January

Going Viral with your Pants on the Ground

Posted In: Band Management, Career Building, For Businesses, Marketing & Promotion, Uncategorized by claybutlermusic

Since “The General” performed on American Idol, the country has been obsessed with “Pants on the Ground”. The absurdly entertaining, yet socially relevant performance has spurred everything from hats and handbags, to shirts and skivvies. There are mixes, remixes, and acoustic covers. Literally overnight, the entire world was talking about Pants on the Ground. You can’t turn log onto the internet, especially Facebook, without hearing the phrase, seeing the posted video, or seeing a link to some apparel emblazoned with the phrase. Truly, this is what it means to Go Viral.

So, what can we learn from The General when it comes to our music and marketing? With the right blend of cheese, relevance, entertainment value, and a certain endearing quality, people will talk about you. Granted, being on the highest rated and most watched television show in history, American Idol, doesn’t hurt. But, nevertheless Viral is possible.

Quite simply, if everyone is talking about something, then people can profit from it. This is precisely what we see when we log onto the internet with “Pants on the Ground”. Countless people are using his idea to make money for themselves. While you don’t necessarily want others to profit from you, the real key is to make this principle work for YOU and your music, video, or product.

Although no one can really guarantee viral status, what can we do to help get noticed?

Make it really entertaining–keep the viewer engaged.
Make it original–do something fresh or unexpected for the viewer.
Make it mindless–don’t make the viewer think too hard.
Keep it relatively short–leave the viewer wanting more.
Get a reaction–shock the viewer or make it endearing.
Make it catchy–make it memorable for the viewer.

Once you get the viewers talking and sharing, you’re over the biggest hurdle. To make viral marketing really work for you, you must have them associate the content to you or your brand. So, make sure the video has your web address and/or branding visible at some point. They’ve found your content, now make sure they know who it belongs to and how to find YOU.

Again, no one can really guarantee that their content will go viral, but keep these tips in mind when you produce your next web video or publicity campaign. Here’s a great book titled The New Rules of Marketing and PR, which goes into great detail about “Going Viral”.

Good luck!

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January

13

Production Perseverance: Struggling to Stay Motivated

Posted In: Career Building, Marketing & Promotion, Recording, Uncategorized by claybutlermusic

One of the most difficult aspects of being a full-time musician is staying motivated, especially when it seems that we’re not making any progress. The lack of apparent progress fools us into thinking that we’re a failure, which is a motivation killer.

For folks like me, who compose production music and create other content for a living, the biggest motivation killer is the lack of immediate results. We produce music for use in television, yet we may never know if the music gets used until months (even years in some cases) after the broadcast when we get our PRO statement in the mailbox. When you’re first starting out, though, the statements that read, “We regret to inform you…” that can suck the life right out of you. That’s when it’s hard to stay motivated.

Perhaps you’ve produced a great CD or book. Everyone you talk to thinks it’s great, and you’ve even sold a few. But, every time you walk into the garage, you’re faced with the boxes–ever present reminders that you’re not selling well.

Failures? Maybe. But within each of those “failures” lies potential success. We just need a catalyst–something that will kick start a little victory to carry us over to the next.

With production music, it’s a numbers game. So, the more you produce and “get out there”, the more likely you are to get your music placed. Let the satisfaction of seeing your catalog grow spur you on to produce more music.

In both cases, though, let your marketing motivate you. Get excited about the ways you can get your product (be it production music, a CD, a book, a blog, etc.) in front of as many people as possible. Better yet, bring them to YOU, and you’ll likely start seeing results. You can have the best product in the world, but if no one knows about it, no one will buy it.

Most importantly, CREATE! If you offer people more, your chances of success automatically increase. Nice how that works, isn’t it?!

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November

5

How-To Article: Boosting Band Revenue with a Merchandise Table

Posted In: Band Management, Marketing & Promotion, Uncategorized by claybutlermusic

Greetings! I’ve just published an article on eHow on How to Boost Band Revenue with a Merchandise Table. After dealing with a couple of bands recently in a management capacity, I thought it was prudent to touch on this topic again. I’ve posted a similar article here on the Butler Productions Blog, but this one digs a little deeper. Here’s a brief overview:

Treating your band like a business
Accumulating product
Dressing it up
Keeping an organized cash box
Manning the Table during the show
Post show activity

Click here to read the article in its entirety on eHow.

