Why is a "Call to Action" so Critical to Your Digital Marketing Efforts?

It is surprising the number of entrepreneurs that disregard the importance of a “Call to Action” (CTA) in their digital marketing efforts. Perhaps they simply do not know what a call to action is, forget to create and use one, or just plain do not think it is important.

A call to action is nothing more than a prompt - a prompt to get your customers to take a preferred action or do something that you desire them to do, like buy your product or donate to a charity. You could prompt your customer to take some other action such as visit your website, request a free copy of your latest CD or magazine issue, or sign up for your weekly newsletter.

A call to action prompts your customer to take a desired action, resulting in a preferred outcome. The concept has not changed since we have entered into the digital marketing age. It still has the same basic components as direct mail campaigns or Yellow Page ads did:

1.     A “no obligation statement” that removes or reduces risk and gives the customer the confidence to buy, such as “for a free 30-day, no-obligation trial…”

2.     Specific instructions on what to do next such as “click the button below.”

3.     Encouragement to respond right away or lose out: “Don’t wait! Offer ends this Friday at midnight.” In other words, a timeline that inspires the consumer to act immediately for fear of losing out.

Put together, the components listed above might sound like “For a free 30-day, no-obligation trial, click the button below. Don’t wait! Offer ends this Friday at midnight!” Many digital marketers use this type of CTA, because it is a revolving one. At 12:01 the next Saturday morning, the call is style valid, unless it was really meant to expire on a specific date.

A call to action should be placed on every piece of marketing communication, whether in print or digital media or even in a cold call (should you be so lucky to make it that far in the call). Without it, the entrepreneur has wasted money on the entire campaign. Simply putting a product or service out there without asking someone to buy it is akin to installing a swimming pool in your backyard and then not asking anyone to go swimming. It looks pretty, but it goes unutilized.

Marketing Your Music to the Internet Masses

With the world moving at the speed of Twitter, determining the best marketing strategy for your music (or any other product / service) can be a confusing proposition.  The best advice that I ever received related to this challenge came from one of my professors at Full Sail University, and it was two simple words: “try everything.”

In truth, he was lecturing us on how to market ourselves to potential employers after graduation, but I have found that the principle works equally well in marketing your music to the masses.

Obviously, not any one person or band can really try everything, but the point is to be open to all possibilities. To be open to all possibilities, you need to know what they are.

While in school, I became intrigued with the vast field of digital marketing, and learning about it completely changed how I market my clients’ music and run my company. Every musician and entrepreneur should take that course, because it is the portal to a completely new understanding of doing business on the Internet. If taking that course is not an option, a month’s worth of intense research on the topic would be well worth the time.

Imitation is still the sincerest form of flattery. After you have exposed yourself to the various digital marketing techniques that are available, remember to pay attention to what successful people are doing. After studying the subject, you will be surprised at how easily you identify the marketing tactics that are being used upon you, and if they are working, mimic them and use them yourself!

Nothing has really changed about marketing since the creation of the Internet except the delivery system. Marketing is still primarily about word of mouth advertising. This video by Gary Vaynerchuk provides good support for this notion. 

The good news for musicians and entrepreneurs is that now your mouth can be heard worldwide from a device you carry with you 24/7. BE CAREFUL. Just like in the old days, a bad reputation will spread just as quickly as a good one, and you do not want to find yourself in the middle of a McDonald's style hashtag battle for your reputation.

For more tips on successful music marketing, see this article on the CDBaby blog page.

Do You Have the Entrepreneurial Spirit? Three Simple Questions to Help You Decide.

While this is not intended to be an all inclusive list, your answers to the following three questions could help you determine whether or not you have what it takes to venture out into the world on your own as a entrepreneur.

1. What do I do better than anyone I know does?

The answer to this question should come almost immediately to mind. The key, however, is to be honest with yourself. Do not answer the question with what you aspire to do better or plan someday to do better than others. What is it that right now, at whatever stage of life you are in, sets you apart from your peers?

Some would argue that the first question you should ask is “what do I do that I love?” but there are many things a person might love to do that they are not necessarily good at and that no amount of training will remedy. (The opposite is also true: you can successfully train yourself to do something you hate, but that is an even more fatal career decision).

If you do something better than anyone you know, chances are you love to do it.  If you do not do anything better than the average Joe, you might want to consider another career path, like accounting.

2. Can I positively contribute to society by doing it?

The answer to this interrogatory will depend on your political bend, and since this is not a political blog, the answer is not addressed here.

What is important, however, is that each entrepreneur’s career path decision lies within his or her personal standards of morality. Temporary success can be achieved either way, but misalignment of career choice and moral standards will lead to intellectual conflicts and eventual failure.

