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Welcome to the first video blog installment of Ask Marcus the place where artists from any genre can ask Marcus Johnson, a Billboard charting jazz pianist, professor at Georgetown University and founder of Three Keys Music, questions about the music business.

Marcus Johnson has released more than 10 CDs, all charting within the Top 20 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Chart. With over 15 years as a musician, Johnson’s music has been widely lauded by jazz critics and aficionados. From his first independent release Lessons in Love (1997) to The Phoenix (2007) and In Concert For A Cause (2008), Marcus Johnson has generated loyal fans from around the world and garnered respect from his peers in the industry. He is not only an artist but also the CEO/President of his own music label (Three Keys Music & FLO Brands) and recording studio (Studio 8121). With an MBA and law degree from Georgetown University, Johnson gives back to his community as a professor at Georgetown and Bowie State and is a participant in local youth and charity events.

You’ve already learned how to build your fanbase online and start your own street team. Now it’s time to plug the knowledge you’ve gained sitting behind your computer into the real world. And for a musician, it doesn’t get more real than a loud, crowded club guarded at the door by a lethargic dude with a clipboard asking, “So who are you here to see?”

Your live performance is your single, most powerful selling point. If you blow it, your hardcore fans will probably forgive you but most newcomers will be turned off for good. However, if you nail your live show, you’re looking at a goldmine for recruiting fans and selling merch.  So you better have a plan for capturing the hearts, minds and email addresses of all your new friends. Here are some ideas:

•    Enlist your street team. You’re going to be distracted pre- and post-show, so it’s essential that you have your team there to handle the business side. If you don’t have a street team, recruit your friends and family. Just be sure to give everyone enough advance notice (at least two weeks).

•    Always have a mailing list sign up. This can be an old school sheet of paper, or an Excel spreadsheet or Word document open on your laptop at the merch counter. While you’re on stage, make sure you use your mic to advertise the sign-up sheet.

•    When you’re asking for email, get wireless info, too. Capture as many cell phone numbers as you can so that you can alert people to news and events in multiple channels — both online and text messaging.

•    Use rich media to engage your audience. There’s always some down time between sets, so take advantage of it. The audience will be looking for something to do. One cool idea is to set up a projection screen using iWall or FireText. Both programs allow people to text into a central number and see their text messages displayed on the screen. Ask them what song they want to hear first and let them text you their answers. Not only will you capture useful cell phone numbers, you’ll also be learning interesting information about your fans.

•    Have your team canvas the audience after the show. Grab an iPhone and walk through the crowd asking for emails and cell numbers. Be as respectful and friendly as possible. The people who loved the performance will most likely be receptive to signing the mailing list.

•    Do an in-show contest. Have some fun and announce that the first 10 people to sign up on the email list will get a t-shirt. Offer a free download with a mailing list sign up. Or do a drawing for a free CD. There are countless promotions you can do to recruit new fans, so be creative.

•    Use your laptop. While people are at the merch booth, ask them to log on and add you as a friend on your primary social networking site. Get their Twitter or IM info. But always make sure you’re respecting their privacy. If they’re not game, don’t push it.

•    Make the rounds after your show. The best way to make a lifelong fan is to make them feel special. Take the time to have a conversation. Always drop by the merch booth to sign CDs and chat people up.

•    Once you’ve got their information, don’t sit on it. Basic direct marketing research shows that a person is never more interested than at the moment they sign up for something. As soon as you load up your email addresses and cell phone numbers, send out a blast that thanks everyone and offers them a “next step,” whether that be buying a CD, joining the street team, reading a new interview or sending their friends a link to your music. The only way to keep fans interested is to keep them engaged.

It takes a village to promote a band. So, now that you’ve grown your online fan community, it’s time to hit the streets.

Having a street team can be incredibly valuable. It eases the burden of promoting your shows alone, and will help you recruit more fans. Street team members can do anything from passing out flyers to promoting contests and, ultimately, getting more bodies to your shows. Sound good? Great—let’s talk about how to build your army.

1. Locate the passion. Who are your most avid fans? They’re the ones who leave the most comments on your profile, the ones who are always at your shows screaming all the lyrics, the ones who constantly want to know what you’re doing. These are the fans most likely to help promote your band.

