Punished for posting? I hate it when people like David Hughes of Mohican Records act as a spoiler to my magnanimous and virtuous efforts to help bands with their websites! I posted a most out-of-the-ordinary, as it was my first time, advertweet pointing my websiteless followers to an advert here on UBP’s blog recommending iPower, because They’ve Got A Sale On :) The amazing and stupendous Chris Bracco of Tight Mix Blog retweeted it and I quote: “On @BandPromotion: IPOWER Is Great For Musicians - Web Hosting Sale co/oiNHmPFv”

Anyway, I was talking with Adrian, an old friend, down the pub ages ago and he asked me, “What’s all that bollocks stuff on your Facebook these days?” “Oh, it’s just my tweets. I’ve synchronised Twitter and Facebook so my tweets appear in Facebook!” I said. “I’m not on Twitter” he said.

Back to the present, so how do I feel when the ill-informed David Hughes say’s on Facebook, “Nah it’s cheaper via 1&1 or better still bandzoogle for a real band website, it has everything you could possibly need and works with artist data which means being able to update all your web presence in one go, take from somebody who knows” ????

Synchronizing social media is a dangerous thing to do, especially for bands, who tend to spam the same mind numbing shit like “Check Out Our FUCKIN’ AWESOME New Demo” or “Join Our Mailing List” day after day; even when bands take care to post exciting and informative news, it can still look lazy and spammy! We are not helped by the social media who actively encourage synchronization, maybe as a collective act of self-promotion and togetherness?

Each social networking platform, be it Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, or dare I say it, Your Website, has its own niche, an identity created by its owner for its users - Facebook isn’t Twitter isn’t MySpace isn’t your website - the differences may seem subtle sometimes, but they are important to the individual user. Always use different content on the different social networking sites, so when people ‘click around’ they don’t read the same shyte over and over again, because that’s boring, disengaging and a massive, massive, massive turn-off - even for super-fan! The true promotional value of social networking is always measured by what you have to say!

So when somebody who knows tells you, you can automatically update and publish your information to your Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Bandzoogle, PureVolume, Sonicbids and MySpace fans all with the single press of a button, tell them to “Eff Off,” because they don’t know what they’re talking about and ultimately, it will hurt you if you don’t run away! And yes, I’ve de-synced.

As for 1&1 and Bandzoogle, well, I’m not going to pull them down. Stating the obvious, there are hundreds of places to get your band a website on the Internet, Bandzoogle and BandVista are two well-known sites that offer a 30 days free trial! But with many bands wingeing that they are perpetually skint, free networking sites like Facebook, YouTube and Myspace are the main attractions.

I like the idea of bands using blogging platforms as a free website because they are so easy to set-up and personalize. Here are some of the conspicuous names with an example band blog on each platform: Wordpress - Downstat, Twitter - Tiny Birds, Blogger - Blue News Band and Tumblr - Tom Waits.

Be creative and be inspired by giving life to a free website :) Primer used Wix for an easy drag and drop flash website- which looks brilliant :) Charlotte Stephenson used Moonfruit - London based and very friendly :) Tiny Birds - tinybirds.co.uk used Bandcamp as their publishing platform (not totally free but good)!

So anyway, I was talking with a band this week who asked, “Why are you doing all this for free and what’s in it for you? I’d love to put some work your way.” Well, I’m a Buddhist; I like to help bands by showing them how to promote their websites, I do it for free because I’m a Buddhist! My key words are, dedication, service, simplicity, purity and harmony; and my strapline is, helping musicians and artists to get their websites noticed by fans, search engines and the music industry in half the time they could do it on their own. If you feel that I’ve given your band support enough to warrant a reward, then feel free to make a small donation! I also recommend sites that I’m affiliated to like, iPower and easyspace who provide webhosting at very competitive prices - and I’m proud to do so :)

Here is a Buddhist thought, “As a net is made up by a series of knots, so everything in this world is connected by a series of knots. If anyone thinks that the mesh of a net is an independent, isolated thing, they are mistaken. It is called a net because it is made up of a series of connected meshes, and each mesh has its place and responsibilities in relation to other meshes.”

