How to Be a Holiday Hero This Year!

You're an artist, right? Of course you are -- no matter what role you play in the music biz, there's no doubt you are a creative being.

And because of that, I bet you have lots of friends and loved ones who are also creative types -- songwriters, singers, musicians, as well as visual artists, writers, and performers of all stripes.

Wouldn't it be cool if you gave them something they can actually use this holiday season?
How would the special creative people in your life feel if they received a book from you that was personally signed by the author TO THEM?

Of course, you could just give them a toaster or a gift card. But, come on ... how special is that?

Here's a suggestion that will turn you into a Holiday Hero this year:

Look over the selection of paperback titles on this book page.

Purchase any assortment of titles between now and Friday, December 10 ... and I'll give you 20% off any order of $30 USD or more.

Just enter the promo code DEC10 on the shopping cart page when you check out.

Then list the name of the person you want the book(s) autographed to in the "Comments / Special Delivery Instructions" section of the final check-out page, and you're done. (See my note below in the P.S. for shipping times.)

Remember, these books are not just for musicians. "Unleash the Artist Within" is for creative people of all types -- painters, photographers, actors, filmmakers, you name it.

And "55 Ways to Promote & Sell Your Book on the Internet" is perfect for writers, authors, bloggers, speakers, consultants, and anyone wanting to establish themselves as an expert online.


Do you know anyone who could benefit from this type of guidance and inspiration?

Of course, for the musicians in your life, there's always the classic "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook" and "Guerrilla Music Marketing, Encore Edition" titles.

Ready to be a Holiday Hero this year?

Start browsing the available titles and get ready to save 20% and make someone very happy this holiday season!

-Bob

P.S. I will ship books Priority within the U.S., so there should be no problem getting the autographed books to you in time for Christmas (if you order by Dec 10).

Books shipped to Canada and all other countries are sent Priority International (and often take 10 to 14 days or longer to arrive). I can't guarantee delivery times. So it's best to order sooner rather than later.

P.P.S. The image above is by greengymdog.

Connection Addiction: Lessons from 28 hours 'Off the Grid'

Yesterday, I tried something that was out of the ordinary for me. I actually -- gasp! -- went a whole 28 hours without posting any new updates to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.

If you pay attention to my online social media stream, you know that's unusual, as most days I post from 8 to 10 updates.

The idea for this social media retreat came while reading Leo Babauta's new book "Focus" (which you can get in both free and paid versions here).

Leo writes about "Connection Addiction" and how it can distract us from our creative output and enjoyment of life.

Like Leo, I am not bashing all the wonders of technology and instant access we have today. These tools allow me to make a living and serve in a greater way than I ever did prior to their existence. I'm grateful and plan to keep using them.

But it was eye-opening to experience what I went though yesterday. Let me explain ...

My last post before the break promised "I will completely disconnect today. No Tweeting, Facebooking, etc for a full 24 hours. Wish me luck!"

I did live up to my promise to not post anything new for a full day. But I did not "completely disconnect" during that period. And that certainly led to some new insights into the role of technology in my life.

I did manage to stay away from my desktop computer most of the day and get out and do things. But ... of course, my iPhone was always close by.

Throughout the day, I often felt the need to see if anyone was commenting on Facebook or Twitter. Most of the time, I resisted the urge. But many times, I gave in. I checked email, opened the Mashable app to see the latest tech posts, and more.

This technology thing really can be addictive. And like anything, it can be used to enhance and improve your life ... or used to distract you and get you off track.

How often have you logged into Facebook or sat down to check email ... and the next thing you know, two hours have gone by?

Luckily, I don't get sucked into games or cute kitty videos or similar trivial content online. But I admit I get sucked in -- and could benefit from a serious accounting of how I spend my time online and off.

Can you relate?

I'll wrap up this post for now, but I do hope to return to this topic with some specific strategies for dealing with Connection Addiction and making the best "good use" of technology.

I welcome your thoughts in the Comments section below.

Bob

Twitter for Music Promotion: 5 Music Pros Sound Off

Since the music industry was one of the first industries to heavily embrace Twitter, Bruce Warila asked some industry friends the simple question: "What is Twitter?"

Derek Sivers, Ariel Hyatt, Andrew Dubber, and Steve Lawson offer some answers.

Read them at musicthinktank.com.

What do you think?

-Bob

P.S. Did you enjoy this blog post? Get more tips like these when you subscribe to my Buzz Factor ezine -- the longest running music career tips email newsletter on the planet. Since 1995. Go grab your free subscription now.

Engage Music Fans with These Simple Online Tools

If you've never asked your fans for their input using an online poll, you really should consider it. It's a great device to encourage interaction with the people who support you.

You can ask them to vote on:

• Cover artwork for your next album
• Songs you should include on your next album or EP
• What part of the country you should tour next
• Songs you should perform at your next show
• What to get the bass player for his birthday
• Their favorite flavor of ice cream (or some other lighthearted topic)

You get the picture. Use online polls and surveys to make more of a connection with your fans!

But what online polling service should you use?

A couple weeks ago I asked people on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and more. Here are the main results I got, combined with sites I've used. Most have both free and paid options:

SurveyMonkey
www.surveymonkey.com

Twtpoll
www.twtpoll.com

Zoomerang
www.zoomerang.com

SurveyGizmo
www.surveygizmo.com

Micropoll
www.micropoll.com

Wufoo
www.wufoo.com

Google Forms
http://docs.google.com/support/bin/topic.py?topic=15166

Action Step: Pick one of the services above, create a poll, and send it to your fans via email, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc.

