Over the last year or so I’ve set up and run an internet radio station to help independent bands and musicians get some much needed airplay. In that time I’ve looked at literally HUNDREDS of band websites in the search for good music. And being a computer nut who builds websites, I spend countless hours surfing from site to site looking at many of them, digging under the hood to see what bands and musicians are REALLY doing with their web sites.

And let me tell you I’ve learned a lot. And most of it is NOT good. But you know me… I am a positive kind of guy, so let’s start with…

The Good News…

Based on my experience I can say this… MOST bands and musicians already have web sites of some kind, even if it’s only MySpace. This is definitely good news – in fact it’s downright critical, because statistics show that more and more people search online for information and music.
And trust me, that percentage is going to dramatically increase in the coming months and years.

Since you are reading this, the odds are pretty darn good that you already have a web site. HOWEVER, if you don’t have a site up yet, then you NEED to realise this – your prospects are searching for information online. If you don’t have a web site, they aren’t going to find you – they are going to find YOUR COMPETITOR.

But like I said, the majority of bands and muso’s already have a web site up… that’s the good news.
Unfortunately, that is where the good news ends for the average band…

Bad News #1 - Too much flash

You spend all this time and effort getting a website up only to make your poor readers wait 10 minutes while a flash animation loads up! Did you know you could be losing up to half your visitors right there? Most people simply won’t wait. They use the internet because they want information NOW, not in ten minutes when the song finishes loading. Even if your visitor DOES like your animation, they’ll grow bored and frustrated with it after the 3rd or 4th visit. You need to do everything you can to make it easy for your visitors and that means… don’t make them wait. Put your fantastic video on a page of its’ own and let your visitors choose to see it if they want.

Flash sites are also very hard to update. Most times bands are at the mercy of their designer to update their sites which means it doesn’t get done very often. That’s not good enough any more. Your visitors want to be kept up to date if you want them coming back.

Last but not least, search engines have a great deal of trouble understanding what a website is about if there is no text to read. Your “pretty” site could be costing you big time in poor search engine results.

Bad News #2 - Brochure site

This is the opposite to the “too much flash” site. This one is just plain boring. Gone are the days when you could treat your website like a “brochure” for your band. These days it needs grab your visitors and make them want to return. It has to inform, entertain and engage your visitors.

It’s not good enough any more to think of your website as a “storefront”, it needs to be an interactive experience, it almost needs to be a “club” where people come back time and time again.

Bad News #3 - Out of sight, out of mind

There is only one sure thing about your web site… without question, without fail, your web site visitors will eventually leave your site. They might leave after a few seconds or a few minutes, but they are going to leave. They will not stay they forever. And this is the deal: once they leave, they are not coming back. Within 15 seconds of leaving your site, it will vanish from their memory.

Think back to the sites that you visit when you are surfing. You probably have between 3 and 10 sites that you visit regularly… and it is extremely rare if any other site cracks into that list.

How about favorites and bookmarks? Maybe your visitor will bookmark your site and come back later?

Not a chance… most people never go back and look at their bookmarks. When was the last time you did so?

If you don’t take anything else from this article… remember this: your visitors will only be on your site for a short time, and once they leave they are NOT coming back.

Unless, unless, unless you do one very important thing…

YOU NEED TO CAPTURE THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION!!!

You have to convince them to give you their email address and first name. This is truly the holy grail of marketing online.

But once you’ve got that list, make sure you avoid…

Bad News #4 - No follow up

Let’s face it. We are all pretty bad with follow up.

Marketing experts tell us that you must follow up with a prospect 5 to 7 times before they will take action and become a client. Of course, all that follow up is hard to do. We are all easily distracted by all of the issues we face each and every day in our business and your follow up is usually the thing that gets pushed aside.

And now I just told you that you need to focus on gathering the name and email address for all your web site visitors – so WHO is going to do all that follow up with all those new prospects?

Well… this is where I have a beautiful solution for you. In fact, I would go so far as calling it an elegant solution… and that is a pretty fancy word for me to use!

This is the deal – if there is one thing computers are good at, it’s doing mindless, repetitive tasks. And that is exactly what follow up is – mindless and repetitive.

Crucially important, but boring and deadly dull. Enter the “sequential auto-responder”… which is a propeller-head name for a computer program that automates your follow up.

Imagine that once a visitor enters their name and email address on your site, they get an ongoing series of follow up emails… and that follow up is completely automated. After a visitor leaves their contact information, they get regular emails from you… without you ever lifting a finger. This may sound like a dream… but it is completely doable, and very easy to set up if you have the right technology.

Bad News #5 - Cobwebs. No updating

Have you ever seen those sites that haven’t been updated in four years? Full of outdated material, outdated pictures, maybe even a copyright date that says “2001”?

Nothing will drive people away faster than a site that looks like a ghost town… remember, your visitors don’t trust you… and they are looking for any validation of that mistrust that they can find. And having an old, outdated site is just enough of a reason to send people running away.

