PRACTICAL DIGITAL MARKETING TIPS FOR RECORDING ARTISTS

R Kelly

Often times I get approached by artists telling me they want to promote their songs online, that's not an issue, fine, i do that all the time and i enjoy the work. What i find baffling though is that many come when they are about to release their albums and think that after going down to Alaba or Upper Iweka market, get some marketers to sell their CDs, then told to go and do some kind of promotions to let the people know "what time it is" they come to me. 

Nna Na wa o!

Please note that your marketing (of which digital is an integral part of) strategy is very critical and deserves the same time and attention as the ones you put into recording those songs (I hope you did really put time and attention to your recording though).

Today, with over 11 million daily internet penetration density and 125 million active mobile phones in Nigeria, digital marketing should be an artist first engagement tool. This is the wonderland of unending opportunities and those who has learnt to live here right are reaping humongous rewards. 

So what do you need to do to design, develop and deploy effective digital marketing strategy to sell yourself and your music.

Below are my 5 tips 

1. WHO ARE YOU?
Abi na...Who the SPOON are you? It aint about the fake bling chains or the aba-made sneakers and the dirty china jeans. It's understanding who you are and the purpose for doing what you are doing.

TIWA SAVAGE

 A lot of artists walk up to me and in less than 10 minutes i know it's just a waste of time. Yep, it's no algebra when a so call artist say's "I just wan blow" or "i want to be like tu baba" I know he's dead before he was born sef. Originality and passion are your selling point, as an artist, you must make your music represent something unique and different and be passionate about it. You must see yourself as a messenger and your music as a channel for its delivery. All of the greatest and most accomplished musicians are known as a result of their individual identity and originality of their music. They love what they do, not for the money, but for the fulfillment of their inner callings. 
So also you too must begin to do same, define your music and the purpose you wish it to serve. The market knows and feels originality when the hear one, they know who is faking it and who is serious about what he/she is doing so "you ain't fooling anybody". Ok, there maybe one or two lucky exceptions, but you may never be one of these in a life time plus 2. Enough said on this...on to the next one.

2. MAKE MUSIC
LOL...isn't that what why you are here in the first place? Well let me prick your blow-blom (Balloon); lots of artists don't make music, they make noise. A cacophony of musical instruments joined and mixed with voices that's a mix of cricket and a drunk bullfrog trying to outshout each other is what a lot of these artists call music.
We hear these everyday and we are not impressed and if you are in this category of noisemakers, you are sitting on a veeeery long thing. The moral of this story is "You better make good music or else you are wasting everybody's precious time". 

3. GET A MANAGER/PR
Music business is serious business and should be treated as such. One thing i know about creative people is that very very few of them can play the business game and so end up being exploited. So if you mean to go far in this business sector and make a living from it, you need to get someone who understands the terrain and can handle your "biz".Your Manager should be a cross between RICHARD BRANSON and JIMOH IBRAHIM. 

Cellulant Nigeria is leading value added services (VAS) company based in Lagos. They have a wide range of mobile application services with key value propositions for Customers 

• Bulk SMS
• Shortcodes
•  CRBTs                                                                                                                                                    They are located in Lagos, Nigeria.

...TO BE CONTINUED

ENTREPRENEUR 101: DO YOU HAVE A MOBILE ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR 2014?

I remember opening my first bank account many years ago in second generation bank, a landmarke event for me given that i was just out of my teens then. Some months later i saw an sms message from the bank wishing me a happy birthday. WOW!!! Amazing, they know me? They know my birthday? These where the questions that ran through my excited mind. Needless to say I've been a loyal customer ever since and i tell people that the bank is a great place to bank with.

LOL..Now i know what they did. It worked though.

A simple(?) birthday text message turned me not only into a loyal customer, but an unofficial advocate and marketing officer for the bank. So do you still think your mobile phone is for making and recieving phone calls alone or a variation of your mp3 player?


SMS MESSAGINGS

Statistics have shown that 4 out of every 5 messages are read and 2 are usually followed through. What this means is that today, your mobile phone is more that just a phone, it's a critical marketing tool and how you use it for your business can have a tremendous effect on your business turn over.

With 125 million active phones in Nigeria,  it's clear the comparative advantage that lies in mobile marketing, and with the affordable pricing of this tool, it's clearly a win win situation. Sms Messaging, also known as Bulk SMS is one of the important tools of mobile engagement right now. It is concise, precise and targeted. You are sure that your target recieves it and can premise your ROI (Return on Investment) access on the feedbacks you get, which makes it also measurable.

So how do you go about it?

Firstly, you must have clear business objective. What do you want to achieve with the message, What story do you actually want to tell. As business owner, you must know that what you say about your business is as critcal as how you say it.

Which brings us to the next stage, what do you say. Because you only have 160 text characters, you are constrainted to be very creative with what you say. it's usually good you get a good copywrite or someone proficient in writing to write your message. This is because your written words speaks volume and if not careful can mean a whole lot  differently from what you intend. 

Timing is also a critical factor, your message must be receieved by your recipients at their most receptive period. Science have proved that people are most receptive to things in the mornings and late late evenings. These are periods when the mind is less clustered with things to do or doing. 
Consistency is also an important factor, you do not send a single message andexpect instant feedbacks, you need to a repeat sender, 4, 5 6 even 10 times if you desire huge marginal returns and enquiries. 
Have a Phone number as part of the message. many business owners often send bulk smses without an avenue for contacting them. This is wrong as it the whole essence of the project; they can't get in-touch.
Be friendly and familiar. You must try to write your message like you are writting to a friend. Your message speaks for you and you don't have to be formal or rigid with someone you can access their phones (wink)

In conclusion, If you have not started deploying bulk sms as a marketing tool, you need to start today.

Cellulant Nigeria is leading value added services (VAS) company based in Lagos. They have a wide range of mobile application services with key value propositions for Customers 

• Bulk SMS
• Shortcodes
•  CRBTs                                                                                                                                                    They are located in Lagos, Nigeria. 

WISHING ALL OUR MUSLIM BROTHERS A HAPPY CELEBRATION

sms.cellulant.com.ngWe wish you all a happy Eid-El-Maulud