Use Video to Your Advantage

Today video is so very accessible and you should be using it to your advantage at every step of your career. Whether you are performing, making new product, at a rehearsal or just introducing yourself - use video and YouTube at every turn.

First up, if you don't have a video camera, I suggest picking up a Flip Cam. They are small, light weight, inexpensive and can be plugged into any computer for quick uploads. They're available at any electronics or office supply store or online at http://www.theflip.com/

Secondly, a recent article by Ksenia Oustiougova a simple and great "how to" for recording a promotional video for online use.

"More and more businesses are realizing the importance of having a video presence online, but often lack the knowledge on how to do it right. We will give you points and advice on how to create the most effective video – doesn’t matter if you do it yourself or pay someone to do it for you.

First, don’t film your own talking head, show your prospect in pain:

* Talking head is a leftover from broadcast TV where the viewer was passive. In contrast, computer users create their own experiences, thus being active.

* In an eye-tracing study, viewers of a talking head video spent most of their attention outside the video (on road sign in the background, player controls, etc.); in videos of moving objects and in animations the focus stays sharply on the subject.

* Historically in movie making, by showing the main character in pain you create empathy and anticipation in the audience; by beginning with an explanation of who you are, you bore your audience to tears – they don’t care for you.

Second, don’t tell what you do, show what you do:

* This is a classic for all stories, from 1 minute videos to 2 hour movies. “Telling” means you gave dry information and haven’t involved the viewer emotionally; “showing” means you used specific details to describe the action, letting the viewer experience it - and that makes the viewer believe in your story.

* Compare the following script examples for effectiveness: “We are experts at automating enterprise contract management” VS “A sleek vacuum-like machine (bearing company logo) rolls onto a landfill full of old paper, sucks it all up, spits out neat numbered stacks on the now clean ground.”

Third, leave the last frame on a call to action for a few seconds:

* Don’t leave it on black background, do leave your website on the bottom, a phone number to call, and an e-mail to contact you at.

* Don’t leave just an 800 number with an answering machine on it, rather choose something where people can interact with you right away, like a twitter account name, a Facebook page or an e-mail.

Fourth, do these little technical details correctly:

* Put a play button on the player, so people know this is a video and not just an image (you’d be surprised how many people don't do this - as simple as it sounds).

* Put the length of the video into the player or next to it, so people know if it is 1 minute, 20 minutes, or 1 hour, and can make a decision.

* Do NOT put the video on autoplay, allow people to play and pause the video as they want.

* Have a volume control button, people hate it when they can’t control the sound.

* Best, put video on YouTube and embed the code into your web site page instead of putting it up on your own site – this will let people share it easily. And, YouTube player already has all the controls built in - volume, play button, length of the video - so this will make the job easier for you."


Lastly, you can find examples of good videos all over and I suggest taking some time to do just that. Put a list together of your favorites and why they strike you.

Here are some from BSM:



href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlO7eJD3tpQ&feature=channel_page




href=http://www.batanga.com/en/videos/entrevista-de-cerca-con-carmelina

Happy Planning!

-BSM

Creating The Perfect Pitch

Happy to share the thoughts of PR counterpart Ariel Hyatt founder of Ariel Publicity.

________________________________

Creating The Perfect Pitch
by Ariel Hyatt on September 21, 2009

Ariel(Excerpted from Music Success in Nine Weeks, A Step-By-Step Guide to Supercharging Your PR, Building Your Fan Base, and Earning More Money)

Here is a key lesson in branding yourself that can really set you up to have a major breakthrough for your musical career. What you will create here will define you in the minds of your fans and potential fans.
Two scenarios happened to inspire the writing of this:

Scenario #1: I was out at a show at the Mercury Lounge in NYC, and in between bands, I was standing at the bar talking to some friends when someone handed me a show flyer. I was taken with him immediately. I always appreciate anyone who is self-promoting because it is not easy to do and it is especially not easy at a crowded bar on a Wednesday night in downtown Manhattan. I looked down at the flyer and my heart sank. It said the following:

* Name of artist (name is not mentioned to protect the innocent)
* Venue (which was the Mercury, where I was)
* Date and show time

There I was, a perfectly primed potential fan; a customer standing at a bar, out at a live music show and he lost me forever. Why? Because not one sentence was included about what genre of music this artist played, much less what his music sounded like or who he could be compared to. In short, I had no idea what this artist sounded like or what to expect from his show. And to top it off, there was no website on the flyer. On the off-chance that I had taken it home, I would never have known where to find him online.

