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You are here: Home / Archives for Social Networking

Social Networking

April 18, 2013 By Peter de Gosztonyi

5 Steps To Get Your Rock Band Noticed using Social Media – revisited

Well this is a long awaited update to my last post about this subject. We had our social media team in place and just starting to get things rolling when we were blindsided by the band. They fired the lead singer which was one of the main reasons the band had promise and eventually they “disbanded” as the other members couldn’t sing worth a darn. The band musicians were very talented, but were at a stage in life where they weren’t fully committed to the band. They had all played in other bands and were well into eclectic family arrangements, and generally weren’t as flexible as perhaps a much younger musicians could be. One of the appealing factors was that these guys had a lot of experience and wanted to work hard to succeed. Unfortunately there was some recidivist behaviour and the cohesiveness of being part of band did not overcome the individual personalities.

So how did we measure success. We couldn’t, but what we were looking for was an increase in attendance at various local venues, having interaction on the twitter account including followers as well as Facebook friends. The plan was to generate a constant stream of news and info on the band, its music and appearances. The focal point would be the Band’s Facebook page as well as the individual band members twitter accounts. One of the neat things about these channels is that a fan can actually converse with a band member and interact with their favorite musician. Using facebook rather than a website is becoming popuular and definitely worth considering as your primary channel, particularly if your fan base is found there. Needless to say the younger the crowd the more technology focused you have to be. Mobile platforms have to be a tool in your arsenal. launching apps is a good way to do that. something probably worth further investigation.

What our challenge was getting each person to coordinate their efforts on the band channels and not their personal ones. Having your own facebook page is great but it also is just that, personal and that just gets in the way of promoting the band as well it means that the band is just a group of individuals that aren’t working together for the success of the band. This is what happened, we had a hard time getting each person to contribute and to consolidate the facebook pages and to try twitter.

For twitter we created a band id which was acessible by each member as well as the social media coordinator so regular bits of info could be sent out as well as being responded to.

Making it in the music industry and making money is extremely difficult so in order to succeed and to get  core following a lot of effort is required ( ok so what else is new). Trying to get a group of creative musician types to conform to some sort of process is certainly beyond me however Catherine, the social media coordinator is 20 and has lots of enthusiasm and knows what works for her favorite bands. Her challenge was to get the musicians to actually think as a band not as individuals. This means that the social media presence is a band one and all band related activity is focused on those channels.

The website is also a great focal point and a place to promote the band its activities and general information. since Google searches are looking for websites, a solid current presence is required. social media buzz, YouTube and other musical websites are also critical so a coordinate effort is also needed for those channels.

The steps in my original post are still valid today, perhaps some of the key sties may have changed and new channels such as instagram are well worth investigating, the bottom line is be where your fan base is.

A solid communications plan is always critical for success. this means a coordinated effort between the band, the manager, and the social media coordinator – which can be a band member, or a dedicated fan. This doesn’t sound like much fun and it is not, however success will bring its rewards and hard work both by the musicians and the suppoort team will bring you nearer to your goal.

Filed Under: Music Social Media, Social Networking, web communications and Marketing

February 7, 2011 By Peter de Gosztonyi

5 Steps To Get Your Rock Band Noticed using Social Media

See my new post on this subject, the band broke up in mid 2011 and we didn’t get a real opportunity to get this effort off the ground.

Getting a rock band noticed via social media is a lot more of a challenge than I thought. I am working with a newly formed group Hooked on Karma ( no longer together sadly) who needed a website done quickly so I was recommended to them by other clients. Since this seemed an interesting departure from doing mortgage brokers websites see mortgageoney.ca I decided to take on the challenge.

As it turns out setting up the website was the easy part as I use a Content Management System (CMS) from 1and1 hosting which has an intuitive and template based interface so it was very easy to set up a pre-configured website and modify it to suit the Bands needs.