I don’t like to be pushy, when it comes to advertising on UBP however, IPOWER who have got a promotion going on at the moment, partly because they’ve merged names with iPowerWeb, is worth a second look if you are thinking of getting yourselves a website :)

It’s a good time to start building a Website with IPOWER, who used to be called iPowerweb! I’m an affiliate, give them a try - 30-day money back guarantee, with a free domain name :)

[Edit:] Easyspace has some quite good deals going on too :)

I was contacted by Dave Long of The Skarlets asking a video marketing related question. I visited The Skarlets website and was very pleasantly surprised by its high level of professionalism, it is one of the best band sites I’ve seen for ages - well done Roy Evans of Kaboodle Creative. Here is a little narrative for you!

UBP: Hi Dave, great to meet you. In my experience it’s unusual for a band to have such a polished website, what’s the story behind it?

Dave - The Skarlets: Cheers Ian, well we started out like most bands with just a MySpace page, but we found it so difficult to manage that no band member could be bothered with it! Not long after I met the singer from a Queen tribute act at the airport, he gave me the advice to create our own website. He also suggested that we include some quality video footage, preferably multi camera, of the band on the front page - which we’ve done.

UBP: Solid ritzy advice from ‘Freddie’ as per usual ;)

Dave - The Skarlets: Lol, yeah, of course the initial outlay is not cheap, but I would recomend this to any covers band if they want to progress. We also usually spend about £35 a month on a Google add campaign, this is a great help for potential customers who are looking for certain types of bands and it’s well worth doing, it increases your profile and brings great gig offers.

UBP: I think that you’ve hit the nail on the head, if a band (or a business) wants to progress they must have the confidence to invest in themselves, it’s not only about those long rehearsal sessions!

Dave - The Skarlets: Well it’s also about people, a huge thanks goes to Roy Evans for all the help he has given us with designing and managing the website!

UBP: Thanks Dave - The Skarlets are a dynamic and entertaining seven piece ska band from Reading, Berkshire. They play some of the very best ska and 2 Tone hits from the ’70s and early ’80s by artists such as, Jimmy Cliff, The Pioneers, The Specials, Madness, Bad Manners, Desmond Dekker and others - you’ll be up on the dance floor all night long. They are available for weddings, beer festivals, private parties and corporate events. And you can even Like them on Facebook - like I did :)

I was reading Chris Rockett’s Blog and feeling a little peeved because he hadn’t asked Me to contribute to his excellent blog post 100 Fan Sprint, where he asks the question, “What is the fastest way to get 100 targeted fans per day visiting your website on a consistent basis without using paid traffic?”

The answers given by each of the experts are right on the money and well worth the good read. Host your own blog is always popular advice with marketing and promotion experts, because a blog ticks so many of the SEO and Web 2.0 boxes; as is content, content, content - Content Is King (the title of an article by Bill Gates 1996) has been around for a long time.

The reason Chris didn’t ask me is probably because I’d give a boring answer that would lower the tone; well, here it is on my boring blog instead of his glamorous website:

“The fasest way initially is to collaborate with others. Warning: collaboration will kill you if your band is crap and has a pisspoor website!
Create a ‘Target Fan Profile’ and figure out how they will come to your website; there are three usual ways (with multiple criterion): 1. By searching in a search engine. 2. By clicking on an incoming link. 3 By typing your URL directly into the address bar.
Create the right environment on your website that will satisfy your target audience. Point your potential fan towards your website using both online and real world techniques. Visitors will keep returning and become fans if they are continually entertained!
…How Fast? Well it is not going to be a 9.58 100m sprint, more like a decathlon! Visitor numbers improve with the quality and quantity of Content, in combination with the quality and quantity of Incoming Links, and Time.”

The 100 Fan Decathlon

Any one of the hundreds of website promotion & band promotion ideas, tips, tricks and gimmicks could bring a sudden surge of traffic to your band’s website, but that’s not what we’re talking about, gaining consistent targeted traffic is not a short term quick fix sprint, it requires a multi-disciplined effort more like the decathlon (or running a small business)! A band should educate themselves (read: Build A Team Of Online Support For Your Band) and get help from a dedicated person who is capable of handling all things to do with Media, Promotion and Marketing.