That was an opportunity totally LOST. Unbeknownst to him, he also handed his flyer to one of the most successful entertainment attorneys I know (who was in the middle of signing six artists to record deals), an A&R executive, and one of the best booking agents in the business.

We all looked down at the flyers in our hands, shrugged, and carried on with our conversation. He had totally BLOWN it.

Scenario #2: An artist called my PR firm to talk about hiring us for a Cyber PR campaign. Two minutes into the conversation my blood was beginning to boil. It went something like this:

Ariel: “What do you sound like?”
Artist: “I sound like absolutely nothing you’ve ever heard before.”
Ariel: (annoyed and now understanding why he’s not where he wants to be as an artist) “Really? So you’ve invented a new genre of music and you don’t sound like anyone else in the history of music?”
Artist: “Yes”
Ariel: “Can you at least tell me what type of music you play?”
Artist: “It’s old school hip hop.”

OK, finally we were getting somewhere. Now, while I totally understood his point, here’s the problem with having an approach like his: People are constantly looking for a context to put things into. If you don’t provide them with one, they will move on to the next thing that their brains can
actually grasp.

The critical thing that was missing in both scenarios was The Pitch.

The pitch
A pitch. Marketers call a USP (unique selling point), my friend Bob Baker calls a BIS (brand identity statement), and Laura Allen (pitch expert and founder of 15secondpitch.com) calls a 15-second pitch.

Call it what you want, this thing will change the way you market yourself and your music and give everyone a context. It is critical that you have a concise and easy-to-understand pitch that will help you shape your brand.

Your perfect pitch
Your pitch does not have to be lengthy to be effective; it just has to explain your sound and or your live show in a few words or sentences.

Here are some of my favorites from my clients to jump-start your brain:
Leftover Salmon – Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass
John Taglieri – If Vertical Horizon and Third Eye Blind got hit by Train!
Devil Doll – Jessica Rabbit meets Joan Jett

Go to this fabulous website: www.15secondpitch.com. This will help you structure and hone your pitch and it will TIME you too! Note, this site is a business pitch site, but you ARE a business and the structure that it provides is very helpful.

Write out your pitch
Write out your pitch. (Ed. note: for more details and step-by-step guided tour through this process, get Ariel’s book, details are at the end of the article). Read it out loud, standing in front of the mirror. Do you love it? If you don’t then don’t use it.

I once worked with a band that chose the term “Soul Rock” to describe their sound, and after it was published countless times, they were hating it. So make sure it’s something that you can deal with in print, over and over again, and something that you won’t get sick of.

Say it loud
Stand in front of the mirror and practice saying it. Does it feel comfortable to say it or do you feel like a dork? If you feel like you’re speaking your truth, you will absolutely know and then it is the perfect pitch for you.

Still not sure? Read it to a bunch of friends and fans and ask them to work on it with you! Don’t over think it. Keep it simple and as concise as you can.

Place your pitch
Now that you have it, you’re going to place it in the following places. What you are doing now is branding yourself.

Online Branding:
1. On your website’s homepage – yes, on the HOMEPAGE – and on as many pages as you can. Put it at the top of your bio, don’t bury it in the site).
2. On your MySpace page.
3. On your Facebook page.
4. On all social-networking sites that you use and anywhere else you have an online presence.
5. As the signature on your email correspondences, newsletters, and gig alerts.

Offline Branding:
1. On your postcards.
2. On your show flyers.
3. On your posters and anything else you have in print.

Now when you’re out somewhere and you hand someone a flyer announcing your show, you’re handing someone your brand. People will know exactly what you do and it will be effective marketing.

____________________


Music Success in Nine weeksAriel Hyatt founded Ariel Publicity and Cyber PR 12 years ago and her firm has worked with over 1,000 musicians and bands of all genres. The Ariel Publicity mission states that all artists deserve to be heard and there is a place for artists of every level to receive exposure. Go to www.arielpublicity.com to learn more and sign up for Sound Advice, Ariel Publicity’s bi-monthly e-zine for musicians and entrepreneurs who want marketing, promotion, and PR tips for navigating the new music business.

