Online Self Promotion

Ideas to Get You Started!

As an undiscoveredartist, you are already aware of the fact that it is hard to get noticed or attract a record label attention in the music industry these days. While it has always been difficult, it seems that it is more so now than ever before, as more and more people are catching the so-called music bug and trying to pass themselves off as the next big thing. Some seem to need a lot more practice while others are just amazing and you have to wonder…Why haven’t these guys made it yet?

With all the available avenues to get yourself noticed, you no longer need major label backing to be successful. The opportunities are out there right now to create your own success. Have you been fighting up hill battles trying to get your music heard or for that matter get noticed? Well, for all aspiring musical artists, online self promotion and marketing is the way to go. The Internet has more potential for your success than ever before; it is just a matter of finding the online outlets that work best and putting them to work for you! At the very least, you might think about hiring a booking agent.

For starters...Making Your Own EPK (Electronic Press Kit) is a must for any musician or band who is serious about their career. An EPK is easy to put together and easy to distribute. Just the tool you need for those online outlets... fans, blogs, networking, record labels, etc...

What is online self promotion?

This is only going to scratch the surface but there are social sites like MySpace and Facebook which you have probably already heard of, but there are other online social sites that you may not be familiar with like Buzznet and Capazoo. These and other outlets are untapped marketing resources at their finest, and if you want to be the nextbig thing, then it's your job to put them to work for you.

Social sites, blogs, discussion forums, photo sharing, video sites and more—you have all of the tools you could ever need to be your own promoter. It isn't difficult to use any or all of these forums as great venues for online self promotion. Just remember to keep your information updated and current in whatever outlets you decide to use. Old or outdated information can bring you down in a hurry.

Meet and Greet People on Social Sites

Social sites like MySpace and Facebook, and even Blackplanet are great ways to meet and connect with others that may take an interest in your music. Create a profile with some of your music and upload a few interesting pictures; from there, you have the makings of a great beginning. The same goes with lesser known sites which work along the same lines. By neglecting certain social sites like this, you are failing to tap into a valuable promotion resource.

All it takes to be successful through these sites is to market yourself in the right way. Having a great sound never hurts either. Remember, you are only as good or bad as you show yourself to be through these venues; so your success or failure using these methods is pretty much dependent upon you.

Remember that interaction is a key ingredient; you must interact with your friends and fans and socialize on their level. In doing so allows them to better understand and relate to you. Of course, this will directly relate to a better response to your music and gets you noticed; making them great methods of promotion because they will tell others about you and from there, your fan base grows. You have just created the perfect positive snowball effect!

Blogs for Online Self Promotion

If you have spent muchtime on the Internet, you are probably already aware of the ever increasing presence of blogs, or web logs, for online self promotion. Blogs are a type of online diary or journal, and it can be used to post news, private or public thoughts, writings, music, poetry, or just about anything else. Many sites have blogging capabilities and there are also dedicated sites such as Blogger, Typepad, and Wordpress.

As an artist, blogs are a great venue for self promotion as you can give the world a piece of yourself that other online networking sites don't really offer. An event of everything that you are going through music wise, trying to get yourself established, artist or band drama, shows what you have done—real fans will soak up every word, and by creating compelling content you’ll earn fan recognition this way as well.

Catch Yourself on Video with Video Sharing

Video sharing is another popular source for networking and marketing that can help brand you a public persona, so to speak. This is another great online self promotion avenue to pursue. Videos are much more blatant than blogs or profiles are, and you can present yourself in a way that profiles and projects the real you.

Post videos of you and your band rocking out; post a video of you working on a new song; post a shout out message to all of your friends. People love to see the face behind the music, and video sharing sites like YouTube and others not so familiar, Metacafe Broadcaster, Famecast, Veoh…are perfect ways of doing so. Even Photobucket has a video uploading feature!

A Music Video can be made on a budget and with less work than you might think. Find out what it takes for music video online self promotion!

Photo Sharing—Show Your Fans the Real YOU

Just like video sharing sites, photo sharing sites allow you to show a different side of yourself. Whether you do photo shoots or just take pictures of yourself and those you work with for fun, posting pictures can get you noticed.

Believe it or not, people love to take pictures and see pictures and comment on pictures, so photo sharing is a great way to interact with people and build that fan base. Allowing fans to visually see an artist or a band makes them feel closer to you as they are seeing the world through your eyes…hence the term “Upclose and Personal.” Flickr and SmugMug are great examples of popular photo sharing sites you can try out. Or, if you are looking for Live shots of your performance, why not hire Music Cleveland to come capture one of your shows.

Social Networking Sites Can Increase Your Reach

> Social networking sites like Linkedin are another way of marketing yourself, but they are a bit more work. Social networking sites require content, like bios, information about shows, and things of that sort but they must have a non-marketing slant. Many musicians and artist fail to utilize this resource. It is admittedly hard to create content that adheres to those requirements for this purpose, but it is certainly worth a shot, especially if you have a website. Ryze, Plaxo, Twitter and Spock are other social networking sites that may be worth checking out if you feel ambitious. There are also socially driven interactive sites, Digg most likely being the most popular of them all for online self promotion.

If you are not using the internet as a means for online self promotion; gaining exposure, getting noticed, attracting a label or whatever your goal happens to be, then you are missing the boat to literally marketing yourself to potential millions. Really, anybody who is anybody is on the Internet, and if you are not, then you may miss your chance to reach millions of fans who may never get to know you or be given the chance to listen to your music. How can you afford not to explore at least a couple of these ideas for online self promotion?