Here is a simple and basic outline of a typical website promotion effort:

Day 1

• Firstly, obviously, you need a real website. D’oh!
• Make your band’s website the focal point of all your social networking and Internet activities - err… link to it!
• Tweak and improve your band’s website, it needs to: load quickly. look good. be in character. connect (link) correctly. be useful. be interesting. have a purpose. be different. be entertaining. offer an easy mailing list sign-up. give a freebie. have very clear navigation - (read: Make A Sexy Website And Get Laid Like A Rockstar This Weekend).
• Use WordPress - free blog software, easy to install, loads of free templates and plugins.
  Add Google Analytics - so you can evaluate your progress.
  Sign up to MailChimp - a free email marketing and email list manager that allows you to design, send and track HTML email campaigns.
• Find the top 20 keywords and key-phrases that best describe your band and genre. Think about what your potential fans will search for, then add them to your website (think SEO). Now you’re being found for something else in the search engines other than your band’s name - for example, it could be: your genre (indie rock band), your location (Chelsea, London), the name of your favourite venue or your album, song titles (all very obvious, sorry)…
• Create an email list (use: MailChimp) / database of fans, friends and family, especially target those within your locale; ask them for promotional help and support (i.e. help spread the word) - a group of four should be able to assemble an instantaneous and legitimate mailing list of about 300 (ask people first), aim for around 1,500 - 2,000 subscribers.
• Write A Blog Post Three Times A Week (Mon, Wed & Fri) - blogging regularly will really get you thinking about your subject and enable you to talk about your music. It will increase the size, quality and visibility of your website and therefore make linking easier - share.

Day 2

• Find a couple of struggling blogs that are enthusiastic and compatible with your band’s lifestyle and genre; join in and support their community - never practice the art of shameless self-promotion (it’s all about the community, not you).
• Set up a small, hands-on and dedicated ‘Promotion Team’ (superfans only) that work both online and offline - a proactive and knowledgable ‘E/street’ team can really help to increase your fan base.
• Team-up and collaborate with upto 5 local bands who have the same or a V.complementary genre - play gigs and promote each other online and offline.
• Collaborate with a fashion house (a fashion company, a designer, a shop: selling off-the-peg, custom-made, haute couture clothing) - also include: a hairdresser (could be a salon), a make-up artist, a photographer, a fashion stylist (to help build & control your image. A good stylist will help with branding), a lifestyle magazine/website. Do-it-yourself, noobie bands who can’t attract the attention of professionals, are usually at an age where they can collaborate with students, assistants and the like. Also think about local charities, record shops, cafes, pubs, clubs, venues… Note: a hairdresser sees approximately 200 clients every 5 weeks, and she talks to each of them for about 45 minutes - “Something for the Weekend Mademoiselle?”
• Check to make sure your superfans, friends and family have all joined you on your main social networking platforms. Then ask them to spread the word by/via: Updates, Bookmarks, Bulletins, Emails, Pings, Retweets, Tagging, Comments and Posts etc… regularly provide them with interesting information so they can talk about your band, lifestyle and genre with reckless abandon.
• Announce your (updated) website by newsletter (MailChimp) about five times a year to your mailing list - give ‘em a treat at the same time.
• (Legally) Hand out, post, pin up, stick and drop (accidentally!): flyers, stickers, business cards, button badges (include your band’s name, website address & free gift inf.) - in and around: schools, colleges, universities, record shops, fashion shops, cafes, pubs, clubs, venues, churches…

Every Week

• Link with 10 other websites. For linking think networking and for networking think conversations. So that’s, get into deep and meaningful conversation with ten new people each week.
• Write 10 sentences (no more than 140 characters each) about your lifestyle and genre (not your band) - be elegant. Share.
• Participate in popular forums and blogs.
• Keep track of your website’s statistics and social analytics.

GOOD LUCK

Helping Indie Bands With Website Promotion
Unsigned Band Promotion
UnsignedBandPromotion.com
Helping musicians and artists get their websites noticed by fans, search engines
and the music industry in half the time they could do it on their own.

Ross Barber (ElectricKiWi) and I met through Twitter (@rossautomatica) - it feels to me like we’ve put our arms over each others shoulders and we’re weaving down the road together singing and having a laugh, but at the same time being serious about our journey and we’re each of us striving to reach to our destination - so there’s bound to be a little bit of jostling ;)

UBP: We opened our friendship by talking about flyer design, which I’m interested in because I promote the idea of bands using a Vertical Rectangle Banner Ad. (a reduced A6 flyer) - a good combination I feel! Ross, what are your thoughts on the different sizes of flyers, and how do you feel about turning them into website banners?