Ariel’s book, Music Success in Nine weeks, is designed to supercharge your PR, help you connect to a broader fan base, and make you more money! Initially designed as a step-by-step program for my clients Ariel realized this is exactly the information that all artists could benefit from. Buy your copy today at http://cyberprbook.com/.

Musicians developing iPhone apps

Musicians developing iPhone apps
Kyte launches platform for artists

By Antony Bruno, Billboard

Feb 23, 2009, 02:43 PM ET
DENVER -- Kyte, a digital media technology company aggressively targeting the music industry, launched a new platform, called the iPhone Applications Framework, for artists interested in developing iPhone applications.

Interscope artists All American Rejects, Keri Hilson, Lady Gaga, the Pussycat Dolls and Soulja Boy Tell 'Em are the first on board, with new iPhone applications now available for download via Apple's App Store.

The Kyte.tv mobile phone video system lets artist quickly upload new content online, and now the iPhone as well with the new service. The platform lets participating artists update their iPhone apps with not only new content submitted through the Kyte service, but also add interactive features like fan chat and rating, Twitter feeds, RSS subscription capabilities and integrate both their iPhone and online applications at once. Artists can also include advertising and links to purchase additional content.

Original Article at http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/music/news/e3icba15d3dbc5504b3212f15a08c6a7234

11 Ways To Promote Your Website

Headers, Tags, and Titles – Search engines continue to evolve but there are a few things you still can do to give them a clue about what’s on your website. One is to include your keywords in header tags. Additionally, craft a one or two sentence description that explains the content of each page, including some keywords from the page. This should go between the tags. Finally, you should write short, descriptive titles for each page. Don’t use the same one for each.

Keywords – Look at your website copy. Are your keywords in the first paragraph? They should be because that is where the search engines expect to find them. But don’t go overboard with keywords.

SEO – The above tips actually are fairly basic SEO activities, but there are some higher level SEO tactics that will help raise you site above the crowd.
Hyperlink your keywords to make them stand out for both search engines
and for carbon-based web visitors. Make the linked keyword more
noticeable to search engines by linking it to a page that uses the keyword in its address. For example, if you hyperlink the phrase “ad agency” the page to which it is linked would have “ad agency” in its address to raise its profile. While we’re linking, let’s make these linked pages truly focused on information about specific keywords. If you really want to place your SEO program on steroids, purchase one of the software packages that helps you analyze each page on your site for its appeal to search engines.

Submit – There are both search engines and directories where you will want to submit your site. Key search engines for url submission include: Google, Yahoo, MSN Live Search, AOL and Ask. More than 95 percent of search volume happens at these engines. So, don’t bother too much with all the small fries. And it is not hard to complete free registration for these engines.
Typically, they will have a link that says something like “add your URL.” There are a number of directories like DMOZ.com where you will want to submit your site, too. And, I think it is worthwhile to pay the $299 at the Yahoo directory. There may also be directories specifically for your industry.

Link – Develop a linking program where you solicit links from sites that cover the same topics as you. This directs traffic from those sites. Additionally, it tells search engines that you must have something worthwhile on your site if others are linking to you.

Write – Articles, blogs, news releases - all of these can help you increase your exposure and drive traffic to your primary website. Craft your “About The Author” box to include your web address. Once your article is picked up
by other publishers, this will become a one-way link to your site, possibly helping boost your search engine ranking. Submit your press releases to PRWeb. I get a ton of traffic for myself and clients using this service.

Go Email – Develop your own e-newsletter, like Think, to help drive repeat traffic to your site. I use nTarget for my email marketing. Then, archive the newsletter on your site. This solid content tells search engines that there is a
reason to visit you. Try to get other enewsletter publishers to mention you, consider trading ads with other publishers, or just buying ads outright. Finally, don’t underestimate the power of a good email signature to drive site traffic.

Give Yourself A Promotion – Sponsor contests or develop your own promotions and then submit them to contest directories like Contest Hound. You could give away copies of your book, e-book, or white papers for people who sign up for your newsletter. Give away your product or service to randomly selected registrants. This is a good way to build your list of contacts so you can then drive them back to your site.

Pay The Man – ReachLocal is my pay-per-click ad engine of choice. If you are truly local, this is a cost-efficient way to reach people in a specific market only. However, you also can launch nationwide campaigns, too. You deal only with ReachLocal and it handles placing and paying for the ads with multiple publishers. It works for budgets of all sizes.