This is a big problem for most people - one of the issues they face being “non-technical” is the fear of making changes to a website. A lot of folks barely know how to turn on a computer, much less update a web site.

So you need a tool that allows you to quickly and easily make changes. Well guess what? That tool now exists. It makes it super-easy for you to keep the information on your site up to date. As well, you can now change backgrounds, entire themes, and other components… and you don’t have to wait for some overpriced “webmaster” to return your phone call - and THEN take his sweet time making the change. (Or even worse - get a long detailed technical explanation of all the things you need to do to make a simple change). Like I said up in that part about auto-responders - once things are set up the way they should be, computers can actually be downright useful. And thankfully, this issue is now solved… so there are no more excuses for cobwebs on your web site.

Bad News #6 - You don’t know what’s working

This one really gets me – some people are pouring literally THOUSANDS of dollars or hundreds of hours, or both, into their web sites… and they don’t have a clue whether they are working or not.

Then one day they decide they need to make a change, and they spend hundreds or thousands more… and they don’t know if that change improved results, or completely destroyed those results.

Let’s stop the insanity!

Really folks, one of the beautiful things about a web site is that everything is measurable. You basically know every action that your visitors take… or at least you SHOULD know.

Why would you want to spend money on things that aren’t working? One of the keys to success in any marketing effort (be it online or offline) is your ability to make every dollar you spend trackable and accountable. The only way to accomplish this is through testing. Your web site MUST have the ability to track the responses from your online and offline ads. Of course you will also want to test your sites pages and email mailouts.

This is all pretty simple really… you test an ad or a web page, and you get an answer that basically amounts to YES or NO.

If the answer is YES, then you keep that page the way it is. If it is NO then you create a different page.

And the beauty of this that once you have tested and found what is working, you can still try new ideas to see if you can keep improving your response rates.

If you are NOT doing this (or if you don’t have the capability to do this), then you are throwing money down the drain.

So what do you do about it?

I think by now you are pretty clear on the system that you need. And if your current web site doesn’t address all those items above, you are pouring money down the drain. That big fat cheque you are writing for your web site isn’t making you money, it is COSTING you money. It isn’t saving you time, it is costing you time.
So… let’s look at what you need to do.

• First, you need to have a easy to use, text based, fast loading site. A quality site that search engines will find, as well as impressing your visitors enough so they are willing to give you their email address.
• Second, you need to setup a system for people to leave their email address and name. The technical term for this is a “mail form”. This requires some software and some simple programming.
• Third, you need an auto-responder service. This will cost you about $15 - $20 a month and takes a bit of setting up, but will make you money if used correctly.
• Fourth, you need a content management system with templates and an easy-to-use menu based system so you can update the site regularly. You could get this programmed from scratch, but the cost for that will get VERY ugly, VERY quickly. Fortunately there are off-the-shelf systems available that are reasonably easy to set up. If not, get ready to watch the cobwebs start forming on your site.
• Fifth, don’t forget to add in testing and tracking into your web site. This is another one of those things that’s not hard to do if you know what you are doing, but you need to do it right.
• Sixth, you need an email “list hosting service” so you can send out email broadcasts to your list. Your auto-responder program SHOULD allow you to do this. Trying to do bulk emailing without using a reputable, trusted list host is just asking for you to be labeled as a spammer. Don’t even think about it.

Now… about this point you COULD stick your fingers in your ears and shout “LALALALALALA” and hope that it all sorts itself out. But it won’t of course and while you are ignoring it your competitors are working hard!

A website should be, and can be, a vital part of the success of any band or musician but it needs a planned approach and a bit of effort. Take some time to work on your site making sure to avoid the mistakes listed above and you will be taking the first steps to rising above the herd.

If you have any comments on this article or think you can add to the list of “Great Band Website Mistakes”, I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.

Cheers, Mark Gibson.

Luckily for most bands this is my hobby and not my job so I tend to be a bit forgiving and listen to the music anyway. If this was my full-time job most of the material I get would go straight in the bin. Again, most of the music is great but it simply wouldn’t get listened to because of the lack of quality in the written materials. I’ve received hand written scrawl on a scrap of paper through to very professional printed press kits and everything in between.

Having a professional quality press kit doesn’t have to cost you the earth though. Most fall down due to the quality of the info presented and not just the presentation quality although both are important. In a lot of cases a simple tidy up would improve the band’s chances enormously.

So what should be in a press kit for a start? A press kit can contain any or all of the following components depending on your audience.

• Covering Letter
• Cover Page
• Band or Artist Bio
• Band photos
• Equipment Requirements Page
• Booking and Contact Information
• Demo CD
• Sample Set List
• Newspaper/Press Clippings, Show Reviews etc

As you can see there are quite a few parts that go to making up a successful press kit and that can be a bit daunting if you don’t know where to start. Also, as I’ve already said, your press kit will need to be appropriate for your intended audience. For example, if you are trying to get radio airplay or a record contract you don’t need an equipment list. So taking a minute to think about your intended audience will be time well spent.