Ross Barber: Hey Ian, I think it’s a good idea to reduce physical flyers into an online format. As more and more people are discovering music online than ever before, online promotion cannot be ignored. I would say it does depend on the design of the poster/flyer as to how well it will transfer to a digital environment. As you mentioned in Band Flyers and Banners, it can be difficult to read when a poster has been re-sized for online use. It could be a good idea for designers to create a separate version once the background image has been re-sized. This would not take up a great deal of time and would maximise potential exposure for the band in question.

For use offline, I think varying sizes of posters and flyers are great, too - particularly if the designs are creative and can match the band’s style. For example, cutting posters into different shapes if the band’s name is associated with a particular shape or object. Different poster sizes work for different locations so it’s always a good idea to have at least 2 different sizes for the purpose of maximising the number of places you can advertise.

If the flyers can double up as both an offline and online method, then even better! I’ve always said that it is so important not to ignore either environment for promotion as each is extremely valuable and together they can be even stronger. They enhance each other massively when the strategy is right!

UBP: Thanks for the flyer, it’s an ideal working example. Yeah, I totally agree with you, promoting and marketing your genre, style, image, aura and brand simultaneously using both online and offline methods, can have an ultra-powerful effect.

Cost is always in the back of my mind, different sizes, full colour etc. cost money; one of the reasons I recommend bands should start with a simple A6 flyer, is so they can self-print four to a normal sized sheet of paper (A4) in monochrome and slice them accordingly; most bands don’t have much money - I’m aware there is also a professionalism issue here! Most venues use a local printer who may also do the designs, how do you feel you fit in with this, who are you targeting?

Ross Barber: Cost is always going to be an issue. I know that money is an issue, particularly if a band is dedicating a lot of their time to their music and don’t have another source of income. Even someone who does have a steady income may not have the extra funds available to spend on flyers. I do think that high-quality flyers which are relevant to the band’s style can make a big difference when it comes to promotion, so I would say that if they can afford to spend some money on a design which reflects their music, they definitely should - it could be very good value for money.

As for the venues who may have printers and designers in place - there is not going to be much we can do in this situation. The downside to this would be that often the designs may not represent the style of music as accurately as an in depth consultation with someone who designs specifically for musicians and bands would do. I’m not sure how you could combat the venues who will only allow flyers made by their chosen agency, though - that would be something I would look into when the situation arose.

UBP: Well from a band’s point of view, a venue who promotes their gigs is brilliant, a band can still, and should, produce their own flyers, it’s all part of branding.

Even though you’d never know it from my websites, I love art and have had a life full of art and fashion. What initially attracted me to your website was the Jackson Pollock-esque, James Brooks-ish, abstract expressionist header image. The ‘era’ of the 1950s to the 1970s (with a little 1930’s surrealist movement thrown in) is my main love and influence, what are your main influences and how do you reflect them in your artworks?

Ross Barber: Bands should take advantage of any promotional services the venue can offer, absolutely, but I agree that they should have their own flyers made wherever possible.

As for my inspiration, it’s a difficult one to place. Unlike you, I’ve never really been that involved in art. It’s strange though because I love graphic design but don’t think I could cite any specific artists or eras that inspire me. I would say I am inspired mostly by artwork I see everyday - whether it is online or elsewhere. I do love abstract and experimental graphic design and have always liked combining elaborate abstract designs with grungy textures and patterns.

Music gives me a lot of ideas too - I often get images in my head when listening to music. Listening to instrumental bands like Explosions in the Sky or This Will Destroy You never fails to conjure up a few ideas! Sometimes they are vague such as a basic colour palette to start with and sometimes they are more complete visions. It varies so much! I always try to match the visuals with the audio so there is a level of consistency and branding to some extent so I try and listen to the artist’s music while working to keep the vision focused!

UBP: A while ago I was sitting and chatting to my wife, when the thought suddenly popped into my head ‘What colour is rock music?‘ and something odd happened, I could see the colours! I wondered how this would translate into branding as well as marketing and promotion. It does! Almost! Sort of! Wow!

Do you see/feel the differences between Marketing and Promotion? I ask this because of the way you present your website (BTW., that’s not a negative criticism). Also, one of my hobby-horses is ‘local band promotion’, how do you interact with your local bands in Glasgow?

