Ariel Publicity

I’m continuing the Music Marketing Experts FAQs where my favorite gods and goddesses of online marketing and Social Media promotion share with me the questions they get asked the most by musicians.

What’s most important as a promotional tool; Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube?

Ariel Hyatt

I believe all three sites are vital and important to have and keep active with an ongoing strategy.  I know what you are thinking…  That will take a LOT Of work.  And if your networks are not very big and robust to begin with creating and posting content on three platforms can feel totally overwhelming.  But think about what each of these Social’s represents.  Twitter is like a great news feed  on steroids and it’s a completely open and a place where everyone can come and follow your updates.  Facebook is more of a closed ecosystem where you will tend to be connected to people you actually know and recognize, and YouTube is a platform where people see your videos based on the fact that you either sent them there (using Twitter, FB or your blog) or they discovered them using a search and the keywords matched their interest.  The truth is these three work in concert with one another and it is vital to use all of them.  After much consideration, I can’t choose one as the most important.  If you are not yet on all three and you would rather stab a pen in your eye then dedicate the time it will take to manage them all my advice is: Get really good at using the one that you like the most and make the most sense to you.  Mastering one Social is better than doing all three half-way.

Rick Goetz

Oh man – this one’s a setup.  There’s no right answer to this one.  Different things work for different people.  If video is easy and cheap to regularly create and edit for you then YouTube can be great.  If you are surgically attached to a smartphone with a camera then Twitter or Facebook are good too.  IMHO these three and a website are (in my opinion) the must haves for any artist.  I do believe that Twitter is only half as powerful without blogging.  At 140 characters Twitter is made to send people to links – these may as well be links to your content situated some place where you get the most benefit.

Bobby Owsinski

I’ve personally found that Twitter is the most immediate and successful promotional tool as long as you use hashtags (the “#” before a keyword), which is the key, and your content is interesting or informative. The problem with Twitter is that a tweet has a shelf-life of about an hour, so if it doesn’t grab someone right way, it’s gone and of no further use. On the other hand, YouTube has the longest shelf-life and the best possibility for a viral success under the right circumstances. Plus, it’s easy to point people to a video from any medium, and if you’re SEO savvy, can develop a new audience just from searches. Facebook can be effective too, but it takes a while to build up your friend- and like-base, but these are your hard-core fans/tribe so it’s the best medium for sales opportunities.

Corey Denis

Marketing plans cannot successfully replicate and all three tools are different. The first step in deciding which tool is most important is figuring out what you want to achieve.  If you are unable to tend to all three platforms named above, the best way to figure out which platform is more important to you is to spend some time using it – without promoting yourself. Make real friends and get acclomated. Figure out how the community works, and then you may figure out if it’s a good fit for your intentions. If you have to ask which platform is best for you, and are on a tight schedule for an album release or upcoming tour, I advise that you delay the album release and set aside a budget for some marketing strategy, advice, and, if you can afford it, marketing execution. The space is new, and the tools are new. There isn’t terrible harm from misusing the tools, but the Internet is written in indelible ink; over the long term it could be similar to leaving money on the table. If you already have a fan base, go to where your fans are, and stalk them. Know them. If they are on all three platforms, combine your efforts.

Carla Lynne Hall

If you had asked me which social media tool was more important two years ago, I would have said Twitter, hands down. But now, I’d say that YouTube is the most important promotional tool that anyone could have to promote themselves. Online video was created to be viral, so if someone likes your music or message, they can easily share it with their friends. Online video has a powerful reach, and I believe that we’re going to see a lot of musicians using more online video to promote themselves.

Cassie Petery

All three sites are extremely important.  As far as which one is the most important, I truly believe this varies depending on the genre and the type of audience you have. If you have a strong video strategy, then YouTube would obviously be one of the most important pieces of your online marketing campaign.  However, if you don’t have the right video content to do this, then YouTube shouldn’t be your number one focus just because it’s a huge site.  You must have well thought out video production strategy to be successful. Facebook and Twitter are always the two main communication outlets for my artist’s online marketing campaigns, and which one takes priority changes from artist to artist.  A lot of my developing acts view Twitter as a priority because a lot of early adopt/hardcore music fans live there.  However, Facebook moves the dial more than Twitter for most of my established acts.

