Artists and creatives love the idea that if they simply share their ESSENCE, believing that their album and business will market itself. Although creating a BLOG is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to build a strong loyal audience and fanbase, they shy away from the idea.
Why? Because consistency is the key and many artists are traveling and are not known for clear workspaces and regular schedules. Deeply engrained is the belief system Creative Chaos.
They often believe that starting a blog is too time-consuming, energy draining and simply adds to the list of things they already have to do.
In an age where 48 hours are uploaded to YouTube every minute, 75 percent of the world population is now online, there has never been a better way for artists to connect with the world and build their loyal fanbase.
Yet with this amount of people in the marketplace it becomes very clear very fast, that the only way to make your way through and start building your tribe is by finding your niche and CONNECTING.
It is easy to feel discouraged. Never before has there been so many albums. Never before has there been so many t.v. stations to choose from, so many designers to fill all the shops with bargains, so many MP3s, so many cooking shows. The world is ONLINE and the newest studies say that this year we will have 75 percent of the worlds population receiving information online.
But besides there being big competition, this is also a big chance, to connect with thousands of fan within the click of a mouse.
For creatives gone are the days of having to pay for an ad in the newspaper for hundreds to thousands, here are the days of being able to create a BLOG which only takes vision and energy and a bit of imagination. Something that artists are known for.
So don't think of Mr. Peterson's english class where you were drilled on topic sentences and failed understanding what is a predicate.
Think, I am sharing my vision and my world. Blogging is not only writing. It is casual. Informal.
You can leave spaces, add pictures, draw, add video.
BEGIN TO VOICE YOUR ESSENCE
using the tools that come easy to you.
TRUTH BE : YOU'RE ALREADY A BLOGGER
you already have the tools
that you need to be successful
A blog post can be basically anything:
- a sentence,
- a poem,
- a picture
- lyrics
- a video
- notes to your new song
Use your imagination.
Blogging is the same thing you do when you update your facebook or send a tweet. You simply put it into a different template.
Blogging is sharing interesting things with your audience and sharing who you are. Through blogging your encourage interaction. You share what you love and would also love to hear from your audience which things they love and are inspired by. That is why it is always possible for your audience to add comments.
So you are probably asking, if blogging is so simple and I am already doing it when I am on facebook and twitter, then why not simply use the social media platforms already there. Why should I go to the work of setting up my own blog and marketing it.
The answer is social networks are closed systems and they are highly regulated with rules.
Creating your own blog gives you bigger exposure. You can brand it in a way that reflects exactly who you are.
Remember, your vision is big. You can post your blogs on all social media sites, ie. facebook, twitter, reverbanation, tumblr, pinterest, etc, and yet you can also send it out independently
Your readers do not have to be following you on facebook to be able to read your blog. And your blog is not limited to a certain length. It can be a sentence, it can be a video.
Important Tips for making your BLOG SUCCESSFUL
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1. Start simple. Remember a blog can be anything.
Take 15-20 minutes weekly to create your weekly Blog post. Something that is related to you, moves you, and you sense is important to your audience. Remember it can be a poem, lyrics, an article, a photo you have taken backstage or a drawing you did while sitting in the cafe and would like to share. Once a week you get to VOICE YOUR ESSENCE and then share it with hundreds to thousands and the possibilities of who may read it are thrilling. It is literally endlessness.
2. Promote Every Post
This is where other social networks like Facebook and Twitter come in.
Get on your favorite online social networks
and advertise your new blog post.
Awaken their curiosity by asking an open question, like, "What do you think is the real deal story behind my last song?" or "Do you know what I love to eat while on tour 5 minutes before a show? Read all about it here ..." and then add the link to your BLOG that you just published.
Yeah! you did it. And now you have instant traffic leading back to your website.
The more you blog and link the more others will share with friends. These friends of friends will also start to land on your homepage and share with their friends and VOILA. This is how networking works.
The more people
Like and Share, the more your list builds.
In the beginning it might appear to go slow. Have patience. It takes practice to discover your writing style and what your fans enjoy reading. Yet it DOES WORK.
And the cool thing is for independent creatives, with very little financial investment, within a click of a mouse you reach thousands.
Now honestly, what would that amount of exposure have cost you with normal advertisement models.
Post Regularly3. Consistency is KeySet a goal. Begin with once a week. If that works well move to once a day. Yes, you can also do once a month, but the effects will be too small to make you feel buzzed about the process. Online moves fast.
Once a week is a good, solid start and very do-able for everybody. The important thing is
BE CONSISTENT:
Your audience knows what to expect and when to expect it. This builds trust. Always post your blog on the same day of the week and approximately the same time of day.
4. Vary Your Content
It is good to have a niche and not get to scattered. And yet, the more topics you write about the more your blog posts will pop up in the search engines. Every article or post that you write is a door for which potentional fans can discover you.
So in a quiet moment brainstorm on all the topics that connect you with your life as an artists. There are many.
Google and other search engines like ? love blogs because it gives them content which they can categorize.
Note: on every blog post there is a place to add tags. Remember to always categorize and tag your content.
Category is the basic group of postings - ie. Music Biz or Artist Development or Writing and tags would be things like the name of your new single, or poem, or the name of the lead singer in your band or the other key words that appear in the blog.
Remember, the more active and relevant your blog is, the greater you will climb in the ranking of the major search engines.
5. Read Other Blogs
What better way to learn how to blog then by reading other blogs.
Use Google Reader to collect all your favorite blogs in one place.
If you want to browse through subjects that interest you and find new blogs, use Google Blog Search.
Bookmark pages and subscribe to the blogs you enjoy. If you want you can even have most blogs that you enjoy sent directly into your email inbox.
6. Meet other Bloggers and Interact
Don't be afraid to reach out to other bloggers you enjoy reading. Ask them questions and add your voice to the conversation by adding comments to their comment section. Do not spam, but if you have written a relevant article or have information that could enhance the online experience for others, you can mention your blog and add a link back to your page. Do this ONLY if it makes sense to do. Some enjoy building of communities and networks, others hate shameless self-promotion in their comment section.
Be sensitive and get to know the author of the blog before you add your back-links. And yet if they are open to it, and you offer good content, they may even invite you to be a contributor or "guest blogger." This has happened to me a few times and it is a great way to build your audience further.
7. Love your Readers and Respond to them
You want to encourage connection and communtiy and encourage your readers to leave comments.
Which type of comments they leave usually depends on which type of questions you have asked?
At the end of each post ask a simple and clear question of where you would like the thread to go. Make sure you encourage your readers to leave comments on your blog.
Also, if someone has left a comment remember always to respond. Even if all you say is thanks, or so happy to see you join in the conversation.
When people feel listened to, they keep talking and stay engaged.
In this is exactly what you want as a blogger. You want people talking about you and your work.
If you receive critical comments don't delete. Often they are the one that spur on the conversation. And you would be surprised at how many loyal fans come to your rescue and often defend your writing and stand in your behalf.
It is a very touching moment
when you realize you are surrounded by an audience
that really gets WHO you are
and are really interested in what YOU wish to share.
If you do get comments that are spam or harassment or obscene, delete immediately such blogs. Keep your space clean. Critical thinking and obscenity are two different things.
Love to hear about your experiences with blogging and what works for you.
Here's to your continued success.