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July

6

Audio for Business: 10 Tips to Creating a Winning On-Hold Message Campaign

Posted In: For Businesses, Marketing & Promotion, Uncategorized by claybutlermusic

Start your On Hold Message Campaign

Audio is an often overlooked tool for business, but it is also one of the most valuable. One of the easiest ways to put audio to work for your business is with an On-Hold Message Campaign. On-Hold Messaging is a way to keep customers on the telephone line while simultaneously sharing important information with them. While it’s both easy and inexpensive to set up and maintain, many businesses often don’t know where to begin. Being a producer of on-hold message programs, Butler Productions has created a podcast entitled 10 Tips to Creating a Winning On-Hold Message Campaign as a sort of beginner’s guide. You can also download the transcript to the podcast. As a teaser, here are the 10 Tips:

Know your target audience
Find the right voice
Reassure waiting callers
Avoid the “hard sell”
Provide useful information
Answer common questions
Generate interest in new or unadvertised products or services
Get creative
Vary your message
Update often

Download the podcast or transcript for the full explanation and details on each tip.

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June

26

Plug For a Friend and Online Marketing Guru

Posted In: Career Building, Marketing & Promotion, Uncategorized by claybutlermusic

Since this blog deals with marketing yourself as a musician or band, I wanted to “introduce” you to a good friend of mine, Brandon Eley. He’s written a book entitled “Online Marketing Inside and Out”. It’s a great resource for anyone who is new to marketing on the web. It lists time-tested and proven strategies to kick start your campaign or maintain your existing web presence. Click the book cover for more info.

Check it out at his website and blogs at www.brandoneley.com

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June

25

Are You Doing One Thing Daily to Further Your Musical Career?

Posted In: Career Building, Marketing & Promotion, Uncategorized by claybutlermusic

We all lead busy lives. Unless you’ve crossed over into doing music full-time, it can be difficult to balance other activities like work, family, or school with your goals as a professional musician. However, it is possible to do at least ONE career-minded action each day, no matter how small they seem. Here are 20 simple ideas:

Update your social media (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter)
Give your business card to someone
Write down an original song idea
Write a new song
Read an article about music
Email your mailing list about your recent show
Post a new blog
Comment on another musician’s blog
Participate in a music forum
Take a look at other bands’ sites to see how you can imrove your own
Call one venue or club about booking
Give your demo to someone
Post a flyer in your local music store
Make a list of new songs to learn
Start learning a new song
Sign up for (and attend) a music conference
Listen to a new band’s CD
Go hear another band’s live show
Record a short song demo
Ask friends and family to help spread the word about your band

Be sure to comment with your ideas. Now go get ‘em!

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June

19

Can You Answer this Essential Question About Your Music?

Posted In: Band Management, Marketing & Promotion, Uncategorized by claybutlermusic

Part of what I do at Butler Productions is to help fledgling bands get started, whether it’s with demos, albums, or management, or just to give some advice. When bands approach me looking for a producer, for management, or for consultation services, there’s one question that I always ask when we get started: “Can you define your sound?” While that sounds like an easy enough question, I bet you’d be surprised at many groups’ inability to tell me effectively what they sound like. I’ll get responses like, “we’re a rock band.” Worse yet, I’ll get, “it’s hard to describe.” Or, worst of all, the ever-dreaded, “we’re versatile.” The answer to this question often holds the key to a band’s future.

Why Define Your Sound

I’ve learned (the hard way), when I was in a touring band that was shopping for a record deal, that labels look for bands that fit a narrowly-defined niche or sound. When you’re asked the question, “what do you sound like,” they want to know how easily you can be marketed. Say “We’re versatile,” and you’ll quickly get shown the door. I can hear you saying, “Isn’t versatile good?” Very simply, no. Labels aren’t looking for acts to fit into multiple genres. They’re looking for acts that fit into one primary category–easy to define, easy to market.

The same rule applies for bands who are trying to get gigs. Club owners want to know specifically what style you perform. Most of all, they want to know if you will appeal to their crowd. Narrowly focusing your sound also helps you as a band know which clubs to try and, more importantly, which ones will be a waste of your time. You wouldn’t play death metal in a honky-tonk country bar. The outcome could get ugly.

Your Pitch

Marketers tell small business owners to develop a 30-second elevator speech. These are concise descriptions of your business and products. Simply, it tells who you are and what you do. This tactic is a vital one for musicians and bands as well. Your music is your business, right? Use the speech to describe your style, sound, and similar bands. Also tell them how strong your fan base is, or how many of your loyal fans you can (realistically) put into their club. Labels and clubs are far less concerned with your artistry than with how much money you can make for them. When you begin describing yourself in these terms, you begin speaking their language. That’s when doors start to open.

Where to begin

If you don’t know where to start in identifying your sound, try asking your friends or fans. Then reflect on which artists or bands you closely resemble. Having a comparison to a popular or easily identifiable group is a good thing. For example, I’m currently working with a hard rock/metal band that describes themselves as thus: “Iron Maiden with the vocals of Disturbed”. Now that paints a vivid mental picture for any club or an A&R person.

Here are a few of helpful books about marketing yourself as a musician:

For more information, consultation, or other production services, contact Butler Productions. We’ll be glad to help.

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