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I’m just back from the mighty ASCAP Expo in Los Angeles where I spoke on a panel, did a book signing and sponsored.

I learned so much from the hundreds of artists I spoke to over the 3 days there and I boarded the plane with a whole new perspective on just how confronting marketing and social media is to 90% of artists.

You guys REALLY hate this stuff

You hate it so much that I literally felt like I had been beaten up over the concerns, complaints and sheer confusion directed my way.

So I  will kick off with this: Making it in music is HARD

No matter what side of the fence you are on.  My friends who are managers and agents and club owners work just as hard as my artist friends.  And, music industry professionals are getting laid off left and right. This game (if you choose to play it) is not for the meek!

And now you, the artist are required to do a WHOLE LOT MORE than you might have 7, 8, 9 or 10 years ago (if you were lucky enough to have a label).

But here’s the thing:

The basic rules for success are still the same.

They have always been the same and those artists who understand this succeed: To Increase Your Bottom Line (no matter how you define your bottom line) you MUST focus on your fans!

The first step towards this is building rapport with everyone you come into contact with in person, social media and on your email list.

Everyone always references the astonishing Amanda Palmer as the poster child for success in this paradigm – the woman focuses on her fans!

You know how Amanda does this?

She STAYS at the venue after each and every show signing every CD and piece of merch and scrap of paper put in front of her

She STAYS until she has personally touched the last fan.

Then she STAYS in touch with them long after she has left their town with her newsletter, her blog, her Facebook posts and her Twitter stream.

She understands the rules of engagement.

It’s not magic – its just hard work.

You can have what she has too and here is how:

Today we are going back to three very important basics

(I’m not going to focus on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and all the social media that drives you bonkers this time – you can read many articles I wrote about social media on this blog)

1. Your Newsletter
2. Your Product Line
3. Asking Your Fans What They Want

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A few weeks ago I got a tweet from Mr. Robotic, asking if I could include him in my In Defense of 1,000 True Fans series.  I love meeting people via social media, and what follows is the first artist who has approached me to tell his own story.  It’s the perfect roadmap of how to take full advantage precious TV placements.  Instead of the usual interview, I’m combining my “How To” article format (Sound Advice) with this In Defense of 1,000 True Fans piece, giving you an action plan. This article is so long it will be delivered in 2 parts.

When I teach master classes to artists I often get asked:  How do I leverage a TV placement?

Creating more fans and friends from a hard earned TV or film placement takes a combination of fast action and solid strategy. In the end as evidenced here by Mr. Robotic, this combination can really pay off!

First: A back-story and a word of precaution: I have stood by and watched helplessly now as two of my Cyber PR® clients (who shall remain nameless) have been included in NATIONAL TV spots (one on an Apple commercial and one on a car commercial) and completely squandered these massive opportunities to make new fans.

Getting placed on TV is not easy and these two clients had hit the jackpot. Not only do you get paid for a TV placement, you also get residual income each time it airs but that’s only HALF of a placement’s potential.

Their music was getting exposure multiple times in front of millions of people on TV. Then as the massive opportunity (and potential future income) to capture and engage fans was literally pouring out of the machine, they walked away…  How?  By not setting up the bucket to catch the coins.

Imagine this, a fan hears the song and likes it and heads straight to Google to find out what it is and then Eureka!  He finds it and heads to the website of the artist he just discovered…

One artist had a landing page that said “website coming soon” and the other had a ReverbNation page that was so confusing, I’m certain that potential fans just clicked away, looking to  downloaded the track from a free site, never to be heard from again.

Opportunity squandered.

When potential fans come your way it’s your job to leverage everything you can to engage them (and for gods sake get their email addresses!)

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In this episode of Sound Advice TV, Ariel interviews Tiffany Alvord on how to become a YouTube sensation.  Tiffany has leveraged the popularity of Billboard hits to attract fans on YouTube.  This young rising star spoke on her first panel at the Taxi Road Rally with Ariel, marketing guru Bob Baker, Taxi founder Michael Laskow and was moderated by Tony VanVeen from CD/DiscMakers.

