Protecting Yourself From Success on Twitter…

I am a songwriter, who aspires to be published.

I know a lot of folk in the same boat.

I work with an organization that tries to help local songwriters have an opportunity to perform, and we have a Twitter account.

I guess, because I tweet using the hashtags, #Songwriters, #Songwriting and #Showcase… we get a lot of followers from all over North America.

Because we are based VERY locally, in Langley, BC… I don’t follow everyone back.  But I check every profile.

A lot of the Twitter feeds are filled with… “I have great songs, does anyone want to hear them ?” tweets.

Sadly, the Bio line is empty… there is often no location… no website link and sometimes the Tweets are protected.

If I have ANY hope to succeed as a songwriter, I know that I have to fling open the doors, and invite people in, to look at my “product.”

BobSongs

I have this Blog, (which is about music,) a Company Website, (BobSongs Creative Media) a General Blog (BobSongs Musings) a Twitter account, a Facebook profile, a MySpace page… as well as other links… (Broadjam, IMRadio, & YouTube, and more…)

All of them are open, free, unrestricted and accessible.

What benefit do I gain, as a person trying to sell my songs, by putting up barriers or obstacles to people finding out about me OR my songs ???

None.

I take the standard precautions with my product… as soon as I record it, I send myself a registered copy in a sealed envelope, and attach a copy of the contents to the outside.

If I was really concerned, I could take further steps… but I personally don’t feel that is necessary.

Here is the stupid part.

I’m writing this, in order to try to help my competition!!!

What I DO feel is necessary, is to encourage artists to unlock the doors, open up yourself to the world, and say “Here is my product… what do you think?!?”

The alternative is not a pretty picture, as it involves those three ugly words.  Woulda, shoulda, coulda.

Open it up, folks.  You might sell something !!!

 

 

Ripples, Puddles and Google Analytics…

I’ve just been awoken by Statistical Analysis… Yes, I’ve graduated to a WHOLE new level of web geek.

It’s Monday morning, and a little after 2 am.  I’ve been awake for an hour, and, having been unable to get back to sleep, have been trying to look at, review and understand the various statistical breakdowns that are supposed to be critical to a Blog’s success.

I believe that much of the traffic that is drawn to my site, comes from Twitter.

So, I turned to a Twitter Analyzer with the thought that perhaps my Tweets are driving the traffic.  I have recently been talking with people about the use of Hashtags (#) as a search device, and so I find it not surprising that 51.9%of my Hashtag comments are #Canucks related, with a further 16.5% being attributed to mentions of #Canada, after the #WJHC(World Junior Hockey Championship) in December, which contributed 4.7%.  With the Winter Olympics imminent, and the inherent NHL Break, I expect #Canada to do some serious catching up !

While the Hashtag stats are interesting, I saw nothing there that would give me any aid or guidance, in being a better Blogger… So, moving on.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics – Starting from Zero…

Google Analytics tells me that 54% of my traffic comes direct to my site, while 27% gets referred, and 19% from Search Engines.  I guess this is a baseline, and I can see what the relative numbers do, going up or down.  On an unrelated note, I think it’s interesting that the 5th highest source of visits is Facebook, although I haven’t pushed my Blog there.  Hmmm !

Owen Greaves on his Blog,  has written a number of thoughtful and insightful articles, and says that he has found that the best time of day to Post a blog is between 5 pm and 10 pm.  I’m not able to grasp that level of detail, but there are some revealing stats, and being a bit of a numbers geek, I am looking forward to reviewing this again, sometime soon.

But what has awoken me just recently, is mind-numbing in its simplicity… elegant in its mathematics… and daunting in its implementation.

I think more than anything else, I view my Blog… like one of the science experiments we did in Elementary School.  I’ve got a bunch of seeds, (my postings) some get sunshine, (viewers) some don’t… some get more water, more fertilizer (multiple mentions) others not.  And at the end, we get to see on a very organic level, what works… and what doesn’t.

I was getting bogged down in minutiae.  Stuff that doesn’t matter.  So what if I overuse the word “Awesome” in my Tweets, and use the salutation “Cheers” too many times ?  (Other than perhaps being minorly annoying…  It doesn’t matter !!!)

