How about creating an online presence!
I’m sure you’ve had that Myspace for ages and can get lost in the numerous amounts of music sites available that it’s hard to keep everything updated and looking fresh…and fresh is the key to having fans return. But here I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s start with your BASIC, easiest to set up “website” – Myspace.
True, Myspace is being replaced by multitudes of social networking sites BUT it still holds it’s value an amazingly easy way to secure a professional looking online presence without having to hire a web designer.
Here are the key items to focus on so that you are taken seriously by industry and fans:
- Professional, professional, PROFESSIONAL!!! STAY AWAY FROM THE GLITTER!!! Remember the steps you took to create a logo? All of those steps apply when designing your page. It should look like you. Sound like you. Be you…because it IS you!
- Quick to open!! Cool it on the embedded videos. The player takes long enough to download and you want the viewer to hear your music and poke around for a bit, not wait for two minutes while your page loads. Keep the embedded photos in a small size, too!! And ONLY keep up-to-date and relevant items on your page. Played a show last week? That flyer should NOT be on there, no matter how cool it looks…because it makes it look like you haven’t been on your page in a week, which correlates to – “I don’t have much going on” to fans or “I’m lazy” to industry.
- Make it your own!! Hit myspace flash generators, banner creators, wix.com anything to give your audience that better than just “okay” experience
Check out how my two sites are branded differently:
- Post only your best!! Don’t put songs that you aren’t proud of. Pictures you think…”Well, at least it’s something” If you aren’t ready, then don’t have your page public. No impact is better than a negative one because you pretty much get one chance for people to hit your page…so make it a good one!!!
I won’t lie. It takes HOURS upon HOURS to figure out some of the generators and create the page you want. AND you’ll have to learn some basic html (just search “html tutorial” to find out what you need) but the work is worth it!!! It’s another calling card and your first out the gate.
Next time I’ll talk about how many sites do you really need to be on, which ones and why. So use this Thanksgiving holiday time-off to create a kickin’ page or update your already awesome one that you have!
Tags: backnbloom, lori steele, myspace, presence, websites, wix.com