Ross Barber: Haha, I wouldn’t solely rely on the ideas that music creates, but I definitely think there are certain colours that are more appropriate for a style of music than others. It’s funny though, because music and art affect people in different ways - what one person "sees" music as could be something completely different from what another sees. This could be a fairly interesting topic to research!

I would say I have a pretty good understanding of marketing and promotion. Marketing has more to do with defining your target audience and presenting the product (in this case, the gig/website/album etc.) in a way that will appeal to the audience. Promotion is more about spreading the word and advertising in a sense. I offer an online marketing service, which is mostly about ensuring that a band’s website has copy which is going to be SEO friendly while also being engaging to their audience. I do provide online promotion services, marketing and promotion do go hand in hand. The services I offer are tailored individually as everyone has different needs.

I’ve only recently moved to Glasgow and am still getting to know how the music scene works here. It’s definitely different from the small town I moved here from! I do most of my interaction online at the moment and have made quite a few connections this way. Before starting ElectricKiWi, I had done quite a bit of writing for The List magazine and AbsolutePunk.net which introduced me to a lot of new bands and allowed me to connect on a slightly more professional level.

I’ve always embraced the internet as a networking tool. I started building websites and participating in online communities around 12 years ago. I think I maybe spent too much time online when I was younger and as a result find it far easier to make connections via the internet first, I would say in all honesty that I’m perhaps a little shy and reserved in social settings at first which is why I find it harder to introduce myself in an offline environment than online. Online I can showcase my abilities far easier than I could in a real-life setting, I guess!

UBP: Interesting name ElectricKiwi, where did that come from, do you have connections with New Zealand?

Yeah, small town band promotion is completely different from big city promo. Bands who come from London say, have a big advantage in terms of getting gigs and fans, over bands who come from the provinces - I was talking with a London based band who were trying to make it big on the internet, they’d ‘forgotten’ where they lived!

The most common question I get asked by bands is, "Can you help us get our name out there?" How would you respond to that?

Ross Barber: The ElectricKiWi name has been around for a long time. I originally purchased the domain about 8 years ago and it started off as a personal blog, then it evolved to include and showcase my own music. I decided a few months ago to relaunch it as a design and marketing service. As for the name itself, there is no real meaning behind it. When I decided to buy a domain, I wanted an unusual name and just tried pairing random words…ElectricKiWi was the result!

You’re absolutely right. Bands in larger cities have a greater chance of getting gigs but at the same time there is so much competition it can be harder in some cases to stand out.

When a band asks for help "getting their name out there", I think it’s important to know if they mean locally, nationally or internationally. I would offer some assistance or advice in on-site and off-site SEO to ensure their website ranks for the most appropriate and effective keywords, encourage them to network and communicate with their target audience and other bands/venues in their local area to start with. Without a big budget, it is usually going to be a slow process building up a large fanbase and becoming known either in their area or elsewhere. Of course it is possible but they have to be dedicated and be willing to stick it out for the long haul!

UBP: Put the elasticated stockings on, We’re Going Long Haul - that’s So True :)

Ross, I really like your individual and personal approach when engaging with bands, and I think that you have got it absolutly right when you talk about, encouraging bands to start off by networking and communicating with their target audience, other bands and venues in their local area. It’s always a joint effort between ‘us’ and the band :)

ElectricKiWi - I’m disappointed! I was expecting tales of travel into the mystical heartland of New Zealand, hey-ho, what’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet - actually I’m not so sure that’s true anymore after watching ‘Secrets of the Superbrands’ presented by Alex Riley last night!

END

Get in touch with Ross Barber for graphic design, web design and online marketing and promotion - he’d love to help you with your band’s next flyer campaign. Ross: ElectricKiWi, Twitter, Facebook.

In Conversation With The Music Industry,
Unsigned Band Promotion
UnsignedBandPromotion.com
Helping musicians and artists get their websites noticed by fans, search engines
and the music industry in half the time they could do it on their own.

I got a Facebook message reply from Lisa the other day that asked, "what’s the point of having a fucking website?" Then a couple of days later I read Michael Brandvold’s well written and informative Music Think Tank article, How To Use Facebook & Twitter With Your Official Website, Case Study Kissonline.com. Coincidence?

