ may not be worth your time. I disagree and here are a few reasons why your band should have a page on Google+

1. Your Fans are on Google+

This new platform is growing like crazy. There are over 18 million people on Google+ last count and at times have had 2 million people sign up in one day! Your fans will be here if they aren't already, so time to jump on board and figure this dang-fangled network out so you can discover how to connect with fans even further.

2. Don't Let Your Fans Create a Page For Your Band Before You Do!

If you have some die hard fans, you know they will create a fan page for your band. I know plenty of bands on Twitter that have band obsessed pages made by fans. Best to be the one to create the Official Google+ account for your band so fans know who to put in their circles.

3. Join in the Convos About Your Music

If you aren't, then your manager or whoever handles your social media marketing may be crawling the web for buzz and conversations about your music. If you see someone that made an update about your killer concert the other night, then respond back with your Google+ Band Page and show you care. [Monitor your band's buzz with Google Alert]

4. Get a Leg Up in Organic Search Results

Having a Google+ Official Page for your band will give you one more page to hog up the first page of search results. When someone types your band name in a Google search you want to dominate that first page!

5. Improve your Marketing Efforts

Google Music has landed along with Google+. You know there will be some super sweet ways to spread your music and ways for fans to share your tunes. Get there early and don't waste this opportunity to promote.  

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Band Exercise: Take 10 min to think about how you consume and discover music. Does it match up with how you market your own music?

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What your band can learn from Barnes & Noble

William Lynch commands the ship of Barnes & Noble, just as you command the ship of your band. When you break it down, your band is a business and you have to make important decisions about how your band makes their money. William Lynch made one such decision that was so epic that without it, Barnes & Noble would have gone the way of Borders. Little do you know, your band has had to make or will have to make the same decision to stay alive through the changing landscape that is the music business.

We are talking about the digital revolution. With the advent of iTunes and everything digital, the music industry's distribution model was changed forever. By now, if you are a band that hasn't embraced digital distribution and social media, you won't stand a chance and will most likely sink into obscurity. William Lynch of Barnes & Noble saw a similar picture being painted for his business, which was built on the foundation of selling print books at physical locations. He knew he had to make drastic decisions, otherwise they would meet their demise just as their competitor, Borders, did last year.

The digital revolution happened so quick that it turned the industry models upside down, leaving record label execs scratching their heads. As stated in a recent NY Times article entitled, "At Sony Music, a Plan to Dominate the Industry," the new CEO, Doug Morris plans to combat the digital revolution with an old school approach of classic hit making without completely ignoring the changes in the industry. 

""Our core focus still needs to be developing hits," he said. [..."music that people want to listen to again and again.] That's the only constant amidst all the change. So if you don't get that right, it doesn't matter how revolutionary the distribution model is or how many revenue streams you have. You still have to have the hits."

Doug is certainly right, but on the same front if independent bands that are trying to build a fan base and make a living off of playing music choose not to embrace the digital revolution, they could go the way of Borders, too.

The development of the Nook is Barnes and Noble's hit that keeps them competing as the digital revolution takes over and old business models turn stale. Your band will have to adopt your own Nook-like strategy to keep competing in today's industry. Just as any good business owner does, keep up with the current trends in your industry, adapt and keep making music people want to listen to and you will be just fine. Barnes & Noble's Nook will bank them an estimated 1.2 Billion in revenue next year. I'll be interested to see how your band will adapt, too.