I’m going to be honest. Initially, I went to the “Your Digital Tool Belt” panel just to stalk Alison Sudol of A Fine Frenzy for a while. Little did I expect that it would end up being the most engaging thing I did all day. As an 18-year-old in the modern age, I find that I’m constantly plugged in -- Facebook, Pandora, Gmail, you name it. Since I’m also one of those people who gets exhausted by too much input, I was less than enthusiastic when Twitter came up with a way for people to share their most mundane experiences. I hate the pretentiousness associated with assuming that anyone in the world cares what you ate for lunch, or what fabulous thing you just did that they should be jealous of. My philosophy is generally that people should get out there and live their own lives without bothering me with the details.
With all of these preconceived notions in tow, I couldn’t help rolling my eyes when Sudol said that she was one of the first artists on Twitter. “Oh cool, another one,” I sarcastically thought. And then Ariel Hyatt opened her mouth, and within minutes she had my mind completely changed. Hyatt is the founder of Ariel Publicity & Cyber PR, which recently went 100% digital. One of the first things she told us was this: “There is a craft to marketing on the internet.” Cue my paradigm shift. Twitter is a tool? Yes, indeed.
Ariel articulated the “artist version” of my impression of Twitter and social media in general, talking about how people fear that they’re not interesting enough, and that they feel ridiculous talking about their day. She said she understands how much artists detest social media, while simultaneously explaining that there was “something really wrong” with traditional publicity. At this point, I was riveted, and open enough to the concept to really hear what they were saying when they explained the purpose of social media.
Twitter doesn’t actually have to be about self-indulgently talking into the abyss of cyberspace. Everyone on the panel agreed that the beauty of vehicles like Twitter is that it encourages a two-way conversation - a connection between fans and artists. Twitter also has the benefit of serving as a means for whittling down life to the “gems” and reaching out to people (with necessary boundaries of course). Most importantly, perhaps, Twitter is a way for fans to know that they’re hearing from the artist themselves, and not just somebody from their entourage.
As an artist, you can use it as a means to let people know when and where you’re playing, launch contests, tell people what you’re up to, etc. As a fan it’s a way to get a piece of someone you admire, which makes them more accessible and allows you to feel connected to them on a personal, emotional level.
A personal, emotional connection…through Twitter? Well knock me down with a feather. As the panelists discussed, it made perfect sense - I like music because it touches me, and speaks to me - it becomes the soundtrack to my life. Translating my connection to music into connection with the artist makes it personal, and creates fan loyalty. That way, I don’t just like “that song by that girl,” or even just “that girl”- I know her name, I know her story, and I’m emotionally invested in her success. And what does my emotional investment do for an artist? Hopefully, it pays the rent.
The second portion of the panel was the discussion of how to monetize social media, aka how to make some sweet cash money off your online fan base. I’ll break it down into a few steps I learned that I think make a lot of sense:
- Free isn’t bad. Give away a few of your songs. Get people interested. Make that connection!
- As a songwriter, it’s your job to inspire people. Make the assumption that people want to engage with you because you made an emotional connection. If you have a Twitter, and they don’t care, they won’t read it. Don’t worry about being “annoying” via over-accessibility.
- Sell directly to your fans. It’s true, records are harder to sell than they used to be, and a lot of people don’t really want to pay for music anymore. What they do want to pay for is STUFF. Something with your signature on it, something with your face on it, something on which you have signed a picture of your own face- whatever. The fact it, only 22 albums sold over one million copies last year, but fan loyalty is through the roof. Your real fans will want to support you. This means all you have to do is…
- Present the opportunity. Sites like Nimbit allow you to assemble packages for your fans to buy. Take all your buckets of fans and connect them by selling to them. You’re not asking for donations, you’re giving something back. Set things up on all levels - from a $25 package with a signed CD, to a $10,000 credit with a signed CD and a thank you on the album. There are always people who want the best and will spend the big dollars to get it. In the same way that the ones who don’t want to read your Twitter won’t, the ones who don’t want to shell out big dollars also won’t - so give them the option and then let them decide (Fun fact: Ellis Paul raised $130,000 off of 300 fans. In case you were wondering).
I officially feel like I’ve been writing forever, so I’m going to wrap it up with some more incredible advice from Hyatt. She said that “Traditional marketing is not artistic, it’s scientific and formulaic.” This means, don’t think too hard. There’s a way to go about the social media madness to make it work for you - it’s about understanding your formula and working the system. Having sat through the panel, I feel like I got to break down the formula a little more.
A final sidenote: It doesn’t seem to fit anywhere else in this post, but I thought it was important so I’ll pass it on regardless. Blogs are incredibly important, and should not be ignored. When reaching out to bloggers:
- Be specific. Don’t knock on the door of a country blog if you’re a punk rocker.
- Know the blogger. These people usually blog as a hobby, because they’re passionate - read their blog, post a few comments to make an initial connection, then hit them up for exposure.
- Be respectful. Don’t waste anybody’s time, and don’t feel entitled. That one might just be a life lesson, but in case your mama never got through to you, remember to keep it in mind.
--Victoria Marchiony
