Bob Baker's The Buzz Factor

Music marketing tips and self-promotion ideas for independent songwriters, musicians and bands.
Bob Baker's Indie Music Promotion Blog
Music marketing ideas for DIY artists, managers, promoters and music biz pros
December 14, 2007
Beyond MySpace and Facebook: Octopus Marketing

On top of that, I just set up a Music Marketing Video Showcase page at SquidVids.com -- a sister site to Squidoo, where anyone can create a "lens" on the topic of their choice. My new showcase page offers a bare bones video list to start, but I plan on adding to it in the weeks and months ahead.
Why all this posting to so many different sites? I do it for the same reason you should: to reach people online in as many ways as possible.
My friend Scott Ginsberg encourages people to think of themselves as an octopus. Why an octopus? Because an octopus has tentacles -- and lots of them.
To make an impact on the Web, you must stretch your promotional arms in many directions. You have to show up in the places where lots of people are hanging out online. You must be seen and discovered by people who are looking for the kind of stuff you create.

Write your own blog about Tex-Mex blues music and plug your posts on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. In other words, spread yourself around so Tex-Mex music fans have many places to find you.
Better yet, fans will eventually see your name popping up on several web sites and think, "I see this band all over the place. They must be something worth listening to."
Now wouldn't that be nice?
Hop into the deeper social networking ocean. The water's fine. Just keep an eye out for the octopuses.
-Bob
P.S. Note that the "squid" of Squidoo and SquidVids is another aquatic animal reference. Coincidence? I think not!

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posted by Bob Baker @ 12:13 PM
3 comments
December 12, 2007
5 Music Web Site Design Tips
- Focus on the upper left. Eye tracking research reveals that web users look first at the upper left corner of a web page, then work their way down and to the right. So place your artist name or an eye-catching image in this powerful upper left-hand corner.
- Give visitors "eye anchors" lower on the page. People generally scan lower portions of a web page. So don't place lots of long, scrolling text on your pages. Instead, use short paragraphs, bullet points and bold sub headlines to draw attention to the things you want people to read, know about, and click on.
- Place navigation links along the top. You probably already know that it's a good idea to place your navigation (links to other sections of your site) in the same place on every page. But where? On the top, right side, left side, or bottom? The verdict is in: Visitors respond best to navigation links placed along the top of the page.
- Spell out your "call to action." On each page of your music web site, you should have a goal -- something you want a visitor to DO while on that page. It might be hit the play button, subscribe to your ezine, read your bio, purchase a CD, etc. Whatever it is, make that clear and include a "call to action" -- clear instructions to do that thing now.
- Watch someone surf your web site. Corporate types might call this usability research. You can call it whatever you want, but you'll learn a ton by simply watching different people go to your web site for the first time. Don't interrupt or make suggestions. Just observe. Then ask and answer questions. This exercise will prove invaluable when it comes to making your music web site better.
December 2008 Update: Want more music web site design tips? Check out the brand new Killer Music Web Sites special report and audio. On it I critique 19 artist and record label web sites and point out in detail what's working, what isn't working, and what needs to be changed. Don't promote yourself online without these music web site design essentials.
For even more web page design tips, visit
10 Landing Page Optimization Tactics
9 Common Mistakes in Landing Page Design
Creating Effective Landing Pages
10-Point Checklist for Landing Page Design
The Best of Eyetrack III: What We Saw When We Looked Through Their Eyes
-Bob

Make the most of the world's biggest social networking web site with this great primer on MySpace Music Marketing. Available in paperback or ebook format. Get more details here.
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posted by Bob Baker @ 3:53 PM
6 comments
December 10, 2007
Automate Your Music Marketing

