Week 6 - MKTG 347 - Importance of a Band Website

With all the social media platforms today, bands often wonder if a website is necessary. Through all the discussion, in the end, bands need a personal website. In a way, it acts as a central hub for all of your information and content. It also serves as an easy way for people to look up a band. For example, if a fan, promoter, record label, etc. wants more information on your band, a website is one of the first places they will look for. The band has control of the layout, so displaying tour dates, bios, contact information, and music/videos is easy.

A website lets bands also build a consistent image. Basically, the band thinks about how they want to be portrayed in not only a live setting, but with what they want to include online. This can show the style of music the band plays as well as their level of ambition. In that sense, local cover bands do not need to worry about websites as much, as they can only get so big. For bands releasing their own content and want to make it big, a website must show those intentions. 

Week 5 - MKTG 347 - Building Facebook Fans

For many offline businesses, it is important for them to promote their page in their physical content. They should invite clients or customers to check out their page on contact details, flyers, menu, brochures, business cards, and even products and materials. Emails sent to clients can also have the Facebook page attached so that it can be easily accessible.

However, for companies with online profiles, cross-promotion can help gain fans. In the age of social media, people do not have just one social profile. Firms can get their message out on several platforms to reach these people. Having a common theme can get people to check out their Facebook page to like, comment, and share content. Not everything needs to be posted, it is all about posts that are worthy of sharing. Creating a new post to inform people about new material being released is a great way to let fans know that you have something new to offer. Posting too often can come off as being annoying, so it is important for companies to effectively spread out their posts.

Week 4 - MKTG 347 - How Smaller Companies Use Facebook

Social media gives smaller companies a way to advertise what they are all about. For many companies, it is more about having a personal conversation with people. Instead of creating an ad and then leaving it on their page, they want to react to people's reactions. Commentating on reactions give the consumer a more personal connection to what they are involved with. It shows that the company cares what people think.

A great way for these companies to promote what they are selling is by using Facebook Deals. This service offers bargains and coupons to consumers who stop into physical stores via their smartphone. Facebook Deals can offer loyalty programs, premiums and other promotions.

Advertising with Facebook is something small companies should consider. Companies can target potential customers based on what they like. A budget can also be set so that no unnecessary spending occurs.

Week 3 - MKTG 347 - Music Promotion Tips With Social Media

Choosing a social media can be difficult for a band/musician. They must keep in mind that certain platforms have different kinds of audiences. Facebook is about creating a diverse community experience, Twitter is all about quick, short posts in real-time, and Pinterest is about creating themed photo boards. However, no matter what platform you choose (maybe even multiple ones), there are three elements you need to include. These are: brand image, band bio with website link, and common purpose.

People want to see consistency when it comes to an image. If you use a red and black color scheme on Facebook, do the same for all of your social media pages. Also, the banners and background should have a similar look to them. You do not want to confuse your fans with contrasting content. By keeping things similar, you will create a recognizable style with your social media.

Your band bio should also be on your website. The website should also be linked with your social media pages. If your band does not have a website, take some time to work on one. Consult with some help on creating one if you need to, because your website should be your central hub for your online presence.

(example of band website with social media links)

Finally, you need to know what your purpose is. Are you trying to sell CDs? Are you promoting new material and merch? Are you finding and building a fan base? Whatever your goals are, they need to be implemented across all your social media networking platforms.

Week 2 - MKTG 347 - Band Presence on Facebook

Facebook is known as the flagship social media format when it comes to bands. If you have a band, you probably have a Facebook for that band. In today's media world along with the expenses bands have, Facebook is great way to generate fans for your band for free (if you can market your band the right way). Sure, you can pay to boost your band page or a specific post, but there are other options.

One of the key ways bands can use Facebook is to connect with other bands. Just how opening for a bigger band can help boost your fan base, networking with other bands can work the same way. You can see if other bands would be willing to post one of your new songs or a new line of merch you just released. You may have to do the same for them, but overall it's a great, cheap way to get your band name out there.

Probably one of the best advice for bands would be to post about anything and everything. As a band, fans look up to them for not only what they create, but what they think about any topic. Think of it like this, your lyrics reflect a certain story or opinion, posts can do the same. Post something crazy or controversial. You're a band, it's what you do.

Week 1 - MKTG 347 - Know Your Audience

Digital marketing in social media is a great tool to get a product, service, event, or anything else out to the public. However, when advertising or promoting a page, it is essential to know who your audience is. What do they like? What do they have in common? How specific or broad should the message be when promoting? I run into these same questions and concerns when promoting my band page on Facebook.

We usually promote our page when we have some new material out or if we are announcing a show. With that, we have two options. We can either promote the page or the direct post. It all comes down to how important the individual post is for us. Another key point is knowing who you want to promote to. What kind of fans can we promote to that would not only like our music but might actually buy our music/merchandise and come to shows? We are a hard rock band, so for us, we want to target actual fans of that style of music. If we chose to promote to fans of a super huge rock band, we may not get the results we want because a lot of people may like a few songs by that band and may not fully like everything they offer. Instead, we target other bands fans who have a tighter following. That way, we get to the more hardcore fan of that genre.

Band Page Layout

Week 16 - MKTG 349 - Adding Phone Numbers To An Ad

First off, what are the benefits of adding a phone number to an advertisement for consumers? Well, it encourages customers to directly call your business to speak with a representative. It is even more beneficial for individuals using a smartphone, as they can simply click the call button on the ad and their device will dial the desired number. For a business, there are even more benefits for adding a phone number. It makes it easy for the customer to contact a business. Each click on a call-only ad exclusively drive calls to the business. With adding a phone number, advertisers can also choose when they want the phone number to appear so that customers do not call when the business is closed.

Adding phone numbers to ads can bring in traveling customers. People who are touring normally do not know the phone numbers of businesses, so adding a number can increase business. If a tourists is looking for a specific style of restaurant, they can input the desired quality into their computer or phone. From there, if they click the ad, they can view the website directly. If there is a phone number on the ad, they can easily call the restaurant to ask about pricing or to even make a reservation if they are using a mobile device. Overall, both parties benefit from adding phone numbers to ads, and call extensions typically increase the clickthrough rate by 4-5%.