Speak Up – All right, let’s go analog. There is no better way to make a good
impression on a large number of people at one time than to deliver a good speech. Be sure to have business cards or some type handout that lists your website. Every time I do a presentation I see a spike in web visits and enewsletter sign-up.

Go Offline – Look at every printed piece that you have. Is your web address featured prominently? Is it in small type or - horrors – not even there! Businesses with fleets of cars and trucks should have the web address on their vehicles. Think about other physical places you can promote your site.

Those are my 11 ways. Get to it.

Harry Hoover is a partner in ad agency

My Creative Team. He has 30 years of experience in crafting and
delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for serious
businesses like Bank of Commerce, The Bray Law Firm,
CruisingTheICW.com, Duke Energy, Focus Four, Jacobsen, Jenkins-Peer
Architects, Levolor, North Carolina Tourism, TeamHeidi, Ty Boyd
Executive Learning Systems, VELUX, and Verbatim.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harry_Hoover

10 ways to stay focused and build your independent music empire.

(This article appears at http://www.discmakers.com/community/resources/ffwd/2009/indieresolutions.asp - By re-posting, BSM hopes it inspires progress in your career.)

Indie Resolutions
10 ways to stay focused and build your independent music empire.
By Jesse Gray | January 2009

As we roll into the New Year it’s time to make those ever-famous (or infamous) New Year’s resolutions. But have no fear; our list doesn’t require cutting out chocolate or getting up at 5AM to run. We want to help you where it really counts – your music career.

So how did we come up with this master list of goodness? We asked. We solicited answers from working musicians far and wide, as well as tapping into our own staff (we have a few hundred active musicians working here). After we sifted through the rubble we found ten diamonds that kept getting mentioned over and over. And now, here for your career-enhancing pleasure are the best of the best. Have a rockin’ 2009.

1. Write down your goals
You’ve heard this mentioned by everyone from your high school trigonometry teacher to the success guru on the late night infomercial. And there’s a reason that everyone keeps telling you that you should do it – it works. Writing down your goals for the year helps you to visualize the entire year in a snapshot and provides you with a clear course of action to take away from it. It also serves as a reminder that you can look back on throughout the year in case you’ve forgotten anything or strayed off course.

So as it pertains to music there are a few keys things you should have on your radar. Make a list of the venues you want to play and actively pursue them, partner with bands, record your next album, play in a charity gig, or rehearse twice a week. Whatever it is, make sure you write it down and commit yourself to making it happen.

2. Build (and use) your mailing list
You know you’ve said it, “Don’t forget to sign our mailing list.” But the question is have you done anything with those names? Your mailing list is one of the most overlooked weapons you have available. When the time comes for your CD release party a postcard in the mail and a well-timed email is often all it takes to get people motivated to buy advance tickets. Playing an area where you don’t make it to that often? Pull names from the last time you were there and send out an email or two a few weeks in advance.

One of the oldest tricks in the book (and it really works) is to get two personable fans or friends, one male and one female, to walk around the club with a sign up sheet for your mailing list. Because they are canvassing together the chances of them drawing a connection and getting a name are much greater. Plus, people are more likely to sign up when you bring the list to them as opposed to them having to cross a club to seek it out. Remember, make it easy for them.

3. Leverage your drive time (and downtime)
There are looooong hours on the road whether you are traveling from gig to gig or sitting around after sound check with nothing to do. This is a prime opportunity to take care of all the mundane (yet extremely important) details of your music career.

Bring your laptop along with you and get a wireless card. With these tools you can update your web site, check and respond to your fan email, book shows, and generally just stay connected with the engine that runs your career. Having an iPhone or Blackberry is a good start, but they don’t offer the functionality that a laptop does.

4. Use the web aggressively
OK, you have a MySpace page, big deal. What else are you doing online? Start a group on Facebook, piece together your own music videos and put them on YouTube, set up profiles on other music services and social networks like iLike, imeem, and more. Get a Sonicbids EPK, and use it. Don't just rely on MySpace – have your own site too. You need to control your brand and your own site is that place.

Blog regularly – and make it interesting: have an opinion, be funny, or intense, respond to fans’ comments. Interact with your fans via email, or let them upload their gig photos to your site. Set up your own social network with ning.com. It’s a big world out there and you have a number of avenues to get your voice - and music - heard.