That's easy to say, but not always easy to do.
What if there was a way to automate at least some of the personal dialogue you have with your fans? Something a lot smarter and cooler than mindless MySpace autobots?
Well, guerrilla marketing expert (and indie musician) Mitch Meyerson and I just put together a free three-part mini course called "Automate Your Music." You can sign up for it now at
www.AutomateYourMusic.com
Each day we give you a quick audio lesson about this simple way to stay in touch with your fans. It's a technique used by hundreds of Internet marketing superstars, but it's rarely used by musicians at all. Until now.
Sign up for the three-part "Automate Your Music" mini course now at www.AutomateYourMusic.com
-Bob

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posted by Bob Baker @ 9:38 AM
1 comments
December 07, 2007
Book More Shows: The 10 Best Music Gig-Getting Books Ever



How to Be Your Own Booking Agent: The Musician's & Performing Artist's Guide to Successful Touring by Jeri Goldstein
The Complete Guide to House Concerts (and Other Satisfying Alternative Venues) by Nyree Belleville
The Musician's Guide to Brides: How to Make Money Playing Weddings by Anne Roos
More Gigs Now: Concert Booking Secrets of Successful Musicians by Joe Taylor Jr.
The Business of Getting More Gigs As a Professional Musician by Bob Popyk
Getting Gigs: The Musicians & Singers Survival Guide to Booking Better Paying Jobs by Mark W. Curran
The Gigging Musician: How to Get, Play, and Keep the Gig by Billy Mitchell
Making Money Making Music: The Musician's Guide to Cover Gigs by Quint Randle and Bill Evans
The Touring Musician: A Small Business Approach to Booking Your Band on the Road by Hal Galper
Gigging: A Practical Guide for Musicians by Patricia Shih
Have other books on this topic you recommend? Want to comment on the titles listed above? Click the comment link below and post one of your own.
-Bob

Ready for a Major Publicity Boost? Check out the new Indie Music Publicity Bootcamp. Ariel Hyatt and I just released an in-depth home study course filled with insider secrets on how to reach the music media and get the exposure you deserve. Get more details here.
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posted by Bob Baker @ 9:59 AM
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December 06, 2007
90+ Essential Music and Audio Web Sites
Even if you think you know it all, you're bound to find some cool music sites you probably never knew existed. Internet radio, music discovery sites, widgets, music sales sites, and more.
Also see ...
Podcasting Toolbox: 70+ Podcasting Resources
Blogging Toolbox: 120+ Resources for Bloggers
Great resources for active online indie music marketers!
-Bob

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posted by Bob Baker @ 9:37 AM
1 comments
December 05, 2007
This Is Your Brain on Success

Why does success seem to cling to some indie artists while it is repelled by many others? Get answers on this episode, which features an inspiring segment from a teleclass I did with Julie Blake of GetMusicSuccess.com.
Visit the podcast page now and start listening.
-Bob

Make the most of the world's biggest social networking web site with this great primer on MySpace Music Marketing. Available in paperback or ebook format. Get more details here.
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posted by Bob Baker @ 9:55 AM
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What About Bob?
Bob Baker is an author, speaker, teacher, indie musician and former music magazine editor dedicated to showing musicians of all kinds how to get exposure, connect with fans, sell more music, and increase their incomes.
Bob's Books
Guerrilla Music Marketing Online
129 Free & Low-Cost Ways to Promote & Sell Your Music on the Internet
Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook:
201 Self-Promotion Ideas for Song-
writers, Musicians and Bands on a Budget
- Killer Music Press Kits
- Guerrilla Music Marketing, Encore Edition
- Killer Music Web Sites
- DIY Music Marketing for the Serious Musician
- How to Tap Into NACA and the Lucrative College Music Market
- Online Music PR Hot List
- How to Use Video to Promote Your Music Online
- 55 Ways to Promote & Sell Your Book on the Internet
- How to Publish Your Own Indie Book
- Unleash the Artist Within
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Previous Posts
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- How to Make Your Music Video Go Viral
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- 100 True Fans? Is Small Really the New Big?
- Create Quick, Easy Music Videos for Free
- Best Music Marketing Blog Posts of 2012
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