As an undiscovered
artist, you are already aware of the fact
that it is hard to get noticed or attract 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!
If your
looking for more
tips, tricks and hints to help you climb to the top of the music ladder
be sure to check out our page for 100 Free Promotion Ideas!
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
next
big 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updated and current in whatever outlets you decide to use.Old or outdated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, 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!
Visit our MySpace Promotion page to learn how to market yourself effectively using MySpace.
Blogs
for Online Self
Promotion
If you have spent much
time on the Internet, you are
probably already aware of the ever increasing presence of blogs, or web
logs,
online. 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. 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, MetacafeBroadcaster,
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.
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.
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. Making your own EPK (Electronic Press Kit)is an absolute if you’re serious about your
music.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.
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?