2. Spread out. If you’re in a touring band, make sure you recruit street team members in cities you know you’ll be hitting. Having all your street team members in one place will result in duplication of effort. Start with two or three members in each city or town you want to target. If the job’s not getting done, go ahead and enlist more help.

3. Put together a sweet marketing packet. When you’ve got your street team assembled, send them a packet of flyers, posters, buttons, stickers, etc. Make sure you’ve got quality materials, and plenty to go around.

4. Decide on one meeting place. Choose a social networking site to communicate with your team, and create a distribution list or database exclusively for them. Send them all your show invites, links to buy your CD, news and so forth so that they can distribute to their friends. By keeping your street team connected through one source, you’ll avoid miscommunications and confusion.

5. Come up with a marketing strategy. Don’t let your team wallpaper the town with posters just for the heck of it. Set some specific goals and work to achieve them. For instance, if you want at least 100 people at your next show, give each member of your street team a realistic quota to reach, i.e. 10 confirmed guests each. If you want people to buy your new CD, have your street team send out an exclusive MP3 to the first 50 people who download the album. Don’t burn your team out by expecting them to do too much. Choose your promotions carefully and make sure the mission is doable.

6. Reward hard work. There’s nothing keeping your street team working for you other than a love of your music. And sometimes, love just ain’t enough. Your street team always needs to feel valued. These aren’t your employees, so don’t treat them as such. Give them easy and clear tasks, and always show your appreciation with a personal email, a CD or free tickets to your shows.

7. Decide on a manager. If you don’t have time to check up on your street team, elect someone to be a manager. This person will make sure that missions are being accomplished. He or she will ask team members to send pictures of posters that they’ve put up, submit names and email addresses for the mailing list, and so on. There’s no use asking someone to do something if you’re not going to follow up.

OK, those are the rules. Now go forth and build yourself a team!

If you’ve been following our tutorials, then you already know how to put together a killer EPK as well as grow a fan base online. So let’s use this knowledge together and get some action. It’s time to promote.

Promotions are important tools to raise awareness about yourself and/or your band while engaging your fan base. But remember to use promotions sparingly because your supporters will start to feel less like fans and more like worker bees if they are inundated with too many contests, giveaways, etc. Be smart and focus your efforts on important events and objectives that need support.

A good promotion is one that gives your fans an easy and clear call-to-action and rewards them with something of a high perceived value such as tickets to a show, an advance copy of a CD, a free t-shirt, a meet-and-greet or a private acoustic performance. Something that won’t cost you much, but will feel special to your fans.

Remember to deliver on your promise in a timely manner. In other words, don’t wait six weeks before putting a CD in the mail to a contest winner. And be sure to recognize and thank not only the winner(s) but everyone who participated in the promotion as well. That’s just good manners.

Here are some ideas for easy online promotions:

•    Ask your fans post one of your songs on their profile and email you once they’ve done it. First 10 do so get a free download, free CD, etc.

•    Have your fans change their profile picture to your new album cover and email you a screenshot. Do a random drawing and send the winner an autographed copy of the CD.

•    Let your fans create a video to your new single. Post the videos on your profile page and ask your fans vote on their favorite. Send the winner a prize package.

•    If you’re planning a tour, ask your fans to send a show invite to all their friends. The first 20 to send you a screenshot of the invite they sent get a free t-shirt.

•    Post a blog calling on your fans to contact their local radio station and request your single (be sure to provide the call numbers for them). Plan a free show for the first market that adds your song into rotation.

When it comes to promotions, the sky is the limit. Be creative, have fun and give your fans something great to reward their efforts.

In the music industry, artists don’t usually get a second chance to make a first impressions. Record labels, talent buyers, publicists and critics are inundated with inquiries from bands every day so you better bring your A-game if you want to stand out. This is where the EPK (Electronic Press Kit) comes in to play.

What is an electronic press kit? Think of it as your sales presentation, your two-minute elevator speech. Basically, the kit should introduce yourself and your music in an engaging, concise way while also piquing the intended audience’s interest so they want to learn more about you as an artist. By combining video, audio and photography, you can create a high-impact impression of who you are and what your music is all about.  Click through to see what Big Bang TV, Breaking Laces and Kate Tucker & The Sons of Sweden all have in common and get expert advice on everything you need to build your own knockout EPK:

Continue reading ‘HOW TO PUT TOGETHER A KNOCKOUT EPK’