5 Tweets Every Musician Should Avoid

OK. So you are totally onboard with this whole Twitter and social media thing. You realize that your tweets (and status updates on other sites like Facebook and MySpace) should not be 100% promotional in nature.

You know you need to strike a balance between marketing and revealing the real you -- so much so that you are now fully committed to "keeping it real."

Your life is now an open book, right?

Hold on! Before you go spouting every random thought that pops into that creative brain of yours, consider the following five types of pointless tweets.

My advice: Don't post an update if it falls into one of these dangerous categories:

1) The Jealous Tweet

Just because you're peeved that a less-deserving band got the headlining slot you worked so hard for, that doesn't mean you have to vent about it in public. Cutting down others won't endear you to fans or industry people. Allow yourself to stew about it, then let it go and move on.

2) The Angry Tweet

We all get pissed off from time to time. And in those moments of heightened emotion, we want to let off stream. But think about how those tweets will be perceived by your followers. If your fans look to you to brighten their day, the angry update won't do them (or you) any favors.

3) The Revenge Tweet

Someone slams you on Twitter or Facebook. Or a well-known blogger gives your new album a bad review. You know they're wrong, and you feel like getting even. Open a text file on your computer and start writing. Really give them a piece of your mind. But don't post it. Spare yourself the bad karma.

4) The TMI Tweet

Only you can decide where the line is between being "authentic" and communicating "too much information." It's fine to say you enjoyed a "romantic evening" with your significant other. But you might think twice about revealing the most intimate details of the blissful event. Same thing goes for illnesses and bodily functions.

5) The Inebriated Tweet

This should go without saying. But if you are in any state of altered consciousness, avoid tweeting. Period. You wouldn't want that brilliant line of poetry to be introduced to the world as "Asa man thunketh, soi shal he bewdqk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

This post was inspired by this ASCAP Expo video clip.

-Bob

---

Featured Resource

70 Ways to Promote & Sell Your Music on the Internet

Ideas, links, tips, tricks and resources you should be using to gain wider exposure for your music online.

Learn More ...

Don't Cater to Average: Your Fans Will Support You

It's easy to get depressed when you see research numbers like this, as reported by Billboard several weeks ago:

According to data released this week by Nielsen, recorded music has a 3.7% share of U.S. household entertainment expenses.

Recorded music gets less of a household's entertainment spending than video games, movies, sports and reading material. Each year for the last decade, music spending has dropped as consumers spend less on CDs.

Many artists and music companies respond to this news by slashing prices, giving away even more of their creative output, and catering to the lowest common denominator.

My advice: Remember, these figures are averages. They include people who never spend money on music, people who spend a little, and music enthusiasts who spend thousands of dollars a year on CDs, music downloads, and concert tickets.

If you create a business model that caters only to the average, you're doing a disservice to yourself and your fans!

Sure, there are plenty of music consumers out there looking mainly for freebies and bargain prices. But there are also plenty of people who spend way more than 3.7% of their entertainment budget on music.

There are people who love to support the indie acts they enjoy. There are lots of people who aren't squeamish about spending a good chunk of change on stuff that will add pleasure to their lives.

And I'll bet some of those people are on your mailing list or in your audience right now.

Give them an opportunity to support you! Don't play small by catering to averages.

You're not an average musician, are you? And neither are the people who make up your fanbase.

-Bob

P.S. This rant was inspired by this post from Seth Godin.

Guerrilla Music Marketing Mastermind Group - Wanna Join Me?

In March, for the first time ever, I offered a four-week Guerrilla Music Marketing Brainstorming and Mastermind Group -- limited to 10 people.

I had never done anything like this before, so I didn't know what to expect. But the response was incredible. All 10 slots sold out in a few days! And it turned out to be an amazing experience for all involved.

Well, I decided to do another one, starting April 21. And this will probably be the last one I do until later in the year.