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By Cassie Petrey – CrowdSurf.net

How To Set Up Your YouTube Channel

Anyone can set up his own channel on YouTube.  When you register an account on the site, you are automatically given your own page.  The URL for your channel will be www.youtube.com/username.

When you go to set up your own channel, be sure to keep these ideas in mind:

Step 1. Think About Your Channel Name

Make your user name something that is easy to remember.  It would be ideal to make your user name your band’s / artist name.  If that name is unavailable, add something like “music” or official” into your user name.  This lets YouTube users know that this is an official account, and it makes it easy for your fans to find you.

TIP: Your YouTube name should match your URL & your MySpace

Step 2. Specify “Musician” Account.

To do this, all you need to do is:

- Login to your account

- Click on “Account” in the right top corner

- Select “Edit Channel” – this is located in the “Overview” tab

- Go to the “Channel Type” section & select “Musician”

Step 3. Design Your Channel!

Go into the “Account” section and click on “Channel Design.”  This will give you the option to select different colors, upload a background image, etc.  It’s really easy to use, and within a few clicks you can spice up your Channel’s look.

Here are a few channel design tips:

- Try to make your channel look somewhat similar to your website & your MySpace, Twitter etc.  You always want to keep your artwork consistent on all of your sites so people can recognize that its you all over the net.

- Make sure that you make the text and links on the page easy to read.  I would recommend keeping the table colors white, text color black, and the links blue or another dark, readable color.

- Don’t add too many sections (i.e. Group Links, User Uploads Box, etc.) if you currently don’t have any activity on your page.  Having these blank sections on your page will make it look cluttered.  If you decide to start using these options, you can always come back and add them later.

Step 4. Text Populate Your Channel

Did you know that you can add information to your YouTube Channel just like you do to your MySpace and Facebook pages?

Here are tips for text content to your channel:

- Click on “Account” and then select “Performer Info.”  This will give you the option to fill out basic information about yourself/your band.

- Be sure to include website and MySpace links.  You can’t use HTML in the performer info section, but you can create a hyperlink by using the full URL (this must include http:// before your website address).

- You will be given three spots for album images and buy links in your profile – use them!  Don’t have three albums out yet?  That’s OK, Create an icon that links out to your merch page or website.

- Add your tour dates to the page by selecting the “event dates” tab in your account backend.  You have the option to include a buy link for each tour date – be sure to use it if you can to sell tickets to your shows if they are available online.

Step 5. Upload Your Videos

I know, it seems simple, but there’s more to uploading videos to YouTube than just clicking the yellow “upload video” button in the top left corner of the screen.

Title Properly

Make sure that the title of each of your videos includes your artist or band name, song title, and any other relevant information.  The title of your video is the first thing that will be seen in the search results, so make sure it’s easy to identify.

Use the Description!

You have a lot of space here to describe your video in depth, so if you couldn’t put everything you wanted in the title, you will have the opportunity to add it here.

TIP: Remember, you can put URLs in the description as well, so be sure to add links to your: MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, CD Baby etc.  You have to include the full website address for the link to be clickable i.e. http://www.arielpublicity.com

Select a Proper Video Category

This will more than likely be “Music.”

Tag Thoroughly

Use as many different tags as you possibly can.  Be sure to include your artist/band name, song name, any related artists names (especially if you add a cover), similar artists (so that when people type in an artist they like they will come across your video), genres of music, hometown, names of all band members, producer, themes in the video and anything else that makes your video more searchable.

Broadcast Options and Sharing Options

Don’t change these options. `They are already set for maximum viral exposure.

Uploading the Actual Video File is The Easiest Part

YouTube pretty much accepts all video formats.  You just need to make sure your video is under 1000MB and you are ready to go.  However, I would recommend that you keep each video under 200MB if possible.

Step 6. Become a Frequent YouTube User

A lot of people don’t know this, but you can interact with other users on YouTube.  It’s actually very similar to the way people interact on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.  And it’s an effective way to get more people interested in your videos and channel.