Getting the band noticed and spreading the word via social media  is a lot harder.The first step was an assessment of the current situation:

  • Assess what channels were in place already and what type of following is there.
  • Assess the Band’s name and can it be used easily across the different channels and is it taken by someone else
  • Look at the website traffic patterns (if there is an existing website)
  • Identify who the primary coordinator of the existing channels is.
  • Review the content and normalize the information so that it is consistent and accurate across all channels
  • Assess the contact information so that it is accurate and is being monitored regularly
  • Is the band’s name easily registered on the different channels and who owns it if already registered

Generally if the social media presence is random and grew more by the initiative of one or more band members there is a confused and inconsistent presence on the internet. This will also lead to confused fans and they may give up on you before they find out how great your music really is. Your band is competing with not only other start up bands but with the real pros and fans will judge you by these standards so your presence has to be solid across all of these channels.

Before you start you will have to step back and do a hard look at what you want to achieve and what goals do you and the band have. This will determine the level of effort and the time lines you will need to establish. If your interests are recreational  as opposed to wanting to make serious money, your approach will obviously be very different in that you may want to do everything yourself and cost effectively. Whereas you may want to spend a bit more money and get experts to help you out and let you focus on the important element of making your music rather than splitting your time on administration. Either way the following process will help you to build that ever so important fan base.

So in order to establish and grow your fan base, there are a number of key things that need to be in place:

  • website
  • unique name
  • Music and wher to get it (iTunes, store)
  • Merch – a cd is a good start
  • music videos
  • show dates and events
  • Photographs of the band
  • social media accounts ( use only those that you will maintain regularly)
    • Twitter, MySpace, You Tube, Facebook
  • Social media coordinator – one person who manages the various accounts and updates the key information
  • Participation and contribution by all the band members

If you are just starting out or trying to figure it out, one of the best methods is to scan your favorite groups and see how they manage their channels and copy that after all imitation is the best flattery.

Linking all of the Social Media channels and coordinating the various inputs was a lot more involved than I imagined. So here is a list of steps that needed to be taken to get started:

  1. Set up a website with the Band’s domain name (e.g. www.hookedonkarma.com)
    If you already have a domain name secured or an existing website this is a great start
  2. Establish your website as your anchor for the business side of managing the band
    1. Contact information – who manages the band, how to book the band
    2. About the band origins names and bios of the band members and more detail than you have on the other channels such as MySpace and Facebook
    3. Links to all of your social media channels
    4. Calendar of events – keep this very current and updated
    5. RSS feeds from Facebook, Twitter, MySpace
    6. Acknowledgments and partner links
    7. Merch – how to order and purchase CD’s etc
    8. You Tube videos of the band in concert
    9. Newsletter for those die hard fans who want to be informed on a regular basis via email
  3. Primary Social media channels you need to establish
    1. Facebook – by far the most important place to be, but set up a Facebook page, not a group or individual Facebook account
    2. MySpace – although it’s rumor of demise is a bit premature it definitely is not to be ignored use it to showcase your music
    3. Twitter – this is a good way for followers to create interest and spread the word about the band
    4. You Tube – a must have for the visual impact but quality is paramount on this channel as it will demonstrate professionalism use a pro to make these videos as the hand held cell phones don’t always do justice for a band we use media2learn for all our band videos
    5. Flickr – a great place to keep your photographs and also to group them into professional ones and those more informal pics taken at band practice, lots of value here
    6. PPK – Power Press Kit – although  this is not a free service but helps one package the band’s press kit to showcase the band to promoters and other media people who may want to sponsor the band
    7. Blogs – some groups use this to promote discussion and to present a specific opinion or view but generally a lot of work for a new band and populating Facebook may be a better use of time initially
    8. Specialty band sites – there are many of these pick the ones that your favorite bands are on or similar type music as this is the community you want to reach
  4. Linking all the media
    1. This is the potential confusing part and could get very time consuming and create potential cross impacts if the information is not consistent across the various channels
    2. Importing these feeds into your website is easy with all of the embed code available from each channel, using RSS feeds is also an easy way to populate your website with input from the different channels.
    3. The key to this is to select the channel that the band feels most comfortable using and then cross linking these to the other channels. For example posting MySpace comments and Twitter feed into your Facebook account
  5. Measuring Success
    1. For your website use Google analytics and set up a weekly automatic email of your dashboard. this is great for seeign the number of visitors and the referrals – where they came from particularly useful in measuring which social media channel is directing trafic to the website and then you can strengthen that or focus on the other channels
    2. Use Google alerts to scan the internet to see what is being said about your band
    3. Look at your followers or likes and see how many are genuine to gauge the amount of real users, there are lots of fake users so they mean nothing to your success.
    4. Look at the comments and respond to them if it warrants