What DOES matter, is the resonance of your message, and the distance it carries.  Thus, the ripple and the puddle analogy.

On Twitter, my account @BobSongs has 750 followers.  Owen Greaves has 15,200.  Jaff Jarvis has 34,000, and Gary Vaynerchuk has 846,000.

Even if EVERY single one of my followers reads one of my Blogs, I will still get less hits than @GaryVee gets in an hour.

Scale of economy.

This should NOT have been mind blowing to me… except for some reason, I believed something different.

I have a music website, Blog.BobSongs.com that I don’t tweak or overtly promote… and it smacked me in the face to know I got NO TRAFFIC !!!

In the drop of water that is that puddle, my Music website has no ability to create a ripple.

And similarly, with Google Analytics… I can’t get bogged down in the very fine print… yet.

So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go get a bucket, and find a tap… because my puddle needs to be bigger !!!

Cheers !!!

😀

Musicians, Songwriting & Twitter…

I think it happens almost every day.

As @BobSongs, on Social Media…  I’m a Blogger, Writer, and Songwriter.  I’m on Threads most days, and Facebook a few times a week.  I have a LinkedIn Profile, that I’m working on, but not 100% familiar with, yet.

I’m also involved in the BC Songwriters’ Showcase Association, and help out where I can.

I am often surprised by the frequency with which I will encounter someone who expresses a desire and drive to become a songwriter or performer… but have no Photo, Biography or Contact Information on their Twitter Profile.

I understand that a LOT of new users don’t understand the ebb, flow or even the concept of Twitter and Social Media.

But, if you want to attract and grow an audience, then it is important to greet them properly.

Sad as it is, we are a society of people who judge books, by their covers.

As we gather a sense of people from our first impression… so we gather a sense of you, as an Artist, from your Social Media.

Many times a week, I send friendly Tweets to folks, reminding them to fill out their Bio and Location information.

If you are on Twitter to have fun, and talk about school… sure, lock your profile down.

If you are on Twitter to promote your Product, or especially if your Product is Yourself… you really need to put your Best Foot Forward !

If your Band is following 200 Tweeps, but you only have a following of 18…  it probably means that you are probably only reaching the hardcore audience (family and friends) that already know about you.  You are “preaching to the choir” and the rest of the people you follow are not interested in your message, or your “Product.”

How To Make It Better:

At the top of your Twitter Page, are a series of words…  Everthing that people will base their first impression on, (other than your Tweets,) is contained under the Settings “tab”:

Blue Twitterbird Pics means you didn't care enough to post a real picture1) Post a picture ! If “you” are your product, then the picture should be of you.  If that doesn’t work for you, take a picture of a guitar, microphone, or your cat…  My picture is currently one of my Cats, who snuck into my guitar case… but I change it regularly !  (Points get deducted for using a photo of ANOTHER person, as your photo.)

2) Say where you are ! Maple Ridge, BC, Canada. If you are not comfortable with saying the exact city you are from, pick the closest big City.  Vancouver, Canada If that causes you concern, go regional… Canada’s West Coast Give us SOMETHING, because, who knows… we may want to work or write with you !!!

3) Give us a sense of “you” ! If you are a guitar-playing country music loving songwriter… say so.  If you’ve got a bunch of things going on, say that too !  My profile says: Blogger, Songwriter, Writer, married to @loriegray, right-handed, wacky sense of humour, cat lover, Hockey fan, Uncle… and Canadian ! There’s  a lot of info in there, but I wear a lot of different hats, when I use Twitter.

4) Websites ! If you have your own website… fill it in !  If you have a MySpace profile, and one song… fill it in !  If you have a grainy video on YouTube… fill it in !  Whatever the ONE best website you have, that represents your product best ?  Use it.

I’m not writing this to be mean.  I’m not writing this to underscore that Artists sometimes have different gifts, and can be technically challenged.

I’m writing this with the hope that it may help someone look at the deficiencies in their Twitter profile, and be able to effect changes because of it.

If these instructions help you… I’m glad !

If you need help understanding how to implement them, please send me an e-mail or a Tweet.

Please don’t go on, without filling in the blanks… because in many cases, it means we will probably Not Follow You or Follow You BACK… and only YOU know what we’ll be missing out on !!!

Hope to see you on Twitter !!!