TIP: This is something that will need to become a part of your daily online marketing routine.

TIP: Use Precaution

Please be careful, YouTube moderates user activity and spamming very closely.  Everything will have to be done in moderation, and if you receive a notice to stop sending messages, adding friends, etc. – PLEASE STOP or else your account will be deleted.

Subscribe to Channels

This can help you go a long way:  Start off by subscribing to channels of similar artists or artists that you like and sound like. The easiest way to do this is to type in the artist’s name in the search engine, and related channels will be the first ones that pop up.

After you have subscribed to your favorite artist’s channels, start subscribing to their to their fans’ channels by going to the artist’s channel and locating the “Subscribers” box.  This will be a good place to start adding friends.

Watch Videos

This is how you get the word out about your own channel.

A Few Things to Do While Watching Videos:

Rate Videos

All you have to do is click on the stars under each video. It literally takes 1 second.

Add Videos as Favorites

Love the video?  Just click on that little heart.  Keep in mind that these videos will be added to your “Favorites” section on your channel.

Comment on Videos

And respond to other people’s comments.

Rate the Comments

You can click on the “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” – this also takes one second for each rating.

Make a Video Response!

Feeling really compelled?  Make a video response!  Just click on the link right underneath “Statistics & Data” to post it.   Sometimes making your own acoustic cover or just a speaking response to a popular video can bring traffic to your own channel.

Add Friends

You can add people as friends just like you can add friends on MySpace and Facebook.  Add you need to is visit their channel and click on the “add as friend” link in their contact table located in the left column.

Comment on Channels Too

Not only can you comment on videos, but you can also comment on people’s channels as well.  The comments section is generally located at the bottom of the right column on a user’s channel.

Step 7. See How The Pros Do It & Emulate!

Here are some recommended artist channels to look at

Ariel Publicity – www.youtube.com/arielpublicity

Ashley Tidsale – www.youtube.com/ashleytisdale

Blake Shelton – www.youtube.com/blakeshelton

Greg Holden – www.youtube.com/gdholden

Jonas Brothers – www.youtube.com/jonasbrothersmusic

Lady Antebellum – www.youtube.com/ladyantebellum

Luke Bryan – www.youtube.com/lukebryan

Savannah Outen – www.youtube.com/savannah7448

Simple Plan – www.youtube.com/simpleplan

SouljaBoy – www.youtube.com/souljaboy

The Black Year – www.oyutube.com/theblaqkyear

Tokio Hotel – www.youtube.com/tokiohotel

Subscribe to Ariel’s Sound Advice Weekly Video series –

http://www.YouTube.com/ArielPublicity

And of course come comment and friend us too!

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Corey Denis is a woman I admire deeply. She and I have an interesting history. She worked at What Are Records? the label I started out at. But she arrived after I had already left, so we never actually had the pleasure of working together during the time. Corey is nothing short of a genius at marketing bands and artists.

She is brilliant because she thinks about both sides of the fence from the both the artists and the fans perspective.

I’m thrilled that she was willing to be interviewed for this piece. Enjoy her responses.

1. Why is it important that artists participate in social media?

At the very least, learning how to participate in social media will give artists a chance to take advantage of new online tools, which may actually enhance their current projects. Singles, videos and tourdates can be released via new outlets, fans (new and old) will have a new method of communication with artists, and artists will have a new set of tools by which to market their craft. In the face of both an unstable music economy and the evolution of the new music economy

2. Name 10 sites you think all artists should have a presence on?

- myspace
- twitter
- facebook
- youtube
- flickr
- ning (network)
- imeem
- blogger (so you can comment on other blogs)
- vimeo
- qik

3. Do you think it’s important for artists to be on as many sites as possible all over the Internet, or should they be selective and only sign up to the ones that they are actively using?

It can’t hurt to have a profile on as many sites as possible, but if you don’t sign in or know how to use the networks, or understand how to integrate all the sites together, then the profile will not automatically generate any exposure for you other than the top tier of popular artists who sell millions of records per month. An artist could viably create 50 profiles and optimize search-ability online, but it’s crucial to consider what a person will find once they get to the profile. I advise artists to start with 3 networks and to use & manage them correctly and actively, or hire someone who can do it – then increase to 5, 10 and so on.