I just posted a new video about it on the Music Mastermind registration page. Half the spots are already taken, which means only five spots remain.

Please take a look now and see if this inspiring format is for you.

-Bob

5 Great Twitter Music Contest Ideas

Whether you like it or not, or whether you use it much or not, there's no denying that Twitter has proven to be a useful marketing tool for many people -- including musicians.

Lately I've been researching Twitter contests. (Hint: I may do one of my own soon.) And I realized there are two good reasons to do a Twitter contest campaign:

• It can quickly build your number of Twitter followers. And the more people who follow you, the greater your reach in getting the word out.
• It can virally spread awareness of a new album or special event -- as long as you make posting messages about you part of the contest.

Therefore, here are five Twitter Music Contest ideas to consider when planning future promotions ...

1) The Retweet Song or Album Giveaway

With this contest, you simply ask your followers to RT a certain tweet. You can give away a song download to everyone who RTs, or choose 1 or 3 or however many winners randomly.

Here's how Mike Turner of @CrashKarma did this:

CD Giveaway / Crash Karma - RT this by 8 AM tomorrow to win a copy!

2) The Concert Ticket Giveaway

Same concept as above, only the winner (or winners) get no-cost access to your live show. See how the band Skillet did this for it's "Awake Tonight Tour" Twitter Contest.

3) The 'Help Us Write a Song' Contest

Last summer the band O.A.R. promoted a Twitter Songwriting Contest. According to a Billboard article, fans could "submit their lyrics, 140 characters at a time, to O.A.R.'s page at twitter.com/ofarevolution. The band will then pick three winning verses, a chorus, and a bridge that will make up the lyrics of the song."

Now that's a very creative use of Twitter.

4) The 'Tell Us Your Favorite Song' Contest

With this one, you post streaming (but not downloadable) links to a collection of your songs. Then ask fans to listen and tweet their favorite tracks. You can send everyone who does (or a limited number of people) the full CD or album download.

5) The 'Help Us Spread the Word" Contest

This could be an effective way to built your Twitter presence quickly. You send an email to your fan list and ask them to A) start following you on Twitter, and B) to post a specific update that you supply, such as

Check out @KushMusicCanada It's feel-good, downtempo music for the mind, body & soul. You'll love it!

Then offer a prize to everyone who follows you and posts the message, or offer something cool to the first 10 people who do.

Ready to present your own Twitter music contest idea? If so, let me know about it in the comments section below.

-Bob

P.S. Also check out my Twitter Music Promotion & Marketing Guide page.

Time Sensitive: I've Got 7 Copies of This - First Come, First Served

Earlier this week I was cleaning my office and uncovered seven copies of an incredible marketing resource. And if you're one of the first seven people to jump on it, you can get your hands on one.

I just posted a video that explains what it is and how to get it on this page.



This resource was previously available only to a limited number of people who attended my workshops last year. I've never offered it from my web site -- until now.

Again, there are only 7 copies available on a first-come, first-served basis. So please watch this quick video now.

I hope you're one of the lucky seven!

-Bob

Location-Based Music Marketing w/ Foursquare & More

If you're a smart, self-promoting musician, you want to be on top of the latest trends. One that's creating a lot of buzz these days is "location based" web sites and services. Now would be a good time to start considering how you might use this trend as a marketing tool.

The major players in the "location based" social networking arena are Foursquare and Gowalla. If you're wondering how they work, here's a good explanation from the Foursquare site:

"People use Foursquare to 'check-in,' which is a way of telling us your whereabouts. When you check in someplace, we'll tell your friends where they can find you and recommend places to go & things to do nearby. People check-in at all kind of places -- cafes, bars, restaurants, parks, homes, offices.

"You'll find that as your friends use Foursquare to check in, you'll start learning more about the places they frequent. Not only is it a great way to meet up with nearby friends, but you'll also start to learn about their favorite spots and the new places they discover."