-Bob

P.S. Did you enjoy this blog post? Get more tips like these when you subscribe to my Buzz Factor ezine -- the longest running music career tips email newsletter on the planet. Since 1995. Go grab your free subscription now.

What's Your "Internet Influence Index"? (3i)

Do you ever wonder how you're faring in the realm of Online Reach and Influence? Maybe you need to stop and take a snapshot of where you stand.

I call it your Internet Influence Index (or 3i for short).
A 3i is a listing of your current number of friends, followers and other statistics that indicate how well you're connecting with customers and fans online. It's a quick measurement of your Internet presence.

I refer to it as a snapshot because, if you're proactive at all online, the numbers will be in constant flux -- hopefully in an upward direction.

I probably need to create a form or checklist you can use to track these important statistics. But here's a rundown of my current Internet Influence Index (as of Nov 12, 2010) to give you an idea of different ways you can measure your own 3i:

Twitter ...
Followers: 4,294
Total tweets I've posted: 5,322
Lists I am included on: 277

Facebook ...
Friends (personal profile): 3,229
Fan page "likes": 253

YouTube ...
Total views: 197,222
Channel subscribers: 985
Videos posted: 60

Music Promotion Blog ...
Feedburner subscribers: 1,994
Total # of posts: 521

Artist Empowerment Radio podcast ...
Feedburner subscribers: 583
Total # of episodes: 54

MySpace ...
Friends: 3,309

LinkedIn ...
Connections: 1,306

Scribd ...
Documents: 6
Total reads: 9,957

FriendFeed ...
Subscribers: 363

Google Buzz ...
Followers: 57

Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook on Amazon.com ...
Sales rank: #260,722 in Books
5-star reviews: 8
4-star reviews: 4

As you can see, there are many ways to measure your Internet Influence Index.

What am I missing? Would you like me to create a checklist form that can be used to track your 3i?

Let me know in the Comments.

-Bob

The image above comes from opensourceway.

P.S. Did you enjoy this blog post? Get more tips like these when you subscribe to my Buzz Factor ezine -- the longest running music career tips email newsletter on the planet. Since 1995. Go grab your free subscription now.

FREE Music Marketing Tip Sheet - And Your Opinion Wanted

I want to give you a free six-page digest of great music marketing tips and news from the past week. You can download and print the PDF right now using this link.

No opt-in required. Just download these free promotion tips and start using them.

What's included in these six pages?

• Trent Reznor's Advice for Up-and-Coming Artists and Bands
• 10 YouTube (and Online Video) Tips & Tricks
• Holiday Music Marketing Angles That Will Grab Attention
• 19 Effective Twitter Update Ideas
• Engage Your Fans with These Simple Online Tools
• Breaking News About the New MySpace

Why am I giving you this?

There is a good reason, and I really want your direct input about it.

As you may know, I spend a lot of time scouring the Internet every day looking for the latest news, info and best practices on music marketing for independent artists.

A lot of those links I post on Twitter, Facebook, and other social sites. But even if you follow me on these sites, I bet you miss a lot of them.

Plus, who's got the time (like I do) to obsess about these things and sift through the avalanche of new marketing blog posts, articles, podcasts, videos and more that are posted every day?

After all, you need to spend time writing songs, rehearsing, recording, booking your next gig, and making sure your equipment is maintained. Not to mention eating, sleeping and ... Whew! The list goes on and on.

So here's my idea ...

What if I created a regular digest of the best new music promotion ideas, breaking news, success stories, highly useful marketing tips, and more?

It would basically be my top picks for the best of the best every week -- probably delivered four times a month as a PDF file like this one.

I'd also throw in some of my more in-depth articles along with some from my favorite authors and marketing bloggers.

My question to you is ... Would a Music Marketing Digest like this be of interest to you?

And would you be willing to pay a modest fee for it?

It takes a lot of time (many hours a week, believe me) to research this stuff and then package it in this format. So enough people would have to step up to the plate and be willing to invest a small amount to make this happen.

(I'm only talking about $10 a month per person. Anyone can afford that. But would YOU be willing to actually click the "Subscribe" button?)

Please do this:
If you are interested, send an email to MrBuzzFactor A-T Gmail DOT C*O*M (please rearrange those gobbled-up letters into a proper email address) with the words "Music Marketing Digest YES" in the subject line.

I'll put you on a special list of music people who want the Digest, and if the demand is sufficient, you'll be the first to know when I launch it.

Thanks for reading this free sample of my proposed Music Marketing Digest and hearing me out.

-Bob

P.S. I hope this works out for both of us, because I would love to create this for you on a regular basis. But I have to know that enough people want it and see the value. So let me know if you are one of them!

Get Your Name in My Next Book: "Guerrilla Music Marketing Online"

Kathleen Gage called it "One of the most creative book launches I have seen."

She is talking about what I started doing last week, when I opened the door to a way my readers and supporters can get their name in my next book -- and start reading it now!

What's all this then?

I'm about to publish my 8th paperback book. It's the third title in my "Guerrilla Music Marketing" series.

And I'm offering a way for you to get your name in it ... and also be part of a select Advanced Group to start reading it now and give me feedback that will make the final version (due January 2011) even better.

This newest title is called "Guerrilla Music Marketing Online" -- and I think it
will be my best resource to date.

I won't bore you with the details here. So go to the official Guerrilla Music Marketing Online page to learn more.

-Bob

P.S. Did you enjoy this blog post? Get more tips like these when you subscribe to my Buzz Factor music ezine -- the longest running music career tips email newsletter on the planet. Since 1995. Go grab your free subscription now.