4. What would your recommendations be for the busy artist that only has 30 minutes a week to dedicate to social media?

Set aside a small budget to hire someone to help, and treat them like an additional band member. If you only have 30 minutes to spare then the concept of “your time is money” should make sense to you – and if you want to sell music online and are not Britney Spears, it’s worth your time & money to bring on this additional band member to increase your visibility, discoverability and sales online.

5. How can an artist save time by using widgets, and which ones would you recommend?

Widgets are time savers if you know how to create and use them. They enable fans to spread information more easily. The only task at hand is to copy-paste-embed on a website or as a blogpost. Think of a widget as a mini web page that can be embedded on a larger web page, or somewhere in a social network. I am a fan of the Sprout widget but since most social networks and services offer widgets i recommend simply finding one that you like best and then putting it up on your website, myspace page and facebook page. Then email your fans with the embed code and invite them to spread the word.

6. What’s the best way for an artist to get blogged about?

There are no guarantees. However, I advise indie publicists and artists who are brave enough to do their own publicity to develop a relationship with bloggers by reading their blogs, learning more about their taste and then you can write to them individually to let them know why you think they might be interested in your music. In addition, start your own blog, build a blogroll, and link to your favorite blogs.

7. Do you think artists should focus on getting played on Internet radio? Or has the scare with the RIAA stopped most Internet radio programmers in their tracks?

Internet radio is very important if you want to be heard online. Terrestrial and online radio stations have to pay for the right to use your copyrighted art on their stations. The focus of the RIAA is not to stop the existence of Internet radio, but to hold “interactive” internet radio as well as large venture funded internet radio stations accountable for higher rates. In other words, the RIAA and Sound Exchange are claiming to fight for the rights of artists and get artists paid for large amounts of airplay.

Unfortunately there are largernternet radio channels with over 20 million listeners who are actually squeezing out the smaller webcasters by claiming that they (the large stations) are also small. There are two (or more) sides to this now-famous issue and their arguments (and lawsuits) are not ending anytime soon. I highly recommend to all artists that they push for airplay online the same way you might have pushed for airplay on terrestrial radio 10 years ago. I support webcasters and strongly advise all artists to treat webcasters like they are KROQ. Know which stations are playing what genres, know the DJs, and send them music appropriately. get airplay! Then promote those stations on your website and fanlists/ emails. Support their cause to stay alive and share the love. (note: in the music industry radio play and promotion is commonly referred to as “love”)

8. When consulting with a band or an artist, what do you do for them that helps them sell more music online? How do you quantify your results? How can they?

When i consult with bands, labels and artists, I strategize digital presence. Simply creating a facebook or myspace page or a twitter account does not sell music. But learning to use these tools can greatly increase exposure and eventually sell music. In addition there are creative ways to utilize each network to target fans and potential fans. Usually none of this can be quantified financially until at least 3 months after the onset of a campaign. However, there are many numbers revealing exposure such as how many followers, fans or streams an artist accrues over a three-month period. With full engagement, I have yet to see an artist flounder when they know how to utilize the tools.

I teach artists and labels how to use these tools and help them devise creative ways to increase exposure with various tricks inside the tools. Whether it’s using a hash tag or starting a funny group on facebook, these strategies increase visibility and therefore the discoverability of your music online increases. There are ways to flood google so that you are always at the top of your own search results without ever buying an adword. I call this Music Discovery Optimization. Increasing visibility and discoverability of quality music will only increase an artist’s chance at selling music new and old.

9. Can you name five bands who are doing it right online?

Lil’ Wayne, Dr. Steel, Ben Kweller, Birdmonster,

10. Finally, if I was an artist and I had $500 of promotional money to spend, what would you advise me to do?

See #4 – if you have $500 and don’t know what to do with it, hire someone who has command of the new music climate online and can execute quickly to increase your visibility online and teach you how to twitter. If that’s not an option or you just don’t want to bring anyone into the fold, spend it on an email newsletter service if you aren’ t already emailing your fans with news.

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