Independent Music Biz - Connecting SEO and Social to Sound
In a world not so far away (say before 2000), the music industry was contained within a very rigid, structured system. There were the higher ups (Major Labels), middle level (Indie Labels and various services such as distribution, manufacturing, management) and of course, there was everyone else that was developing their sound amongst their peers, practicing in basements and honing their craft in a studio. These people can either try to make their way through the ropes of the system, or take a more DIY (Do-It-Yourself) approach.
"A Snapshot of DIY Culture" (Carlsson, p. 46 - Interview with Ben Gillock)
Today, the system is not nearly as rigid as it once was, and you do not have to rely on the powers of the system above you. It is possible to achieve great success entirely on your own. With the use of social media and SEO (Search Engine Optimization), it is easier than ever to create a self-sustaining brand for yourself and your art.
Where I am focusing my attention on is how an independent musician can grow using new social media and SEO tactics. If you were to write a song tonight, design a logo for yourself and potentially a theme (colours and images you would want to associate yourself with), you could have all of the makings of creating a strong brand in one night. Simply look at the vast amount of areas that you could publish this information on:
This chart was pulled from an excellent video available through HootSuite University, called "Social and SEO: Two Peas in an inbound Pod", where they bring up very interesting points on how SEO's and Social Managers think.
While SEO's think primarily about:
Content Quality & Accessibility
Keyword Research & Targeting
Social Managers tend to focus on becoming:
Connectors (linking people to knowledge)
Mavens (sharing knowledge themselves)
Salesmen (by using knowledge to sell) (McGillivray)
This is where yourself as an artist AND a marketer must be able to properly use the tools that are available to create a well-rounded brand image and connectivity to the outside world.
Here's a small example using my own band, The Gentlemen Thieves:
@tgtofficial - permission given from owner
While this specific twitter profile itself may contain all necessary design elements, there is still much to use when utilizing keywords and content. From the first few posts that are visible above, it looks like a conversation amongst the members of the band themselves, but excluding the outside world. The only tweet on this page that is truly valuable (for a starting group) would be the most recent one, by tagging a related event, but it's hashtags fall weak into things that would be more likely to be entertaining to read, but not searchable. My band needs to do some more work using the tools and key phrases that could actually benefit us. To sum this up, essentially the "look" of your brand is simply not enough. By using social media, you can find different ways to connect to the outside world.
From an artists standpoint, you can start the conversation by using many tools specific to your band:
Blogs (local scenes, your genre, music enthusiasts, live entertainment)
Twitter (other artists/interests pages = retweets and responses, start conversations with people who share simular interests as your band)
Facebook (share larger and more detailed messages, create interactive contests)
Youtube (cover videos, video responses, request videos, etc.)
UStream (live video chat, private live performances, live concert footage)
Essentially, these are just a few tools that you could apply to your social media campaign. The key is to make sure that the content that you are creating is not only interesting, but can spark up a conversation.
So if you follow the above steps, it looks like you may have a clear understanding on how to apply social media to your brand. But, there is ONE catch. How good is your content and your posts if you can't even find it through a simple search?
According to the excellent blog Music Think Tank, "SEO is about making sure that your website remains relevant" (Davis). You have to ensure that key phrases are used within your websites and social pages to keep people coming to your page before anyone else's. Using my band as an example, I would require to have "The Gentlemen Thieves" as a tag, but also include "punk" "rock" "music" "Toronto" "band" as tags so that I could help narrow ourselves to people's searches for "bands within Toronto that play punk music".
Just like picking up a guitar itself, all you have to do is plug in and play. What comes out could be regurgitated garbage, or it could play out as a sweet, sweet melody. It all depends on how you craft your material to show the world.
Davis, Christopher. "SEO for the Discerning Musician."Music Think Tank.
Squarespace, 16 Mar 2011. Web. 17 Sep. 2013.
<http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/seo-for-the-discerning-musician.html>.
"Introduction to DiY/Counterculture." Permanent Culture Now. Wordpress. Web. 17
Sep 2013. <http://www.permanentculturenow.com/introduction-to-diy-
McGillivray, Erica, Social and SEO: Two Peas in an Inbound Pod. HootSuite
University, 2012. Web. 17 Sep 2013. <http://learn.hootsuite.com/student.php?
ctg=content&view_unit=102>.
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