Internet Marketing means the promotion of products or services over the internet through online marketing, digital marketing, e-marketing or web marketing. Internet marketing also includes marketing done via wireless media and e-mail. It is considered to have a broader scope than other forms of marketing because it facilitates placement of media through email marketing, SEO (search engine optimization), SEM (search engine marketing), Web 2.0 strategies and banner ads on specific websites.
The advent of internet marketing has given way to effective online strategies for all businesses’, to turn from a virtual cost saver into an income generating machine. Nonetheless, internet has changed the playing field for Musicians. Internet’s role in the marketing, distribution and sale of Music has been highly visible in recent years. Internet marketing is a long term process that can reap long term benefits for your business. It can be potentially the strongest marketing component for a musician or artist. An effective marketing plan is always rewarding for musicians and artists of all types, as it brings them worldwide exposure and boosts their sales.
However, it is but essential that one knows what efficient internet marketing for musicians is composite of.
As a musician, you can utilize internet marketing in a number of ways. However, the two most crucial aspects of internet marketing include ‘hiring online marketers for internet promotion’ and ‘self-managed’ internet marketing strategy. You can opt for either of the two or as is generally advised; begin the marketing on your level if you have just started off your career and gradually as you see progress, seek a professional’s help with SEO as the main focus. Though there may be some difference in the procedure of the two yet the motives and goals of both the techniques are same.
There are some guidelines that can be useful when you are seeking an Internet Marketing Professional.
Ø Make sure that a lot of emphasis is laid on Content. A constant flow of original, fresh and new content in the form of press releases and articles is important for syndication and indexing. If your content is boring and remains same for weeks, it can be quite detrimental in keeping the audience engaged in your work. The content on your website or for your promotional plan should be just apt to hit your target audience and infuse interest for your music. Blogging is another way of providing new content on a regular basis.
Ø The corner stone of internet marketing and the first step in SEO is Keyword Research. The online marketer must do a thorough research on the accurate keyword that be utilized to bring in huge traffic the musicians seek to market and sell their creations. The use of targeted keyword or phrase successfully achieves higher search engine ranking.
Ø Choose a marketing company that is well aware of the music industry or specializes in the internet marketing for musicians. It must have ample information about the latest trends for selling music online and know the importance of MySpace and iTunes and other such hubs for musicians.
Ø You can also interview or discuss with the marketing company’s prior or current clients to find out the effectiveness of its services, know the client perspective and to verify the live results.
There are some musicians who feel the need to take control of their internet marketing destiny. If you are focused and clear about the procedure, it can be self- managed yet it is not as simple as it may appear. To make your efforts effective and productive there are a few factors that you must keep in mind.
Ø Advertise your music to a niche market. There are thousands of musicians trying to reach out the public with their creations; if you narrow down the field by trying to appeal to a specific group, you can make your music stand out. Create a blog that will show up under related search words if your music does not belong to the mainstream category.
Ø Every musician should have 2 elements on the first or homepage of the site. Firstly, promotional advertisement of the current item or product they are promoting. Secondly, a ‘sign-up’ for the audience to get the tour date announcements, upcoming music updates and future news.
Ø Videos on YouTube help drive interest towards a particular musician or song. YouTube should be a key part of any internet marketing strategy. Making music videos for your work and uploading them on YouTube can draw much more traffic to your music and raise its rankings on the YouTube and Google search engines.
Ø JustinTv.com is another tool that can be used in internet marketing for musicians. JustinTv.com is a live streaming web TV site where you can perform live concerts and have people from around the world view them. It also gives links to the viewers about where to buy your music from.
There are certain advantages of using internet marketing as the marketing tool for musicians. Firstly, this tool/ medium is inexpensive and cost-effective. Even with a small advertising budget the musicians can reach out to a wide audience. Secondly, this medium helps to turn the viewers into potential buyers conveniently and quickly. Thirdly, the online marketing campaigns to promote your music can be traced, measured, tested and the offerings or messages that are more appealing to the audience can be determined.
Internet is a brave new world with many opportunities for musicians, who can gain tremendously from them if they find their way around the web. With some creativity they can figure out what internet marketing method will work best for them.
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