Promoting Your Playing And Your Music And You!, Tips and Tricks on Getting the word out about you! Options

[Todd Simpson]

FOLLOWING UP ON SOCIAL MEDIA: JUST PASSED 3500 SUBSCRIBERS ON YOUTUBE! (You can too!)

I wanted to share a happy thing with all my GMC brethren. I just made it past 3500 Subscribers on my youtube channel which has been a goal of mine for some time now. I set my sub goals in 500 subscriber chunks so next up is 4k. Keeping your goals attainable is important. If you can keep progressing on the goals you can attain, it makes the bigger ones seems not nearly as daunting. Here is a screen grab. (Pushing my goal of 1.5 Miillion views as well and getting close!)

What's the secret? Easy. Read on.

[http://youtube.com/techniqueswithtodd

Let's go over my "Tube Tips" again. Getting yourself out there and heard has never been as easy as it is now.

#1 - Post videos that encourage repeat views such as good lesson videos with tablature if possible.
#2 - Tag every video using tags that will help people find your vids. Borrow tags from vids that have HUGE views but don't "tag Spam"
#3 - Respond to every question, comment and friend request no matter how long it takes, WARNING: It seems to take forever but it's fun and it's worth it to meet all those great players and students on youtube.
#4 - Find students who you could help and suggest your vids to them.


Practice!
Todd

[Todd Simpson]

Here is a really informative article about SELLING YOUR MUSIC in the new age of the Music Biz.


http://talenthouselive.com/blog/how-to-sel...atest-research/

Here is an excerpt....

[Sinisa Cekic]

How I haven't seen this topic before ?!!? Thanks buddy !!!

[Ivan Milenkovic]

Thanks Todd for sharing these useful tips, awesome initiative, and great activity!

[Todd Simpson]

Just added these articles to our knowledge base Todd

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/inde..._And_Your_Music
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/inde..._business_today

Thanks much! They look great in the Wiki You RAAAAWWWWWWWKKKKKK!.

[Todd Simpson]

How I haven't seen this topic before ?!!? Thanks buddy !!!

No problem I've gotten great feedback from this thread. Glad you are digging it!

Thanks Todd for sharing these useful tips, awesome initiative, and great activity!

Thanks for checking it out Much more on the way! It's a great time to be a musician!




7 FACEBOOK APPS EVERY MUSICIAN SHOULD BE USING TO PROMOTE/SHARE YOUR MUSIC!

Great article talking about 7 Killer Apps for facebook to help you share your music with the world.

http://www.allfacebook.com/facebook-music-apps-2010-10

[Todd Simpson]

"MAKING IT" and "MAKING YOUR WAY" in the "BIZ"


I wanted to share this post in my Promotion Thread here as it's very pertinent to the topic. It's from a KILLER thread where Ben shares his "Guitar Bushido" and the instructors talk about making a living with music. Here is a link to the full thread and below that is my post that started the snowball rolling.

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_fo...mp;#entry553449

----------

The days of "value added plastic" (CD's/DVD's) are gone. Big acts can make money touring, but smaller acts struggle to break even doing live shows for the most part. The trick is really to get you or your band across the threshold from being a local, to a regional, to a national act. At that point, tour money can be enough to live on if done wisely. But it's not just about touring.

At this point in the industry, it's about putting together multiple revenue streams.
1.)Touring
2.)Merchandise
3.)Songs for Hire
4.)Appearances/Lessons
5.)Private Gigs
6.)Endorsements
and above all
7.)Licensing.

That last one is the biggy. If you can license your music to a TV show, Movie, Video Game or commercial, You can do really well financially. Once you establish yourself as a business (a few forms in most places) and create some music and go through the copyright process for your band name etc. You are ready to start selling.

It won't come to you, but you there has never been a better time to be a musician. Gear is cheap, you can put together a home studio that would have cost as much as a house about 10 years ago. You can use social media to get yourself out there. Skip the record lable. This is the age of DIY (Do It Yourself)

Start with social media (youtube / facebook) and get ready to spend wads of time pimping yourself/band. In a perfect world, we would just create music, and the rest would take care of itself. Sadly, we live in this world, not the perfect one. But again, the playing field is more level than ever. Go forth!

