The venues to get one’s creations noticed are many and few at the same time. It takes months, and mostly years, of hard work and patience to finally hit the general public.
It is essential to pay attention to what successful independent artists do. Their techniques will help you garner more interest in your work…
Important considerations
A lot of indie believe that once their CD or book is available for purchase, the work is done. They think that they can rely on the quality of their work for it to sell itself. While this is not a bad thought at all, it is also important to realize that sales obey the 10-90 rule: 10% creativity and 90% promotion/marketing.
Start by asking yourself the following questions: “What is my long-term goal as an artist? What do I want to do with my creation(s)? What is my mission statement?” Be very honest in your answers because they will determine your career and how long you may last in the business. Being an artist entails many things. You must be professional in your approach, dedicated, and aware of your surroundings and global issues. It is also essential that you be willing to support other artists and causes, and serve as a positive role model. Always acknowledge your fans and supporters, those who work in the shadows for you. And most importantly, build relationships before thinking of sales. This is the first step to get respect from fellow artists and hence exposure.
Website and profile pages
Nowadays, if you want to attract more followers, you need to build a Website or at least have a regularly updated profile page. This is very easy to do, especially if you are not computer-savvy, and it is free.
For a Website, use Yola, Wix or Weebly. They are excellent!
If you are a musician or a spoken word artist, you have probably heard of Reverbnation. The service lets you send pre-formatted newsletters to your fan base, build a street team and launch missions with the click of a button, and promote my CD and tracks through easy-to-share widgets. What’s more, people can also help spread the word by sharing the widgets almost everywhere on the Internet!
Blog and community
If you want to build your online presence, it is very important that your fans and followers be involved. They want to know more about you and what you care for. A blog is a very nice tool to use. You can talk about anything, address questions and concerns from your fans, educate them on topics that matter to you, and invite them to take part in discussions. You can also promote yourself. The best blog services are WordPress and Blogger.
Writers should also join writing communities and forums like Red Room and share some of their work there.
Networking
Social networking sites are essential for promotion these days. The best part is that they are totally free! Make sure that you check out Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, andMySpace.
You can also use Internet radio. One of the best is Blog Talk Radio. There are tons of broadcasts every day and the neat thing is that you can also interact in chat rooms. Hence, you have the golden opportunity to “meet” hosts and listeners who often happen to be hosts or promoters of the arts themselves. Being a guest on one or several shows will allow you to promote your products (books, CD, services, etc.) to global audiences.
If you are not camera-shy, you can also host your own show, using your webcam. People love Livestream. Upon joining the site, you will get access to a personal studio. From there, you can upload your own videos or videos from YouTube and stream them on a 24/7 basis. Then, feel free to embed the screen anywhere you want.
Updating your status
Part of your promotional time should be used to update your status across the different networks to which you belong. You will attract more followers. However, it can be very time-consuming. You need to be able to do it in one convenient place. Use TweetDeck, Hootsuite or Ping.fm.
Building a street team
You can only do so much on your own. At some point, you need to be able to rely on others.
A street team is a group of people who are committed to help an artist spread the word about their work. The artist sends the group on miscellaneous missions (never involving money on the part of the group) and the best street teamers are rewarded in different ways. It allows an artist to connect with their fan base on a different level. It brings them exposure and makes fans a complete part of the artist’s success. On the other hand, street teamers get free stuff, which is always nice!
Reverbnation offers you the perfect way to do it: Once your mission is launched, the site keeps counts for you. All you have to do is check your stats…
Selling online and offline
95% of poets go the self-publishing way. Self-publishing is more rewarding than challenging because they have to promote all their products themselves. It gives them the opportunity to really get to know their readers and listeners.
Lulu is one of the best Print-on-demand (or POD) services. Open an account, upload your files, fill in the necessary info, and you are on your way. They will print your books, CDs, calendars, photo books, and pictures for you. Use your Paypal account to receive royalties when people purchase your products through your personal (free) store.
If you only focus on music or spoken word, there are a few nice options out there: CD Baby, Reverbnation and Audiolife. Reverbnation and Audiolife have partnered to allow Reverbnation members to sell their merchandise and music for free. All you need is a Paypal account. Set up your store (in two minutes), upload your files, fill in the information, and start selling your CDs, MP3 albums, individual tracks, T-shirts and tote bags within minutes! And the royalties are very decent.
You can also sell your music digitally, by using major retailers like ITunes or Amazon.com. Reverbnation lets you do that very easily.
Diversification
The more you have to offer, the more exposure you will get. It means that you have to diversify. And do not wait for others; do things yourself.
Make a list of all your skills and see what you have to offer. If you are a poet/writer, you could provide poetry/speech-on-demand or proofreading services. If you are an amateur photographer, why not sell your pictures to other artists for their book/CD covers? And if you are really fluent in two or more languages, you could also translate documents…
Another good idea is to design your own exclusive merchandise (Tshirts, bags, mouse pads, mugs, greeting cards, etc.) and sell it using services like Zazzle or Cafepress. All you need is a PayPal account. They provide you with a free store that you can promote everywhere. And royalties are quite decent.
The great thing about diversification is that it makes it harder for people to label you in one category.
Last words
Always remember this: Treat others the way you would like to be treated. Before throwing links at someone, introduce yourself properly and get to know them a little. You will be surprised by how much help and support you will receive in return!
Also, do not hesitate to ask for tips and advice from those who have a proven successful background in your industry. Always keep a notebook and pen handy, and write any suggestion and idea given you. Sometimes, one little thing will make a huge difference.
Finally, frustration and discouragement are part of the job. Take a few days off, enjoy life, and come back refreshed! ;-)
I originally wrote this article for Examiner.com. To read part 1, click here. To read part 2, click here. To read part 3, click here.
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