Kathryn Hedges, starving artist / entrepreneur, does a good job of addressing the question of societal contribution from both ends of the political spectrum here.

3. What am I trying to prove?

Why is this question important? Only entrepreneurs and politicians know the answer.

There are many paths leading to entrepreneurialism, but whether you chose it or it chose you, there is a burning desire to prove something to someone, even if it is yourself. What evidence is there to support this notion?

Consider these two real-life examples:

Jason was born into money. He could have done anything in the world he wanted. He could have spent his entire life inventing, creating, or philanthrophising without fear of failure. Instead, he was content traveling the world in self-indulgent behavior without contributing anything to society except what he considered his irresistible smile. He felt no need to prove anything to anyone, including himself.

John was born into middle class. He worked his way through college and achieved middle-class status for himself and his family.  In order to maintain that lifestyle, however, he had to spend every day trading hours for dollars, meeting ever-increasing sales quotas, and living under constant stress.

One day, after paying a repairman a ridiculous sum of his hard-earned money to fix a pipe leak on his property, he had an epiphany, and he set out to prove to himself and his family that he could provide the same standard of living while working for himself. John has been a successful independent General Contractor for the past fifteen years.

If you had nothing to prove, you might not have the desire, determination, and willingness needed to see through on your idea during the tough times, and for most of us out here in EntrepreneurialLand, there have been plenty of tough times.

How Do DIY Musicians Really Make Money?

If you are a DIY musician just starting out or working on the next “break,” you have more than likely asked yourself (and your favorite search engine), “How do musicians make money?” If you have not, you should do it now.

More than likely, you will come across this Rolling Stone article from 2012 in the top few results. It is an exceptionally interesting article, and it has a few great tips. However, only some of the article actually applies to you, the independent, start-up, DIY musician:

1. T-Shirts and Merch:

Oh yes! You will generate far more income from merchandise than from the sale of music, especially if you are on the road. My mentor once said, “no one is willing to pay to download [expletive meaning your music] anyway.” Many start-up musicians are giving away their music just to get ahold of your email address so that THEY CAN SELL YOU MERCHANDISE. If you cannot afford to front the money for t-shirts and other gear, consider websites such as cafepress.com.

2. Movie and TV Licensing:

Less likely, but with the help of websites like musicpage.com, it is possible. With your subscription to the website, you will receive daily emails with opportunities to license your music for movies, commercials, and games. Most will be irrelevant, because the licensor’s criteria are very specific, in a different genre, require two versions of the song (with and without vocals, for example), but remember: it only takes one.

3. Fashion Lines:

If you are reading this, you most likely do not have the reputation needed to start a successful fashion line. However, if you have an aptitude for fashion, do it! Tie it to your music, and create these products simultaneously. Create a circular link between your music site and your clothing site, and let them morph into one. A professional brand manager will be essential.

4. Perfume:

Next.

5/6. Start-up Investing / KickStarter:

Crucial! Do your research on the recent developments involving crowd sourcing, crowd funding, and crowd investing.  They are rapidly changing arenas. Are you looking for donations to fund an artistic endeavor? If that is the case, I highly recommend kickstarter.com. Are you looking to fund a cause? You might want to check out gofundme.com. The success stories on gofundme are amazing and inspirational.

If you have a fantastically original idea, sound, new instrument, or software program that needs manufacturing or duplication, you might consider researching angel investors. Be warned: they expect 30-50% return in two to three years, and you will lose some ownership in your idea / company. Structure an equity repurchase deal upfront if possible.

There are hundreds of ways to raise money online. However, make sure you read the fine print. If you do not want your project to be name-stamped on the Internet forever, beware. Do you want all-or-nothing funding for your project, or do you want partial funding at a higher commission rate? All of these things are in the terms of service for each site. Please, read the terms of service.

7. YouTube.

The funny thing about YouTube (Google) is that they are the innovators of all things digitally video, and yet (as of this writing), they have not figured out how to stop hack coders from ripping off the audio portion of videos posted on the site.

However, the truth is, if you want to create a strong presence for yourself or your band, you must be on YouTube. People are going to steal your art, so get used to it. Look at it this way, if you receive five hundred thousand hits on your YouTube video and five hundred people rip off your song, you are making strong headway. Those hits are five hundred thousand that you can take to a minor record label to prove that you are worthy of a deal.

8. Instant Concert Recordings:

This was a cool idea, but break-even analysis says “no,” unless you are just doing it to gain swag. The idea is relatively useless in monetary terms.