It’s beyond the scope of an article like this to cover every aspect in thorough detail so I’d like to pick out a few things you can do to put the odds in your favour and to get started. The very first thing you need is a Band or Artist bio. Wikipedia defines a bio like this:

“Greek words bios meaning “life”, and graphos meaning “write”) is an account of a person’s life, usually published in the form of a book or essay, or in some other form…
A biography is more than a list of impersonal facts (like birth, education, work, relationships and death), it also portrays the subject’s experience of those events.”

Now some folks take this definition very literally and try to give their entire life story, every instrument they’ve ever played and every band they’ve ever been in. Most people who read these things are busy and simply don’t have time to wade through pages of info in order to find out about their subject. This means you need to be brief. Only give information that is relevant to the reader. Try the old formula of Who, What, When, Where and Why.

Who’s in your band? Briefly list your members and any relevant experience. Don’t list every band they have ever been in unless they were big or well known bands. Nothing spells “amateur” more than a list of twenty unknown bands that your drummer has played in. Also, don’t exaggerate your experience. If you claim you once played with the Rolling Stones then you’d better be able to back it up.

What kind of music do you play? Don’t try to get into that whole “we won’t be pigeon-holed, we are unique and no one else sounds like us” rubbish. Even if it’s true, and it’s probably not, you are not helping the reader to form an impression of your band or music. If you play modern, swing-country music with a dash of polka then say so. Pretend for a minute that you can’t send a demo CD with your press kit and that your bio needs to tell the whole story. Be daring enough to pigeon hole yourself.

When did your band form? Give a brief history of how the band formed and took shape. Again, don’t try and tell your whole life story, just the good bits.

Where are you from/where do you play/where have you played?

Why? Here’s the kicker. You should try to explain why the reader should be interested in giving you a gig, recording your band, giving you airplay etc, whatever it is you are trying to get from the reader. Be honest and don’t bullsh!t.

The last topic I’d like to cover in this brief exploration of press kits is the covering letter. This should be purpose written to suit the intended reader exactly. While a bio can be written to serve a multitude of purposes, the covering letter should be specific to the task at hand. It should be neatly typed, not scrawled on a scrap of paper. It should be specifically addressed to the reader, not “Dear Sir” or “to who it may concern”. Do a little research before you send it off and make sure you can address it to a specific person. This action alone will increase the rate that your kit gets read.

For example, the radio station I run plays Australian music only. This fact is all over the web site and is stressed again in the name of the station, “All Australian Music”. Anyone doing even the most basic of research about my station would understand this. I also provide a specific page detailing my contact details and how to get in touch with me. Yet time after time I get correspondence like this:

“To who it may concern,

I’m looking for airplay on your radio station for my band The Examples.
We are from Tennessee/China/Africa and play great music.
Can you please play my music?”

Now, I’ve already provided every piece of information this person needs to send me their music and specified that it needs to be from Australia and they haven’t even bothered to check. They have completely wasted their time and money as well as my time to gain absolutely nothing.

A correctly researched and properly addressed press kit stands a much better chance of actually getting you what you want and will waste a lot less of your time.

One last tip. Make sure YOUR name & contact information is included on everything you send out. I’ve received some great stuff from time to time with no contact info at all. That makes it very hard for the reader to actually find you if you do manage to impress them.

As you can see this is a big subject and I’ve only just looked at the tip of the iceberg here. If you have specific questions about any of the aspects that I haven’t covered here then please let me know in the comments below and I’ll attempt to help you out.

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If you are brand new to this site you might want to check out the intro video which explains the basic concept behind this site. You can find it here.

(it’s a big file so give it 10 or 20 seconds to load up)

Once again, I’d love to hear your thoughts, questions and comments on this video, or any other aspect of this site for that matter. Please leave your comments in the box below.

Also, if you aren’t on the mailing list then you’ll soon be missing out! Jump on now and keep up to date. Don’t forget I’ll soon be looking for a few folks to test drive some of the course content. If you’d like to have first look at the course as it develops and have exclusive help with your project, then you really need to be on that list.

I can’t wait for the next batch of comments. Cheers, Mark

I’ll be releasing a couple of short case studies over the next week or so to try to give you a practical demonstration of what you can expect to see in the course. They will be brief but will hopefully give you more of an idea of some of the simple, practical skills you can use to take your music online. The first one should be done by late tonight so keep an eye on your mailbox. I’ll send a note out as soon as it’s up on the site.

Also, I’ve had a few people offer assistance which was unexpected but most welcome. I’ll contact those people for a chat very soon.

One last thing. The site is still very much under research so please keep your questions and comments coming and don’t forget to pass the link around to all of your muso friends so I can keep the feedback coming in.

Thanks again for your interest and enthusiasm.

Cheers, Mark Gibson

(it’s a big file so give it 10 or 20 seconds to load up)