Last week, Jo-Na A. Williams, Esq. held a 5 day telesummit entitled Create Your Own Industry. She interviewed 15 experts in the field of music, music promotion and being an entrepreneur. I was fortunate enough to attend all but two of the telesummit conference calls.
There was a ton of great information that was released, and I wanted to share just a few takeaways that I feel are really important for musicians to consider.
1. How to make the most of Social Media
Social Media is not a platform for selling your products. It’s a means of building relationships. People don’t use social media to be advertised to. You can’t measure ROI with social media any more than you can with hiring a CD mastering company. Don’t try to do it.
Using social media is like going to a cocktail party. You’re just there to mix, mingle and make contacts. When you try to sell and promote your products with social media, it’s like going up to a complete stranger at a party and shouting at them, “Hey, I’ve got a new CD! You want to buy it right now?”
You have to show your fans and followers that you are consistent at being interested and interesting. Bring your fans along for the ride of their life. Your brand is an experience, and everything you do effects the way people feel about you – the experience they have.
2. Taking care of yourself as an entrepreneur
Independent artists are entrepreneurs. With that comes a lot of responsibility and activity. It’s easy to get distracted, lost and overwhelmed in all there is to do. Often, entrepreneurs feel as though they have to do everything themselves, and they get worn down. They neglect important aspects of their being – their spirituality, their mental game and even their diet.
The Spirit. Open your eyes to mentors and spiritual guidance on a daily basis. It’s from within that we sustain everything without.
The Mind. Don’t be mastered by fear. You have to want it more than you fear it. Don’t be afraid to let your light shine.
The Body. It’s been said that your body is a temple. Your body can also be compared to a five-star hotel. Don’t trash it. Treat it with the utmost respect. I love this one practical that Jovanka Ciares gave: with every meal, eat something that comes from the ground. Obviously, that means something good.
3. How to rock your online presence
This is what I’ve been teaching all along at Fan Reach Academy. I was checking out Chris Seth Jackson’s webinar on how to book gigs, and he kept saying the same thing, too. You’ve got to have your own website; one that absolutely rocks, with all of your information in one place under your own domain.
What’s important to understand with this is just exactly it means to have a website that rocks. It doesn’t mean that it looks really cool or has a lot of flashy eye candy. That certainly won’t hurt, but it’s the content and functionality that is most important.
Does your website have your complete story? Is it laid out in such a way that the media can get quick access to it and use it to promote you? Is it obvious that you are focusing on building your email list? Is it visually consistent across all your social media? Is it updated and relevant? Do you make it easy for your fans to pass your information along to others?
This is just a taste of the great things discussed during the Create Your Own Industry telesummit. You can find out more information about that at createyourownindustry.com.
If you’re interested in learning about how you can create your own rockin’ website, check out my video tutorial series: The Musician’s Ultimate Guide to Website Design.