9. Talk-Show Band:

Well, this is an avenue, I suppose, but probably the least likely of all. Some fans will likely scream “sellout!” That is not necessarily fair, however. As much as we all might cling to our musical ideals, at the end of the day, we still need to provide for ourselves.

10. Not mentioned in the Rolling Stone article is one of the most obvious revenue streams in my opinion: ticket sales! Very few artists make a living in music without live performances. Touring is essential, and it is one of the most satisfying (and profitable) parts of the whole business.

Remember to try as many avenues as you can. You will be amazed at how your marketing efforts will begin to morph as you see which avenues work best for you.

Leadership Styles In The Music Business

“Real leaders are people who help us overcome the limitations of our own individual laziness and selfishness and weakness and fear and get us to do better, harder things than we can get ourselves to do on our own.”

- David Foster Wallace

Sometimes, a leader has to push for perfection. I learned this lesson after several years in the military. I found that I was routinely calling on certain individuals to perform critical tasks, because I knew that they would get the job done. What I did not realize was that there was a certain resentment building up amongst these individuals, because they felt overworked. It was not until I explained Wallace’s theory (or my own version of it) that I gained cooperation.

Simply letting people know why I was using the authoritarian leadership style netted great gains, and I still use it to this day. When a new artist comes into my studio, I tell them upfront: “if it sounds like [stuff], I’m going to tell you it sounds like [stuff], because I know you can do better, and I ask you to do the same.”

However, the music business is one that thrives on the participative management style. Whether it is a band situation, or an artist-producer arrangement, everyone benefits by listening to new ideas. I have learned things from my clients and my mentor that I would have never known if I was not promoting a brainstorming-type of environment.

We all know the delegators. These are the “idea” people, with grand visions and minimal execution skills. They talk a lot, but do very little. There is a place for them in the music business, because the industry is starving for new ideas. However, musicians do not respond very well to them. Giving them an idea with absolutely no strategy for accomplishment leaves them feeling abandoned. At the same time, it is sometimes useful to delegate a task to a client in order to judge their commitment to achieving success.

There is a need for all three leadership styles in the music business, but the participative one generally yields the greatest results.

Your Email Address Has More Value Than...

It cracks me up when I come across musicians who want to “give” you free songs upon sign-up to their website simply by providing your (at least) email address, sometimes your name, or even better, your street address.

After spending countless hours in a recording studio and potentially thousands of dollars on engineering time, why in the hell would an artist “give” you their music?

The answer is simple: their music has no value in 2015. If you want it bad enough, you can find it for free: check SoundCloud, ReverbNation,YouTube, or just search their name or the band’s name on the Internet. It is there. Trust me.

But your email address and other personal information has a TON of value to them. It is connected to your purchasing power. So, after you get your “free” songs, you are going to be inundated with emails regarding merchandise, show tickets, or whatever else they might entice you with, including just a simple click on their monetized video.

Musicians are going to have to think about the next phase of SEM if they are to survive in an increasingly saturated entertainment market.

Alternative Funding Sources for Your Business Startup

Depending on the nature of your enterprise, there are numerous sources of alternative funding available to help get your enterprise off the ground.  I have focused on two in this post: Micro Enterprise Works, and the U.S. Economic Development Administration, because they can be utilized by for-profit organizations.

However, if your startup aspires to help boost a community's economic development, renovate a neighborhood, or serve the Native American population, there is a plethora of other alternative financing sources available.

So, what is “alternative funding?” Essentially, it is not relying on a bank loan to start your enterprise. Banks are the most often thought of sources of funds by entrepreneurs, but are the least likely benefactors of startups. Banks loan money to established enterprises with a history of positive cash flows and income. They simply want to know that you can pay back the principal and interest on a loan without fail.

Alternative funding sources are those that are willing to invest in your company’s idea. They come in a variety of forms, and Martin Zwilling points out a number of them. Most involve your own personal investments, those of friends and family, or those generous Internet people that are willing to toss a buck or two your way, because they relate to your idea and expect virtually nothing in return except a “thank you.” These sources of funds are particularly difficult to come by in the saturated entertainment business market.

If you cannot afford to fund your entertainment business company through personal resources, do not give up on your idea. Organizations like Micro Enterprise Works and the U.S. Economic Development Administration are still available to help. Both organizations, however, will require a formal business plan, and the willingness to divulge certain personal information.

The bottom line: loans are difficult to come by for startup companies. If you cannot afford the company yourself, be prepared to “give away” some equity ownership (and thus control of) your idea. Remember, however, that competitors are right on your tail, and partial ownership of your idea is better then none at all.