This is just a starting point,but like any marketing campaign it takes a process, organization, goals, time and effort. There is no short cut to hard work but if you believe in your band and you know your fans do also then developing your social media presence in an organized manner will hasten your success. More importantly benefit from the many experts around you to help you achieve your success. That way you can concentrate on your music and generate more interest and fans from what you do best.

Filed Under: Music Social Media, Social Networking, web communications and Marketing Tagged With: band success, fan base, hooked on Karma, music, rock band, Social media

November 12, 2010 By Peter de Gosztonyi

Small Business – Do I really need ……..a Twitter account

This question was recently asked to me during a Third Tuesday Meeting and my immediate Luddite answer was no…. but of course that isn’t the right answer because each person and organization situation will be unique.

There are two reasons to have a twitter account:
1. To listen or follow
2. To tweet

The first is probably the best reason, there are some fascinating people with some very relevant things to say, one just has to filter out the non essential stuff. I have found out about a lot of interesting events, thoughts and opinions on the occasional time I actually look at the tweets I follow.

However if you do have a community of interest with a few “Thought Leaders” creating a list of tweets becomes a valuable tool for keeping up-to-date with current issues in your field. This is, of course, only one of many channels one should use to keep professionally current.

This leads then to the next question should I tweet? Going back to my initial reaction – why?, but if you are involved in a community that is active and many people share the same concerns, then this becomes an excellent channel to share your knowledge or at least to establish yourself as an expert in your field.

The criteria would be –

  • do I know what I am talking about,
  • can I share something new and relevant on a regular basis, and
  • is there a ongoing or recurring need for this information.

An example of where this could work well is a early childhood development professional who regularly deals with challenging situations in schools. Usually parents or teachers encounter these situations regularly and there is no one short term solution, it is an ongoing challenge. In this situation a parent in need of guidance could benefit from following experts in this field and when a relevant bit of information passes through they can utilize that resource, be it a link, a resource or other areas that can help.

Conversely if you provide a product or service that is needed only infrequently – insurance, mortgage, car purchase, etc, once the transaction is made it then falls off the radar until the next time. So tweeting about this may not be an effective use of one’s time , of course there are always exceptions, but common sense dictates otherwise.

Twitter is just one tool in your arsenal, and it will have relevance, however, you need to integrate it into your overall communications and marketing strategy and assess the impact and value it has to both you and your customers.

Filed Under: Social Networking, web communications and Marketing Tagged With: marketing strategy, small business, Social media, twitter

August 12, 2010 By Peter de Gosztonyi

Building the Foundation for a successful Social Media Marketing Initiative

by Peter de Gosztonyi

I don’t know about you, but this entire social media wave has at times completely overwhelmed me – the pace at which the whole trend is moving and changing is breathtaking. Yet, as a business owner, I know that one can’t ignore this. It certainly is not going away, so you have to get on the train or be left at the station wondering what happened…….
See the entire blog at http://ow.ly/2nFRN

Filed Under: Social Networking, web communications and Marketing, web communications and Marketing Tagged With: Planning, Social media, website design

June 30, 2010 By Peter de Gosztonyi

Brainstorming techniques or How to handle your boss(es) in a brainstorming session

by Peter de Gosztonyi

Project is off to a great start, you have representation from all of your stakeholders and everyone is going to attend the first brainstorming session. Everything is going perfect until your boss says oh by the way I will be attending your workshop.

