Too many people believe a social network is something you invade to spread the word on your band.\u00c2\u00a0 The goal is not to ride on the back of someone else’s social network, but to create your own.<\/p>\n
We want to belong.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s why MySpace blew up and Twitter too.\u00c2\u00a0 The sense of community.\u00c2\u00a0 Facebook is a bit different.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s about building upon the community you’ve already got, keeping the bonds strong, or getting back to where you once belonged, rekindling old connections.\u00c2\u00a0 Big media corporations are fascinated by these social media entities, they’re trying to uncover how to leverage them financially.\u00c2\u00a0 But, a band’s goal is a bit different.\u00c2\u00a0 Facebook communities don’t want you invading them.\u00c2\u00a0 Nothing’s worse than having your party crashed by unwanted people or messages.\u00c2\u00a0 We get to select who we want to follow on Twitter, and as soon as you start hyping something, indicating you’re being paid to send the message, we unfollow you.\u00c2\u00a0 And MySpace? MySpace is history.<\/p>\n
So, when you sit in those marketing meetings, when you’re at home dreaming of a way to blow yourself up, don’t think about harnessing yourself to someone else’s rocket.\u00c2\u00a0 The key is to create your own rocket!<\/p>\n
In other words, Facebook and Twitter, all social networks are tools.\u00c2\u00a0 They’re not MTV, wherein you air one video and everybody sees it and you’re on a rocket to the moon.\u00c2\u00a0 They’re certainly not radio, wherein you dictate to masses who are not entitled to a response.\u00c2\u00a0 Social networks are islands that you must ask permission to enter, and behave properly or be ejected.\u00c2\u00a0 So, if you think you’re going to leverage all those millions of users, you’ve got another thing coming. But you can build your own social network.<\/p>\n
Oh, do we HAVE TO?<\/p>\n
Nobody in old media wants to hear this.\u00c2\u00a0 Old media doesn’t want to start over, it wants a short cut.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s what major labels had.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s what major corporations still employ.\u00c2\u00a0 You’ve got enough money to advertise, to bang people over the head.\u00c2\u00a0 But today people IGNORE advertising.\u00c2\u00a0 If you’re planning on ramming anything down anybody’s throat, you’re screwed.\u00c2\u00a0 But can you build something so good people will be drawn to you?<\/p>\n
Did you catch the action on Twitter today?\u00c2\u00a0 Amazon deleted books from Kindles.\u00c2\u00a0 In short order, it was one of the biggest stories on the microblogging service. Amazon in bed with publishers, don’t trust the man.\u00c2\u00a0 The truth ultimately outed a few hours later, that the publisher in this case did not have the rights to the books being sold and those who had purchased them had their money refunded.\u00c2\u00a0 But the point is there’s an online police force, that is spreading the word of your misdeeds, and preventing you from making all those riches you had in your plan.<\/p>\n
Dell Hell is the classic example.\u00c2\u00a0 Dell has never recovered.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s about to be eclipsed in the PC market by Acer.<\/p>\n
But the good news is if you play by the rules, and have got something great, people with no financial investment will tell many, and you can get traction, oftentimes not having spent a dime.\u00c2\u00a0 How big will you become?<\/p>\n
Kill someone, create a stunt and you might make TMZ.\u00c2\u00a0 Everybody will know you, and then forget you.\u00c2\u00a0 At best you’ll be a distant, laughable memory.\u00c2\u00a0 You don’t want this.\u00c2\u00a0 In other words, if you try to goose it, you’re on a slippery slope.<\/p>\n
This goes against marketing history!\u00c2\u00a0 Wherein you grow market share by playing with intermediaries, employing shenanigans that will result in a clueless public purchasing your wares.\u00c2\u00a0 Those days are through.\u00c2\u00a0 As much as Jessica Simpson’s musical career.<\/p>\n
People want to belong to new communities.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s why FM radio blew up decades ago, that’s why Pandora does not deliver the key experience today.\u00c2\u00a0 We want to be a member of the group.\u00c2\u00a0 Can you create a group we want to belong to?<\/p>\n
Arianna Huffington has built a better group than the "New York Times".\u00c2\u00a0 The HuffPo stands for something, it’s the number one blog.\u00c2\u00a0 The "New York Times"? It’s removed, it’s not down with the people, it’s fading.\u00c2\u00a0 You have to be accessible today, you’ve got to get down in the pit, you can’t have contempt for your audience, you’ve got to believe you’re no better than them.<\/p>\n
The public makes stars!\u00c2\u00a0 Not record company or media kingpins.<\/p>\n
And you’ll never really know what the public desires.<\/p>\n
So get a Facebook page, get a Twitter account, and provide so much information about your project that people will want to follow you.\u00c2\u00a0 Play to the hard core, who visit your site daily and check your tweets constantly.\u00c2\u00a0 This is not the twentieth century, where you parlayed four singles over three years to multiplatinum success…\u00c2\u00a0 The hard core know what’s on the album before you’ve even shipped it!\u00c2\u00a0 And the hoi polloi have so many other interests, so many diversions, that the odds of them joining your hard core are almost nonexistent.\u00c2\u00a0 Casual fans yield almost nothing, maybe a single sale on iTunes.\u00c2\u00a0 Whereas hard core fans buy the $100 boxed set and a t-shirt, never mind a concert ticket.<\/p>\n
Stop shooting for the moon.\u00c2\u00a0 Figure out how to satiate and get more money from those who truly care, who will do their best to convert new fans.\u00c2\u00a0 Your ability to strong-arm fans is almost nil, certainly online.\u00c2\u00a0 Not only are corporations not to be trusted, but bands get a thumbs-down too.\u00c2\u00a0 Because of endless street-teaming and spamming.\u00c2\u00a0 People only trust their friends.\u00c2\u00a0 So you’ve got to create friends in order for them to bring in new friends.<\/p>\n
So stop talking about your social network marketing plans, how you’re going to spread the word via the millions posting updates and pics about their lives. Think about building a fire that will draw people to you!\u00c2\u00a0 Embody trust.\u00c2\u00a0 And quality.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s a brand new world.<\/p>\n
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