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February



Guest Blog #6 - 5 Tricks to Help Make Viral Networking a Breeze - by Ami Heinrich
February 03, 2011

By Ami Heinrich, Tsunami Music Publicity

Let’s face it.
Keeping up with all the social networking sites that are out there is not easy. While facebook has become as natural to upkeep as applying your deodorant in the morning, a number of other innovative web sites have popped up with handy tools to help increase your SEO, while keeping your reader informed automatically. How do you choose between everything that is available, and what is the next wave in the internet revolution to keep your eye out for?

With the growing popularity of sites like Twitter and Facebook it’s obvious that people want a stripped down one-on-one conversation rather than the primped profile page of the past. Of course, it’s is still important to have a presence on profile-centric community sites such as MySpace, it is now far more important to keep up on the conversation that is happening right before your eyes. You can do this simply by participating with the status feed on Facebook or simply searching for a code word on the twitter feeds and watching what is trending right this second in the interwebs.

Kind of like a revolving door, the world-wide conversation now has a medium for which it can thrive, around the clock. So, how do you stand out in that revolving door? We found a few great tools to help the touring musician amplify their message in a crowded conversation.

1. RSS Feeds
Don’t use em? Get with the program.
RSS stands for “really simple syndication” which in simpler terms is a subscriber service that will send/post snippets of your news to your readers email boxes, cell phones, websites and even their chosen email account (yahoo, google etc). If your website is currently coded with RSS Savvy linkage, the user can actually choose which section of your website they wish to get and where they want it sent to. It’s not hard to set up on either side and this is, in my humble opinion, the number 1 most important thing to keep your eye on in the future of promotions. Think about it, with Smartphones, Kindle devices and mini computers taking over, people will no longer be “surfing” the web. They will be subscribed to the stuff they want via applications and membership programs. With RSS you have the future in your hands. Use it wisely.

2. Artist Data
Recently acquired by SonicBids, this grassroots program was initially built to help a musician post their calendar dates to many on-line websites with one keystroke. The site sends daily show updates to status feeds on MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter as well as a wealth of music news websites and even some local news sites as well. It is currently free, and occasionally has some glitches, but we have used it for our clients for a about a year without complaint. Who can complain when someone else is doing the heavy lifting?

3. TopSpin
If you want to have the most comprehensive look into your community network, all the while getting armed with a handy set of tools, shopping cart abilities and even a player for live streaming your music, this is for you. TopSpin will allow you to create a myriad of tools you can use to promote your music and your fanbase at the click of the button. But that’s not all, you also get a birds eye view on your area demographics and even your registered fan’s friendbase at Facebook. (Yeah… I made that word up, but you know exactly what I mean, didn’t you?). This does come with a cost, but it’s pretty handy and all the big-time managers think it’s the cats meow. Let us know what you think, ok?

4. ReverbNation
We like ReverbNation. Our companies were born at the same time and we both were on what felt like the cusp of the community network revolution. Of course our custom designed myspace sites have become a thing of the past, but ReverbNation has survived, and we like a happy ending. Oh, but that’s not the story. They have a whole slew of amazing tools designed just for the touring musician including a fabulous program for tracking and emailing fans – which will also give you a peek at your registered fans friendbase and so much more. See for yourself.

5. Podcasts
Remember that scene in Pump up the Volume when Christian Slater is forced to take his underground radio show to the back of a speeding jeep because he was using air waves illegally? If you’re like me, you secretly pretended it was your private revolution and dreamed one day of your own radio show that would at least get a little airtime in the back of a Toyota Corolla. Well, now is your chance. A podcast is basically a radio show where you can talk or even play music for subscribers at iTunes or other Podcast sites. It takes a little time and devotion, but if it were used correctly we think this has the potential for being a very great tool. In fact a few people have been picked up for national radio shows based on the success of their podcast. And, it’s kinda fun. You can check out our brand new one here

For more information about music marketing check out the Tsunami Music Marketing Blog and tune into the Indie Marketing 101 Podcast on iTunes.