I referred Lisa to my 101 Reasons Why Your Band Needs A Website, but I’m thinking that I wrote it ages ago and it needs a bit of updating and some more explanation:

Firstly, I think many people are somewhat confused about the definition of a Website. Simply, a website is a set or group of web pages that are linked together by a common domain name (URL, e.g: Facebook.com), it is hosted on a web server(s) and it is usually owned by one person (partnership, business, company etc.). So, your Facebook page, MySpace page etc., are all part of someone else’s website. MySpace isn’t YourSpace, it’s Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation’s space. By relinquishing web ownership, you also give up your potential advantage. I do say in ‘101 Reasons…’, "Owning a website shows credibility, control and professionalism; and if you want to be taken seriously by the music industry, you need a website." But let’s get real, there’s nothing professional about owning a website anymore, every self-employed person who comes to our house (gardener, window cleaner, my wife’s hairdresser etc.) has got one; and there is especially nothing professional about having a website and directing the visitors to a social networking website. It is the way you use your website that makes you look professional. I will go further and say, "it is very possible for an ordinary, mediocre musician to succeed because of the way they make use of their website." For instance, if we miss the window cleaner, we can pay him online (+10% and maybe give him a tip)!

Ownership is a key to your success. You own the ©copyright of your website and the Contents therein; that is important, because when you join a social networking website you share your copyright by accepting their terms and conditions. Meaning: subject to your privacy settings, you will grant them a limited worldwide license to use any Content that you post on their website. But, it’s not only about intellectual property rights, you also have to behave accordingly. When you own the website, your only limitation is you yourself.

"A website is for business." Most of the social networking websites allow an element of ‘free’ e-commerce, but that’s it; however there’s more to doing business than selling a few downloads or T-shirts. The real business of a website is achieved by Understanding Your Website’s Statistics (numbers of social networking: page views, comments and friends are all meaningless); it will enable you to target your ‘fans’ more accurately. Every time someone visits your website, their (Internet client software) browser talks to your server’s software, and passes on vital information about that visitor and what they are doing on your website, like: what page the visitor entered and exited; information that is not available from your social networking pages. Typical stats information would be: Unique Visitors (maybe sign-up details. Inf. gained from cookies [can be inaccurate]), Page Views (number of page impressions), Referrers (who links to you and how much traffic they send), Search Strings (what words people are using to find you in the search engines) and Traffic Data (sites, IP addresses, users, geographical, what browser, etc., it can be all tech stuff like visit timeout - handy if you know how to interpret it!). If your web hosting service only provides basic stats, try Google Analytics, they’re free.

Websites and web business can be about small percentages (remember all the fuss about ‘the long tail’?). Social networking sites never allow you to gain online advertising revenue generated by ad serving applications like Google AdSense and affiliate links, actually what they are doing is cutting into and reducing Your online advertising revenue - they become a competitor!

Lastly, IMHO, MySpace went into rapid decline in ‘07 with the introduction of msplinks. Added as a security measure, msplinks filter outgoing links by using a redirect to help prevent and warn against spam, phishing, etc., of course it also prevents users from posting links in MySpace comments to promote their websites and increase their search engine ranking! It is taking the emphasis away from promoting your website (if you had one) Lisa, and that’s my gripe, your website should always be at the top of the promotion, marketing pyramid, with your many social networking pages forming the foundation. As for forwarding or redirecting your URL toward your social networking profile page? Lisa that is Bollocks. Promote yourself, not MySpace, Facebook or whoever!

Point your social networking traffic towards your website then branding, building and targeting an audience, fan/customer relations and statistics will all have more of a positive meaning.

I’ve been looking at the standard sizes of banner ads, to see if one would translate into an Online Flyer (Hey! It’s a good idea to include your flyer on your website and various profiles). Obviously there are a number of well-known standard banner ad sizes: 728×90 Leaderboard, 468X60 Full Banner (standard), 120X60 Button, 88×31 Micro Bar, 125×125 Square Button, 300×250 Medium Rectangle, 180×150 Rectangle… but there wasn’t a size that would fit with the reduction of an A5 flyer (140mm x 210mm). So, I took a look around the Web and I’ve come up with the 180px X 255px Vertical Rectangle.

Of course, reducing an A5 flyer down to 180X255 can cause problems - one can’t read the information - so that’s no good!

