I’ve noticed quite a few more bands and bars using Facebook events to market their shows. This is exciting for all of us as we spread the word about our performances!
However, here’s a important tip: Clarify your title so it’s easily scannable.
Consider how Fusion Shows, a Michigan music/show promotion company, writes perfectly clear titles for their event pages:
Fusion creates clarity with three simple routines:
1. They put the band name in the post
2. They put venue’s name in the post
3. They put the date in the post concisely (Month/day works well in numbers)
Recently, a bar made an event page for my performance and titled the page “Mike Vial.” This was confusing to share with others, and it wasn’t visually helpful upon first glance. Where is this event? When is this event? Don’t I already follow Mike Vial’s page? Quite a few of my friends were joking that they were “attending Mike Vial.”
Worse, aquainances and fans will ignore what is confusing.
Remember, Facebook users are getting hit up by quite a few events a month. Our fans should be able to scan their events list and know what is happening without much mouse clicking, without much thought.
So don’t forget to give the info in the title in a simple, routine fashion that fits your event!
A musician [myoo-zish-uhn] n.
1. an independent business owner: lyrics are his (and her) testimony; press kits his resumes; the songs his experiences; calls for gigs, the continual “job search”; a merch table his brick and mortar; one who lives the road life or death of a salesman.
2. an artist, one who puts his blood and soul into his work; one who is humble; thanks every person who gives his music a chance; recognizes there is no performance without an audience; appreciates criticism; savors compliments.
3. one who would do this thing called music for free, but must make a living at it; treats his instruments like his appendages; faces his mistakes with fearlessness; finds continual inspiration in the support of those most close to him.
Today, I had to remind myself that rejection isn’t failure, but proof of success. Failure is only found in giving up.
One of my friends was sharing the difficulty of staying positive while dealing the difficult job search. He wrote, “…for the most part, I’ve been really patient and really glass half full about the whole thing. Every now and again it just gets tough.”
It was easy to write back words of encouragement to him yesterday. But today, I got a taste of rejection myself. Another song submission for an TV placement through Taxi was sent back to me: “Sorry, we listened carefully to your song, but unfortunately, it wasn’t right on target for this listing…” I’ve read these words about 15-20 times these last six months. Why do I keep submitting songs only to go through this emotional roller coaster? I pondered this evening.
Today I had to reread my words of encouragement for my friend to find the answer: Getting rejections is proof that one is working hard enough.
Tbe job search is like asking a girl out at the club. We need to expect more “nos” than “yeses” in life. Not every opportunity is a perfect fit, but one must be persistent to find a match.
Are you feeling like you are in the same rocky boat of high hopes and low rejections? Keep sending those resumes, submitting those college applications, mailing those CD demos. Don’t fear the rejection letter. Do what Stephen King did in the 70s: Nail them rejections to your wall as proof that you are working.
Earlier today, I wrote about the emerging importance of the Facebook band page. I noticed another thing while looking at bands’ Facebook presences: Many bands–singer-songwriters especially–have more friends on their profiles than likes on their band page. Why? Because the profiles were more valuable a few years ago, and many musicians ignored their pages.
Ari Hest might have made the same mistake I did: He gave his profile the more valuable url name: www.facebook.com/arihest.The shorter URL should have been saved for the band page, but at first, the profiles had more options. Now, the band page is more usable for us, and Ari had to make his band page www.facebook.com/arihestmusic. I made the same mistake, valuing my profile more than my page. It made sense a few years ago. My profile’s URL is www.facebook.com/mikevial. My band page is www.facebook.com/mikevialmusic.
Ari Hest also has almost 5000 friends, but only 3033 likes. (He might also have multiple profile pages.)
Now that the Facebook band pages are more usable, many of us will have to make an adjustment. Soon, we will be able to update our pages on our mobile phones, and when that happens, the full transition will be complete.
For businesses this is extra important: Don’t make a profile, make a page!
Seriously, many of us will be turned off by having to “friend” a business. Some people are extra sensitive to sharing their “friendship” information with a corporation. I constantly get a friend request from a local business, but I always deny it. I don’t want the business having access to my friendship circle. If that business had a page, which it doesn’t, then yes, I’d “like” it. Then, I can (in theory) control my involvement with the business’s page.
Since a singer-songwriter is a person, a profile page might still work for a while, but it will get tapped out at 5000 people and is then useable. And shouldn’t we interact with our friends? A page has no limit to “likes” or fans. I think it’s more suitable in design for fan interaction.
Right now I’m blessed or cursed, operating two Facebook things for music, a profile and a page. Oddly, only 300 people of my friendship circle like my page, which has been dormant for months. I wonder if this will change as I use my band page more.
Yesterday I noticed Brooklyn singer-songwriter Ari Hest post on his Facebook profile, “Hey all – Don’t forget to ‘like’ Ari’s official page since this one will no longer post updates!” I already was a fan (or “liked”) Ari Hest’s band page, but I also also am a friend of his profile page with 4894 “friends.”
I then realized not only has Myspace died, but the band (and business) page on Facebook has already become essential. Back when Myspace was still king in 2007, most musicians were creating profiles for this “bands” as well as band pages. It was confusing, but band pages were less interactive.
Now a band page can not only post updates, but also tag. Apps are popping up offering bands options for Facebook, rising from the ashes of the dead Myspace music pages. There will be some benefits to this, and the largest one is the white elephant in the room: affordable advertising options for musicians.