Todd

[Todd Simpson]

TODDS TOP 5 BEST PRACTICES for POSTING TO YOUTUBE (Secret Techniques of Getting More Views!)

*Want more views on your YOUTUBE videos? Follow the "P"s!

1.)Pre Pimp Posts
-Put out through hootsuite.com (which hits all your social media in on go, spiff! go there and sign up if you haven't already, it's free and CRUCIAL!) that you are about to release a new video. Maybe a day or two ahead.

2.)Pimp the Post
-Use the BULLETIN feature on youtube to create a bulletin about your new video. Also, hit hootsuite.com again and send out tweet/facebook/etc. that you have a new video up.

3.)Parlay the Post
-Parlay your post in to results by running a search on the keywords you think might work best. Find what key words are working for top view count vids and STEAL THEM.

4.)Pepper the Posts
Pepper all the posts you find with similar key words and high view counts with video responses containing your new vid! It's still there, just scroll down a bit.

5.)Pay to Play
-Pay up and start a low budget google adsense campaign or a "promoted video" campaign right on youtube. If you don't have a google adsense account, GO MAKE ONE! It's free. Here is the link.

GOOGLE ADSENSE

If you want to know more about paying for promoted videos on youtube, check this link.

http://support.google.com/youtube/bin/topi...amp;topic=16040

To promote your video, Budget about 30 to 50 euro each month. Bid slightlyl higher than top suggested bid for important key words, but limit your total spend to set amount. That amount becomes your ad budget

Finally EMBRACE ANALYTICS! (Youtube has great built in tools to help you track how your videos are doing and how people are finding them. Here is a screen grab.



Also, GET THIS BOOK! It RAWKS! It's packed with tips on leveraging SOCIAL MEDIA (facebook, youtube etc.)

http://www.amazon.com/Fans-Friends-Followe...mp;sr=8-2-fkmr1



This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: Jan 12 2012, 05:35 AM

[maharzan]

I just revisited my channel, edited info, added tags, submitted few video responses. This information is really helpful. I have been getting quite more views now. Last time I posted, I used to get about a 100 views. Now its more like 300/400. I have started to do covers and that has helped a bit. I will do more and see where I will reach in next 3-6 months. Cheers, Todd, very valuable advice.

[Gitarrero]

Great advice Todd!
I recently checked my youtube account and will edit my tags this weekend and start putting up more stuff on a regular basis.
I am preparing a couple of lessons based on german bands at the moment, it is for the Student Instructor section here but my few lessons are the videos which have the most views. I am also thinking about a few covers, they really seem to boost views.

Christian

[Todd Simpson]

I just revisited my channel, edited info, added tags, submitted few video responses. This information is really helpful. I have been getting quite more views now. Last time I posted, I used to get about a 100 views. Now its more like 300/400. I have started to do covers and that has helped a bit. I will do more and see where I will reach in next 3-6 months. Cheers, Todd, very valuable advice.

Well done! Glad the advice is helping More to come!

Todd

Great advice Todd!
I recently checked my youtube account and will edit my tags this weekend and start putting up more stuff on a regular basis.
I am preparing a couple of lessons based on german bands at the moment, it is for the Student Instructor section here but my few lessons are the videos which have the most views. I am also thinking about a few covers, they really seem to boost views.

Christian

Covers are a great way to boost views. Also, creating backing tracks and posting them to let other folks solo over them can generate good hit counts. Social Media is kinda like guitar, you learn as you go and it just takes practice

[Ivan Milenkovic]

Excellent work Todd, these are some valuable tips

[Todd Simpson]

Excellent work Todd, these are some valuable tips

Thanks More to come!


THE CRITICAL FIRST 15 SECONDS OF A YOUTUBE VIDEO

(How to Keep Them Watching)

*From the Youtube Creators Handbook

The First 15 Seconds!
Many viewers decide whether they are going to keep watching your video within the first 10-15 seconds. Attention spans can be short and they are just one click away from abandoning your video. The videoʼs content - “What am I Watching?” - should come across in the first few moments and hook them early to give them a reason the stick around.