I made a very basic A6, postcard size flyer (102mm x 152mm, 5.75″ x 4.375″, 1/4 A4. Yeah, I know You can design a better flyer), and by keeping it simple it resized very well (BTW, Thanks Menendez for allowing me to use their ‘old’ flyers and cobble one together using their name) - see above.

1. To keep life simple and the results awesome, I recommend you start off with an A6 (102mm x 152mm), postcard size flyer - they’re easy & cheap to print, four flyers to an A4 (normal printer paper. Black & white or monochrome?). Creating an effective flyer may not be that easy if you don’t have the tools or talent - you’d better find someone who has! The idea is to create a flyer that works: clear, informative and easy to read text. Interesting and eye-catching graphics. Reduce the A6 flyer image to make a 180px X 255px Vertical Rectangle flyer ad.
2. Think about your fans and the information they’re seeking from your flyer - are there any special factors like age restrictions?
3. If entry to the gig is FREE, make sure it’s displayed clearly - people are interested in the word FREE, so it will make your flyer more eye-catching!
4. The best position to place the 180×255 Vertical Rectangle flyer is about halfway down on the right-hand side of your website’s opening page.
5. You definitely need to spread the word about your next gig. You can do this by asking fans, friends & family and local bands of the same genre to display your flyer on their: Website, Facebook, Myspace, ReverbNation, Wordpress, etc… Can you see the problem? What happens after the gig, and your wonderful flyer becomes obsolete? Make a 180×255 Vertical Rectangle banner advertising your band. Name the image YourBandName-flyer.jpg (this is the file everyone links to, it will always be the filename of your flyer AND banner images - get it?). Now you only need to change/manage the filenames and replace/swap the image as and when required! - - Oh God! even that solution can cause problems, so provide a selection of the two (different image names) and let the ‘advertiser’ choose.
6. Encourage other local bands of the same genre to swap flyers/banners/links with your website. Create a ‘Your Flyer Here’ or special flyer page - it’s a good idea to provide your flyer/banner link code (the HTML). This is all good for website promotion too!
7. Keep an eye on your website’s access logs to get an idea of what flyer/banner design works best - you may need to create some alternative flyers/banners, don’t stick with the same old design.

Helping Indie Bands With Website Promotion,
Unsigned Band Promotion
UnsignedBandPromotion.com
Helping musicians and artists get their websites noticed by fans, search engines
and the music industry in half the time they could do it on their own.

I was contacted by Leslie, who I assume is part of the Next Day Flyers promotion/link building team! She sent me some blurb, and here it is:

How are you promoting your upcoming shows? Naturally there are many methods including online marketing and offline marketing. One of the most common ways to create buzz about an upcoming performance is to utilize printed club flyers. Printed event flyers can be distributed via the venue you will be performing at a couple of weeks prior to your show. This gives potential guests time to plan and schedule around your gig. Flyers can also be distributed to businesses in the area where there is a potential crossover in the fan base you are trying to attract. For instance, if there are music shops, coffee shops, and book-stores located nearby your venue, you may want to leave your flyers on hand at those businesses. If a band of a similar genre is performing at a bar, don’t be afraid to place your flyers on the windshields of cars in the area. Every bit of exposure helps.

Next Day Flyers is an online printing company offering custom printed materials. Their service meets the needs of bands, DJs and musicians who have the goal of spreading the word about a performance and attracting more visitors. Next Day Flyers has themed templates offered on their website designed specifically for musicians to use. Custom layouts can be created online in a matter of minutes. Be sure to think through your next marketing tactics and do what is needed to attract a large crowd.

Of course, Next Day Flyers is a USA based printing company; I’m sure they’re not targeting bands and clubs based in the UK, costs would be far too high (actually, don’t most people go locally for printing so they can build up a relationship with the printer?). I thought I’d give you a Price Check and a rough idea what the costs would be for a typical band’s flyer: 100 X half page (A5) ‘Night Club Flyer’, full colour front & blank back, 100lb glossy paper, printing turn around 2-4 business days: Sub Total $39.95 Plus shipping @ $11.53 (that’s to Houston, TX, they’re in Rancho Dominguez, CA).

Is $51.48 expensive for 100 flyers Leslie? At Band Flyers they’re Free - one has to print them off oneself though!

I have always recommended that bands use both online and real world techniques to promote themselves; flyers bridge the two, you can post them as an image on social networking sites and hand them out at gigs (promoting your next gig), they are almost always good value for money, even at $51!

