Kurb music and media web 2.0 marketing and promotions.

FORMULATING A PROMOTION STRATEGY

A lot of people who subscribe to my Buzz Factor e-zine, read my books, and attend my workshops tell me that once they shift into a brainstorming mode, the self-promotion ideas come faster than Billy Joel behind the wheel of a Mazarotti. My first piece of advice regarding this fantastic state of mind is:

Buy a notebook or journal and capture these thoughts by writing them down. Don't expect to remember everything later. That rarely works. Grab ideas while they're hot.

If you're driving when inspiration strikes, carefully pull over and scribble down your thoughts on a gas receipt, fast food bag, or whatever is handy. If you're in a bar or restaurant, use a napkin. If you're in the shower ... well, be creative and find a way to record those great ideas.

So Many Ideas, So Little Time

Once you have a master list of earth-shattering, career-boosting concepts, things don't get any easier. Now you probably feel as if you have so many options, you don't know where to start. Most music people get so flustered at this point, they do nothing. Or they do a little bit of everything all at once and spread themselves too thin, with nothing to show for all their hard work.

Well, I believe in keeping things simple. Don't overwhelm yourself. For starters, before you jump into any new grand schemes, there are two basic things you should do every week, if not every day, no matter what else you may be working on:

1) Write, record and perform great music. This is no secret. The most creative promotion ideas in the world will do nothing to help mediocre music. So work on your music-making craft constantly. All it takes is one killer song to light a fire that will sustain an entire career.

2) The second thing you should do almost every day is to take steps to connect with and attract more fans. Don't get sidetracked with technicalities and industry connections and stuff that doesn't matter. Keep a constant focus on fans.

Creating Your Music Plan

Now, what about those specific big ideas you have for getting exposure, selling CDs, etc.? Get out a calendar that covers the next 12 months, and start writing down your best ideas and the times of the year they would work best.

Think this through and move things around on the calendar until you've got one or two great ideas listed for each month. Doing this will give you a promotional roadmap so you know the best ways to spend your time and energy every month. Your efforts will be more focused this way and more likely to generate results.

Don't just wing it and leave things to chance. This is your career and livelihood at stake here. Set priorities. Create an action plan. You can always tweak and alter the plan as you go. But having one in the first place gives you a starting point and a direction ... and a reason to get busy and start promoting your music now.

So formulate a plan -- your ideal plan -- then ... get out there and promote yourself!

Writing an artist bio
What kind of music is this?
All About Mastering
The Myths of pop idol
Designing your CD Cover
Writing A Press Release
Distribute free Mp3's online
Music, Technology and a
recent history of the industry
Attracting and working with
distributors
Formulating a Promotions plan
Kurbs favourite Music Industry Quotes
The business of selling music
Know your fans
35 Self Management tips
for musicians
Attracting more fans faster
25 Things to know about distributors
The philosophies of fame

Marketing your music to make money
Getting the best out of
your photoshoot
Presentation Technique
Ideas about your image as a musician
Getting real about being part of the music industry

	FORMULATING A PROMOTION STRATEGY A lot of people who subscribe to my Buzz Factor e-zine, read my books, and attend my workshops tell me that once they shift into a brainstorming mode, the self-promotion ideas come faster than Billy Joel behind the wheel of a Mazarotti. My first piece of advice regarding this fantastic state of mind is: Buy a notebook or journal and capture these thoughts by writing them down. Don't expect to remember everything later. That rarely works. Grab ideas while they're hot. If you're driving when inspiration strikes, carefully pull over and scribble down your thoughts on a gas receipt, fast food bag, or whatever is handy. If you're in a bar or restaurant, use a napkin. If you're in the shower ... well, be creative and find a way to record those great ideas. So Many Ideas, So Little Time Once you have a master list of earth-shattering, career-boosting concepts, things don't get any easier. Now you probably feel as if you have so many options, you don't know where to start. Most music people get so flustered at this point, they do nothing. Or they do a little bit of everything all at once and spread themselves too thin, with nothing to show for all their hard work. Well, I believe in keeping things simple. Don't overwhelm yourself. For starters, before you jump into any new grand schemes, there are two basic things you should do every week, if not every day, no matter what else you may be working on: 1) Write, record and perform great music. This is no secret. The most creative promotion ideas in the world will do nothing to help mediocre music. So work on your music-making craft constantly. All it takes is one killer song to light a fire that will sustain an entire career. 2) The second thing you should do almost every day is to take steps to connect with and attract more fans. Don't get sidetracked with technicalities and industry connections and stuff that doesn't matter. Keep a constant focus on fans. Creating Your Music Plan Now, what about those specific big ideas you have for getting exposure, selling CDs, etc.? Get out a calendar that covers the next 12 months, and start writing down your best ideas and the times of the year they would work best. Think this through and move things around on the calendar until you've got one or two great ideas listed for each month. Doing this will give you a promotional roadmap so you know the best ways to spend your time and energy every month. Your efforts will be more focused this way and more likely to generate results. Don't just wing it and leave things to chance. This is your career and livelihood at stake here. Set priorities. Create an action plan. You can always tweak and alter the plan as you go. But having one in the first place gives you a starting point and a direction ... and a reason to get busy and start promoting your music now. So formulate a plan -- your ideal plan -- then ... get out there and promote yourself! Writing an artist bio What kind of music is this? All About Mastering The Myths of pop idol Designing your CD Cover Writing A Press Release Distribute free Mp3's online Music, Technology and a recent history of the industry Attracting and working with distributors Formulating a Promotions plan Kurbs favourite Music Industry Quotes The business of selling music Know your fans 35 Self Management tips for musicians Attracting more fans faster 25 Things to know about distributors The philosophies of fame Marketing your music to make money Getting the best out of your photoshoot Presentation Technique Ideas about your image as a musician Getting real about being part of the music industry	back to the kurb indie muso's self promotion centre Contact: kurbpromoATgmail.com -(y'know the @ sign) - Phone me Matt in New Zealand: +64 (0) 27 6848250 back to Internet promotion Comprehensive social network branding and promotion, support and management, online listings, optimisation and link building, marketing, homepage design and maintenanc KURB HOME INTERNET PROMOTION AND INTERNET MARKETING FOR CREATIVE PROJECTS + SMALL BUSINESS SOCIAL NETWORKING BRANDING AND PROMOTION MYSPACE/BEBO/FACEBOOK MANAGEMENT GOOGLE SEARCH OPTIMISATION, SEARCH MARKETING AND ADWORDS CAMPAIGNS FULL VIDEO PRODUCTION + MARKETING VIDEO CONTENT MANAGEMENT HOUSEKEEPING: DESIGN, WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT & MAINTENANCE GENERAL ONLINE VISIBILITY AND ACCESS STRATEGIE Posters Self promotion for artists How you can more effectively market your small/home business on the web Video production + marketing learn how the next big thing on the net can boost your exposure ONLINE MANAGEMENT FOR ARTISTS & TALENT internet marketing and online promotion overview promotion campaign packages for musicians: cds + posters + promo + online management MATTS LATEST CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH ON THE KURB MYSPACE BLOGS YOUR MUSIC IS WORTH NOTHING NEW MUSIC INDUSTRY MODELS IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE NICE SPAM AND PHILOSOPHY ONLINE PROMOTION IS ALL ABOUT CONTENT HOW TO GET GIGS CRITICAL MASS IN ONLINE PROMOTION Ideas about your image as a musician Getting real about being part of the music industry Kurbs favourite Music Industry Quotes PHILOSOPHIES OF FAME CD DUPLICATION Replication, printing, ..................... . . 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