Even if you have a good relationship with your boss, running a brainstorming session with different levels of authority present can be at the least uncomfortable to a down right disaster. The challenge is usually ensuring that everyone has an equal say in the idea generating and that no one individual can dominate or push a specific agenda or even force a specific outcome.

I have been in many cross level sessions and in a well managed environment the facilitator will utilize a number of different techniques to discretely neutralize these potentially disruptive influences. But what if you don’t have a trained facilitator and perhaps you haven’t encounter this situation before ?

Here are a few variations on the idea generation process that can get even the most reticent person involved as well as creating a level field for the idea generation.

There are 2 prerequisites that must be in place:

1. The statement or issue to be brainstormed is clearly stated and understood by everyone

2. A set of rules is presented and agreed upon such as no criticism of ideas, the crazier the better, all ideas are documented and visible, build on the ideas and encourage participation.

The classic approach is to have each person state an idea that is recorded on a flip chart and in a structured environment each person has a turn building on or providing new or variations on the ideas. If no idea is presented then they pass. The session is over when everyone passes. In an unstructured environment ideas are voiced by anyone at anytime. The disadvantage of this is that a quiet person or one that is intimidated will not participate fully.

An alternative would be brainwriting, and this is more suitable to individual expression where individuals write down up to 4  ideas on a paper and then either pass it on to the next person (6-3-5 method) or select a previously completed paper to modify or add to those ideas. Eventually when no more ideas are being generated, the papers are gathered and ideas consolidated.

Using the traditional sticky paper where ideas are first noted down by each individual and then grouped and organized by the team. This approach has a tendency not to generate builds or go off on different directions.

The use of analogies / free word association can result in unusual connections by comparing the problem to seemingly unrelated objects, creatures and words. Similarly visual brainstorming makes use of the team producing a picture of how they see a situation or problem. These approaches are all participatory and can be dominated by the more vocal elements so a facilitator is necessary to ensure that all participate.

In a group where only advantages or disadvantages of a problem are identified, or when members fo the group are polarized and arguing, a method called Plus Minus, Interesting PMI, can be used. Clearly identify the subject of the PMI, then brainstorm the positive aspects of the idea, then the negative aspects finally the interesting points of the idea – neutral aspects, points to explore, or unusual features.

An important element in getting the ideas ranked is the multivoting approach, where each idea ( after consolidation) is ranked based on the groups opinion. This is another potential area for influencing the outcome if not handled properly. In an open voting system, each person selects one third of the items on the list and then the votes are tallied by a count of hands for each item. Then eliminate the items with the fewest votes and redo the voting until a manageable list is made. Note that this does not discard the idea or say that it is not important, just that in the context of the particular issue under discussion these items rank lower than the others, and they may be addressed later.

In lieu of public voting, each person has a set number of stars or check marks and then place them on the items they deem important, or they rank them and place a 1, 2, 3 etc on the top 5 ideas. This method encourages anonymity and identifies the sequence based on the majority. Thus one individual would not be able to easily influence the outcome.

A more formal method that combines and uses these techniques is referred to as the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) and many trained facilitators favour this approach.

The importance of any brainstorming session is the usable ideas and solutions that are generated by the group. The follow through of actually implementing or doing additional research is necessary to ensure that the time and resources have been well utilized. If no visible outcome is seen, it becomes harder and harder to get people involved on other projects.

The following references can provide more detail on these concepts:

The Team Handbook Peter Scholtes

The quality Toolbox Nancy R Tague

The Creativity Tools Memory Jogger Goal OPC

Filed Under: Performance Improvement, Social Networking

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