If you give Next Day Flyers a try, please let me know how you got on.

August is a funny month - the so called silly season - so now that we are at the end, I thought I would share a typical email correspondance - to extend the pain. Obviously I have protected the identity of the sender, who’s real name is Andrea!

Date: August 2010 - Subject: NOSPAM - Band Promotion

Joanna: Hi, I’m in a London based rock band and I’m interested in your ‘Band Promotion Project’. I was wondering if you could help us with promoting our myspace page, i.e. increasing number of plays/hits and expanding our fan base.

UBP: Hi, I am sorry but I do not help bands to promote their MySpace pages (even though I’m #1 in Google for: MySpace Band Promotion), I only help bands to promote their Websites. I see you have a website, I would be happy to take a look and offer some practical promotional help and suggestions - maybe you would like to swap links? Join me on Twitter and I’ll re-tweet your gig dates. Let me know what you want.

Joanna: That’s cool, as you know most people go to myspace nowadays because it’s easier as it’s got all the info in one page. Also record labels and management look at myspace to see number of plays, friends, comments etc. We only got the website so we had a band email and because it looks more professional to have one. Having said that feel free to have a look and tell us what you think, but bare in mind most of it is referring people back to myspace! I’m not very good at twitter I just got updates from myspace, facebook, etc…

UBP: Dear Joanna, Well, you have obviously visited my website Unsigned Band Promotion, but (and I quite understand why) you haven’t quite grasped what I am trying to say to you, so here it is again:

I am NOT a band promoter in the traditional sense (I do not arrange gigs/bookings), I am "Website Promotion" for bands! I help musicians and artists to get their websites noticed by fans, search engines and the music industry in half the time they could do it on their own, PLUS: UnsignedBandPromotion is the worlds best free website promotion resource and service for independent bands. I do not get hands-on and help bands to promote MySpace, PureVolume and profiles in general, or FreeWebs, Yahoo! (GeoCities is dead) LYCOS.tripod and other free webhosting type of pages - *I am all about the real Website*. The Band Promotion Project is a practical approach to promoting your band’s website (it is: - This website. My way of helping bands with website promotion. About experimentation and discovery). I aim to increase the number of visitors to your website, find missed promotional opportunities and ultimately, increase your fan base. I do not aim to change your band’s image, your sound or the look and feel of your website. I am simply experimenting with a number of website promotion and SEO methods for independent bands - it is free and there is no sign-up - and that’s it! Get it?

Anyway, even though bands use MySpace, all your fans have moved over to Facebook and/or Twitter - for some strange reason, that I can’t explain, I’m not very keen on Facebook, I prefer twitter!! I do realize though that Myspace is an important erogenous zone for independent bands because it has a reasonably reliable and easy to operate music player. Apart from that, the interface is shit and Friends aren’t Fans - nb: if you are a band that wants to attract young teenagers, Myspace might still be a good place to be. Gig Promoters, Venues, Labels, Press, Online Radio and DJs all want to hear quality music, so if you are a band who has genuine talent, you’ll do O.K. (where ever you are on the ‘net), but if you’re not and you’re having trouble getting your music noticed by the ‘music industry’, then it’s probably shyte, give it up, or do it just for fun in private.

And there is nothing professional about a band having a website, everyone has got one. And there is especially nothing professional about a band having a website and directing all the visitors to MySpace - unless you’re a band of professional tossers! It is the way a band uses it’s website that makes it look professional. And I would go further and say, that it is very possible for an ordinary, mediocre band to succeed because of the way they make use of their website. Wow! that’s a big statement. BTW Andrea/Joanna, whatever your fucking name is, your landing page (website) is absolute rubbish.

I wish I’d replied with that!

Time to get lazy and sit in the garden and watch the world go by with a beer, September’s here at last.

Helping Indie Bands With Website Promotion,
Unsigned Band Promotion
UnsignedBandPromotion.com
Helping musicians and artists get their websites noticed by fans, search engines
and the music industry in half the time they could do it on their own.

SYRUSS the rock band from Plymouth, Devon (Southwest England) have got themselves a shiny new website - have a gander.

They’ve got the usual profiles where you can check out the tunes and videos and help yourself to any of the free downloads - MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Micro-Site