Yesterday I was working on a project for another site that required I research several local bands.  Assuming they had a web presence, I started by searching their names on Google to see what I could come up with.  It surprised me to learn that many of the bands did not have much of a web presence and one I wasn’t able to find at all.

Why was I surprised?

Not that I know anything about the music industry but, for whatever reason, I assumed that these bands would have a strong web presence.   That they would be interacting with their fans to, at the very least, let them know where they are going to play next.  How do their fans know where they are going to be if they don’t tell them?  Do they assume that the club they are playing at is going to promote them?  Are their fans supposed to find them by driving by the club and notice that the band’s name is on the sign out front?  Do people find them by accident?  They decide to go out that night and the band just happens to be playing at the club they go to.

A business like any other

Do bands realize they are a business?  No, they don’t have a store front but they are a business.  I guess I can understand that when a band is young, they are focusing on creating music and improving their sound.  But, developing their fan base is what’s going to get them “climbing the charts” so to speak.  It’s what’s going to get them more gigs.  If the club is packed with fans that came out specifically to hear then, the more the club owner wants to hire them.

Every business, including bands, need to have a web presence.  The value of developing relationships with your customers (your fans) should not be underestimated.  Those customers, those fans will ultimately be your biggest asset.  They will be the ones doing the advertising for you.  They will be the ones telling their friends, who tell their friends, who tell their friends and so on, about you.  It doesn’t matter if you are a band or a t-shirt shop or a small café, it works the same.  The more people you communicate with, the more people that are telling others about you.

Get out there on the social media platforms your fans and customers are on and start developing those relationships.  Developing relationships IS developing your business.

What’s your social media strategy?  Are you where you customers or your fans are?

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Social media marketing is one of the most exciting, interactive forms of advertising around today.  It is easily measureable, extremely focused and very effective, not to mention affordable.

The basis of social marketing is building and strengthening your brand while developing relationships with your customer base.   It demonstrates to them your knowledge of your business, your care and concern for them as customers, and by your willingness to share a little of yourself makes you reachable and real to them.

When social marketing is executed properly, customers come to trust you personally and become loyal to you and your business.  It is all about relationship building.  It is this customer that will always think of you and your business first when they need something that you provide and will be quick to recommend you to their friends.  Developing these relationships, the trust and loyalty, is priceless when it comes to strengthening your brand.

I mentioned earlier that this was an interactive form of advertising.  While you are conversing with your audience, they are able to comment on what you are sharing with them.  They are able to express their experiences, both good and bad.  This line of communication is what’s going to make your business stronger.  You will be able to learn about customers experiences and be able to make adjustments where necessary.  The fact that the customer can express all of this to you and you be able to respond to them in a forum that allows all readers to see, will show your audience that you care and as a result, build trust and loyalty.

One last point that I would like to share about this form of advertising is that it is sustainable.  The relationships that you develop have the potential to last for many years.

You might say that this sounds too complicated or too time-consuming or maybe you just don’t get it, all of which is completely understandable.  At first, it does sound complicated and seems to have the potential for being extremely time-consuming but once you start a program, you will find that it does not really take much more than about 20 minutes per day, but the benefit can be enormous.

Take the plunge and get your program started today.

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