Compelling Content First
o The first thing the viewer sees should be compelling, whether it is the personality or the content of the video.
o Personalities should address/welcome the audience, ask a question, spark the viewerʼs curiosity, tease the rest of the video. o Use a ʻteaserʼ for the content of the video; start with a quick clip of whatʼs to come later in the video.


Branding and Packaging Later!
o Branding, flashy intros, and packaging can create a professional quality to your content, but itʼs not the star of the video.
o Let the content or the personality be the star upfront; then the viewer has a reason to watch past the intro and continue with
the video.
o Or you can make sure the branding is compelling content that the viewer is entertained by. For example, College Humorʼs
Jake & Amirʼs opening branding features a different joke each video; their packaging is the content.
o Packing and branding should be minimal and short. Weʼve found 5 seconds to be an optimal length.

What am I watching?!
o In a lot of cases of non-fiction programming, it is important to make it clear to your viewers what your video is, and what theyʼll be watching. If the viewer still doesnʼt know exactly what theyʼre watching in the start of the video, theyʼre gone.

So..
1.)Capture their attention.
2.)Then some branding/logo/id (Optional)
3.)Keep them hooked with great content.
---------

The first 15 seconds is crucial. If you don't catch the viewer by then, they are more than likely going to leave. So make your video really pop at the start, then give any station id/logo, then keep the good stuff going! You can use youtube analytics to see how much time they spend before leaving. More on that to come!

[Todd Simpson]

A great article on how to leverage FACEBOOK to get more views/listeners/buyers for your music! It's a great read with simple, effective tips.

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newbay/elm...php#/78/OnePage




This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: Feb 16 2012, 02:08 AM

[Cosmin Lupu]

Thanks Todd! Wonderful tips mate! I have reached almost 1200 subscribers and 360 000 views on my channel and they keep raising every day. I bet that if I apply the stuff you're sharing here I can boost this sky high

[Todd Simpson]

GET SIGNED BY ROADRUNNER RECORDS!

The great guys at indie Metal lable ROAD RUNNER RECORDS want to hear your music and sign you to a record deal! Well, if they like your music that is. They have a web page where anybody can submit their music and get a deal! This isn't a get rich quick scheme guys, as even with a record deal, you'll still have to work your can off.

But check out this link and submit your music and see what happens!

CLICK BELOW - SHOOT THEM YOUR TRACKS!
http://signmeto.roadrunnerrecords.com/?utm...anner+(Signmeto

http://signmeto.roadrunnerrecords.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=YouTube+Channel+Banner+(Signmeto&utm_campaign=YouTube+Channel+Banner+(Signmeto

[Cosmin Lupu]

GET SIGNED BY ROADRUNNER RECORDS!

The great guys at indie Metal lable ROAD RUNNER RECORDS want to hear your music and sign you to a record deal! Well, if they like your music that is. They have a web page where anybody can submit their music and get a deal! This isn't a get rich quick scheme guys, as even with a record deal, you'll still have to work your can off.

But check out this link and submit your music and see what happens!

CLICK BELOW - SHOOT THEM YOUR TRACKS!
http://signmeto.roadrunnerrecords.com/?utm...anner+(Signmeto

http://signmeto.roadrunnerrecords.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=YouTube+Channel+Banner+(Signmeto&utm_campaign=YouTube+Channel+Banner+(Signmeto

Hehe! Thanks Todd! Just filling up the form as I'm writing this

[Ivan Milenkovic]

Awesome tip Todd, thanks! I'll check it out. You're master of internet marketing

[Todd Simpson]

Hehe! Thanks Todd! Just filling up the form as I'm writing this

Nice! Shoot everyone a link if you have not done so!

Awesome tip Todd, thanks! I'll check it out. You're master of internet marketing

Thanks much! I"m actually a "Consultant" on this sort of thing in the "Real World" but I"m happy to share tips and tricks with my GMC brethren!

If anyone else has not signed up, do it! You might get SIGNED TO A RECORD DEAL!

http://signmeto.roadrunnerrecords.com/?utm...anner+(Signmeto

This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: Mar 12 2012, 09:53 AM

[audiopaal]

Good thread ,thanks!