Hopefully, you're starting to realize the music marketing potential here. For instance, if your fans used these services and let their friends know they were going to see you perform live, that could potentially bring more people out to your shows.

'Location' Is a Natural Growth Area

A lot of marketers are salivating at the possibilities of location-based marketing and advertising. Think about it ...

Google and others already deliver relevant ads based on the search terms you use. Search for "bowling shoes" and you'll get "sponsored links" in the right-hand column linking to sites that specialize in bowling shoes.

Search for "Pizza in Milwaukee" and you'll get an instant list of pizza places in that city. And many sites already use the location of your home computer's IP address to deliver relevant local content for your city.

But what about when you're on the go? Now that so many people rely on mobile phones, which increasingly have GPS capabilities, it only makes sense that you should get customized information based on where you ARE.

And that's why location-based social sites and marketing delivery systems are on the rise!

How Could YOU Use This?

Imagine you are performing in a city for the first time. You're at the hotel wondering where the nearest sushi restaurant is. You use your mobile phone to search for "sushi" based on your exact location. Not only do you get a list of the closest sushi places along with customer ratings ... but one of them offers you a 20% off coupon.

You decide to go there, and you also "check in" on Foursquare or Gowalla. One of your fans lives nearby, sees that you are there, and stops by to meet you. A new friendship blooms, and that person brings three more people to your show later that night.

This is just one example, but I hope you can see the potential value of location-based marketing.

Yes, I know it's one more thing you have to add to your overflowing plate. And yes, there are privacy concerns and other issues you must consider. But ...

If you want to stay on top of trends and use them to share your music with more people, this is something to be aware of and act on.

-Bob

---

Welcome to a New Kind of Multimedia Learning Experience for 2010

The Virtual Music Coach

Chat Roulette Piano Improv Viral Video

Have you heard of Chat Roulette? It's the latest web site to create a major buzz in a very short period of time.

In a nutshell, Chat Roulette allows anyone with a webcam to log on and randomly be connected live with other people on the site one by one. If you don't like who you're connected to, you click "Next" and get another random paring.

It's been widely covered (and made fun of) in the media. But I, along with a lot of online marketing people, thought it was a flash-in-the-pan novelty site with no possible self-promotion value. How could you possibly make use of such random connections?

Well, my view of that unraveled once I saw this YouTube video of a piano-playing musician named Merton. He does a wonderful and hilarious job of improvising songs based on the people he's randomly connected with.



His first video clip, called Chat Roulette Funny Piano Improv #1, was just uploaded on March 11. In six days it racked up one and a half MILLION views. Coverage on Mashable, the Huffington Post, and many other web sites has certainly fueled Merton's sudden burst of exposure.

Here's the marketing lesson ...

If you can be the first person to do something funny and cool with a new site or gadget that is creating a buzz, you will be rewarded. There's power in first-mover status.

Also, use what's given to you and don't be blinded by tunnel-vision. I looked at the limited qualities of Chat Roulette and didn't see it as a music promotion tool at all. But Merton opened his mind and asked a better question:

"How can I use the random nature of this site (and the buzz it's creating) in a new and amusing way?"

And the roulette aspect of the site lent itself perfectly to the music improvisation format. Brilliant! Of course, Merton also had to be talented and quick on his feet to make this work.

Two questions for you:

What new site, gadget or buzz-producing topic could you capitalize on?

How could you use the unique qualities of Twitter, Facebook, the new iPad, or any other trending topic in a clever and musical way?

-Bob

Update: YouTube pulled Merton’s first video when it reached around 4.5 million views. He made the requested changes and uploaded it again. The new version of his first video has already been viewed 1.5 million times. He just posted a second improv piano video on his YouTube channel.

---

Featured Resource

Music Publicity Crash Course

Are you confused about Internet promotion? Not sure where to start? You'll have a clear vision and a solid game plan once you digest this amazing collection of resources.

Learn More ...