Viral Marketing - Does it work for Music Artists?

MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, Hi5, Reverb Nation, Imeem and on and on. Wonder if the time you're spending working these sites is paying off? It can. I've found if you work it, I mean really work it, it pays off. If nothing else, you'll gain awareness of your band or you as an artist in places you never thought you'd be listed. At the most, you'll break or get new opportunities you may not have had before.

Here's how; aside from MySpace and Facebook where you are probably gaining fans by the day, create a page on Reverb Nation (reverbnation.com). Once you've created your profile and uploaded songs go to band equity and read what you need to do to gain numbers. Then add widgets to all your pages on as many sites as you can. You can add Tunepaks with multiple songs, a fan collector and others. Every time you respond to a friend request, send them the url to go to your page and sign up. The url is found on your "My Profile" page. At the bottom of the list of options is "My Links." The first url is the address you paste into your responses. Then it makes it easy for anyone to click on it, end up on your page and a box pops up for them to enter their email address. The goal is to collect as many fans as possible to start your email list. People who join your Street Team even better. Try to identify an evangelist/s to help spread the word about your music. To learn more about what you can do to get your name out there and gain band equity, in your "control room" click on "Promote" and at the top of the page is "Promote your music......" where you'll find video tutorials and FAQ's for more information. The more you use it, the more you'll gain band equity. Once your numbers get high, you can exploit that everywhere you have a page. Don't forget the "invite fans" option where you can find fans in your genre of music and invite them to become fans.

Press releases - Once you have something to shout about, you may want to consider doing a press release. These work. Distribute them through a reputable press distribution service. Also, make sure you have someone with a little experience in this area to write it for you. Let a few people review it...feedback is good. But you must have a story and something to talk about. The online distribution services can give you statistics on distribution so you can follow the RSS (Really Simple Syndication) pick ups. There is usually a tiered payment plan so you can opt into any plan that fits your budget, but make sure you get one that includes stats. Online music sites will pick up the RSS feed and publish your release. It's pretty cool. Check Google and Yahoo often for new places where your press release has been picked up. Just put your band (or name) in the search bar and see what pops up. It usually takes about a week for the first press release to really get going. It's faster with the second because the feeds have already been established with your name so sites that picked up the first release will pick up the second faster. Again, only do a press release when you have something meaningful to talk about.

Bebo, Imeem, Hi5 etc. - these sites are great for awareness. The more places you're listed, the more coverage you'll get in search engine searches. Load up your profiles with any and all relevant information. Update often.

Give a gift of song - consider a free download of one of your songs. This gets a lot of attention on the web. Free is great for gaining new fans. This is also a great press release.

Twits - Twitter is a great way to gain fans. Set up your Twitter name and start following other people. They'll follow you back. Don't commit the cardinal sin of inundating people with twits. One or two a day is great. Give useful info like where your next gig is, or how you're doing with a new song. Sometimes just a fun twit is good too. You can link your twits to Reverb Nation too and it will show up on your homepage.

My Space and Facebook - update your status every day with a message. When you do this, it shows up on all your friends home pages. Keeps your name top of mind. Communicate with your fans. Let them know what you're up to. Don't forget to say "thank you" when someone adds you and thank people often for their support. Again, look for your evangelist/s and ask for their help. They'll be happy to give it.

The most important thing to do is work it. You have to spend a lot of time every day working it. Communicating, updating, twitting and thanking.

Ok, that's it for now. Stay tuned!