Self-Promotion

This was an assignment post.

Our next order of business is to examine social media and how it can help us promote ourselves.  Let's take a look, shall we?

In a hurry? Skip the intro.

What is self-promotion?
the act or practice of promoting one's own interests, profile, etc.
In other words, it's taking what you have to offer and making it visible. If this is done well, it is not obnoxious.  It is done with the goal of creating a fan base of people who enjoy and consume what you have to offer.  Ideally, if you can get people to consume your product, this may mean you can make money.  Like it or not, if you're trying to make your way as a musician, it is a business.
 
What, in my opinion, is an example of bad self-promotion?
Have you ever come across those search results that hit all the keywords you want and looks so promising, and then you click the link...
and there it is...

a PAGE that is essentially an infomercial! All the questions you were asking! And we have the answers!! Buy the book (or website password) for a low low price!!! Worth every penny!!!!! (!!!)

There are plenty of examples I could link to for demonstration purposes, but I refuse to direct any traffic to those pages based on principle... seriously, does anyone really buy stuff from these pages?

Part of the reason it sucks is because it's completely one-sided. They don't offer anything of serious substance to draw you in, except for grandiose claims that boast of how great they are. There's no give and take. It's not enough, anymore.


*end rant*



So you still want to promote yourself.  Have you considered using social media to increase your visibility?
Although you risk getting lost in the ocean of other self-starters, if you can do it well it can get a whole bunch of people to hear about you (and maybe even like) your product/service.


There are...

1. Blogs:  There are many blog hosting sites, like blogger or wordpress, where you can blog about your experience.
   
   • Pros: 
   • It can be easy to network if you already lurk in certain communities by simply commenting constructively. (Hint: "Good post! Check out my blog at ...." is spam.)
   • There are a variety of layouts that are fairly user friendly with lots of room for personalization.
   • Free, usually.
   • Cons:
   • Generic templates can make you look cheap/amateurish.
   • Limited to a post-by-post view.
   • No "homepage" of highlights to first view. (For instance, a list of upcoming shows.)
2.  Websites:
   
   • Pros:
   • More polished and professional than a blog.
   • More control over your address name.
   • You can set it up however it works for you.
   • Cons:
   • Costs money. (Because it's common knowledge that musicians are flush with cash.)
   • Can look pretty empty and sad if you can't update it with video or show dates on a regular basis.
   • Can look pretty bad if you have no skill at designing/coding layouts. Getting someone, again, will likely cost more money.
3. Facebook: (or MySpace...)
   
   • Pros:
   • Your family, friends, and naturally "biggest fans" are probably already on your friends list.  Make yourself a band page and get them to follow. Word of mouth can spread quickly
   • It's super easy and you can connect to nearly anyone.
   • Very simple to advertise actively (as opposed to the passive approach to posting a "hey, guess what?" on a home site/blog and hoping people stop by.) Make an event and invite people. 
   • Cons:
   • Be careful with what and how you post. If you get annoying, people may stop following you and you'll be back and square one, but with an increased anti-following.
   • Again, remember: facebook is virtually forever. Something may come back to bite you someday. (This goes with anything online, but people do tend to be more casual and think less on Facebook.) Remember that this is essentially your business storefront.
     
4. Wikipedia:  You may not have expected this one and I wouldn't suggest it as a main form of promotion, but it could make a nice extra touch to your presence.
   
   • Pros:
   • It's often the first place people go to look something up.
   • Wikipedia results often show up very early in search engine results, which could help bump you up.
   • Cons:
   • If they don't know your name and just search "musician" or "band" with a couple other generic descriptors, you've really got no chance of showing up.
   • Mischievous folk could go in and alter your info. You'll have to keep an eye on it to maintain reliable information.
5. YouTube (video uploads)
   
   • Pros: 
   • Gee, as a musician, wouldn't it be convenient if, instead of struggling to define your sound exactly or self-hype how amazing you are, you could just display some of your material so people can hear how great you are?
     Oh wait!
     There is!
     Here! 
     Post a youtube vid. Even the video function built into most digital cameras will give decent quality nowadays. Get a friend to tape you at a gig or set up the camera in your room and go to town a la Bo Burnham. Link the video back to your blog, if you have one. Yay!
   • Cons:
   • if you suck, you're done - unless you're SO bad you go viral and find infamy.

Good Luck!


Sources:
- This blog entry says everything I wanted to say, but way better! It also has some tips to promote yourself offline.  The rest of the website looks pretty informative as well. I strongly suggest you check it out.
http://surfacefestival.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/25-tips-on-how-to-self-promote-your-band-2/

-  http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/building-relationships-11-rules-for-self-promotion.html