5. Co-Promote
Find bands that have a similar sound, vibe, and feel as yours and make friends with them. Help them out by mentioning them on stage, promote upcoming gigs together, split costs to print flyers and posters, wear their t-shirts on stage.

A good rule of thumb is to try to make friends with a band from every city or town that you play in. This way every time you are coming there to play you can have them act as advance PR and get the word out. A big part of making this a successful venture is to do the same for them – remember there is no give without take. Make sure you show up at their shows and support them when they come to your town. A $7 cover charge and some face time could equate to 25-30 extra people at your gig next time you play their town. Heck, they may even let you crash at their place and save you hotel costs, too.

6. Seek sponsorship from a corporate entity
Even in a recession there are plenty of corporations that are looking to get as much exposure as possible. Companies like Jagermeister, Coca-Cola, Miller Lite, Vans, etc. are all prime positioning partners. One way to secure funds is by putting their logo on your materials such as your stage banner, drum heads, and anything else that gets exposure from their target market – your fans. Book an aggressive tour schedule and use it as leverage. Even something as simple as offsetting your poster printing costs by placing their logo on it goes a long way in helping you to promote on the cheap.

7. Book ‘em
Keep a book with people’s names and contact info along with what band they’re in or how you met them. Split it up by city for easy reference. When you need to book a show, contact someone, or remember people’s names it’s all right there like your own personal Yellow Pages. If you’re not old school you can do a lot of this with your phone, including keeping detailed notes. Just make sure that you have it backed up somewhere in case your phone dies or goes missing during that wild after party.

8. Always write a set list
A lot of musicians do it on the fly, and if that works for you that’s cool. However, we’ve all seen (or been guilty of) doing the band huddle. The song ends and everyone turns to each other to figure out what to play next. This can present a very unprofessional image as well as ruin the flow of a show. By having your set list ready everyone can transition right to the next song without losing the crowd’s interest or energy.

9. Rehearse weekly
It sounds like a no brainer, but the fact is a lot of bands either don’t feel like they need to or just don’t bother to keep a regular practice schedule. It’s just the same as any other trained skill – you have to practice to get better and stay sharp. How many times have you listened to a band’s album and it sounded tight, then you saw them in concert and they were anything but. Chances are you never went to see them again. Don’t let the grind of rehearsal jade you. Keep it interesting by writing a set list and constantly coming up with new ways to bridge songs. Or work on a set of cover songs that you like, even if you’ll never play them live it will help work on your timing and transitions. In the end it only means a better live performance and that’s always a good thing.

10. Play, Play, Play
Nothing does as much for a band or artist as exposure and that means playing out as much as you can. The benefits are numerous, such as building your fan base, selling merch, gaining name recognition, selling albums, making contacts, and so much more. There are very few artists who can live off of digital distribution and CD sales alone. Plus, the biggest benefit of all is that it’s fun! Don’t miss out on some of the most memorable moments of your life – get out there and jam.

Happy Planning!

-BSM

2008 VMAs and Other Important Events

It's my job to make sure my clients are aware of current events and especially important entertainment events. So in my personal fashion, I took time out on Sunday to send a note to all my entertainment industry clients about watching and weighing in on the 2008 MTV Music Video Awards, airing that evening. The subject read "The Biggest Entertainment New Story Tomorrow" and the body started "...will be the 2008 MTV VMAs, of course!" I went on to encourage them to not only watch the program, but take notes and think critically, and make sure to get involved in the converstation with their personal blogs! Most of them did (I'm so proud).

It turned out that the 2008 VMAs were a bit of a bust. Boring and predictable are words that come to mind and I was actually surprised to see less than normal press coverage the following day, than expected. Regardless, there is a lesson to learn here. Being up on popular events and disciplining yourself to write about it will help get your name out there.

Here are a few ways:

1. Start your own blog and update it frequently.

2. Put this same blog text on your social networking sites.

3. Use this same text Find music/entertainment forums and get involved in the conversations.

4. Email it to your mailing list and start an actual conversation with those you usually just promote to.

5. If you're really serious, I challenge you to go through the 12 month calendar and compile a list of popular and obscure holidays as well as entertainment events and start planning your writing ahead of time.

Happy writing!

-BSM