It’s remarkable.
A lot of artists tend to think there are many ways of generating traffic online.
But from a mile high perspective, there are only a few:
- Publishing: on your own blog, on social media sites, on other platforms.
- Dream 100: guest posts, radio appearances, magazine interviews, etc.
- Affiliates: people promoting your product(s) or funnels in exchange for commissions.
- Advertising: Google, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
Author Dan Kennedy goes so far as to say the whole of the internet is just one channel.
Regardless, what does it mean that we only have a few traffic channels we can utilize?
It means that if you aren’t already using each of these channels, you’re missing out on some serious traffic.
Here we’re going to be looking specifically at publishing, and while not every artist should commit to the regular and ongoing publishing of content, there are still opportunities that shouldn’t be ignored.
Your Website
Your website acts as your Electronic Press Kit (EPK), and at minimum you’re going to need a compelling bio.
But over time, your website can become the absolute authority on everything to do with you, and there’s virtually no excuse not to build it up to that point.
Here are the main opportunities artists tend to miss:
Lyrics
Your lyrics are your intellectual property. For some reason, a lot of artists resist sharing their lyrics on their website. Only god himself knows why. Maybe they’re just lazy.
If you don’t post your lyrics, someone else will (on their websites), without much regard for their accuracy. Lyrics websites are a significant business, and they don’t make their money by posting one artist’s lyrics – they make money by posting lyrics far and wide, from as many artists as they possibly can. That boosts their searchability.
Your website should be the authoritative source for your lyrics, so far as I’m concerned. The traffic may not be significant unless you’re well-known, but that’s not an excuse to lose out on what is rightfully yours.
Branded Keywords
Your band name, songs you write, EPs and albums you release, and virtually every term specific to your work as an artist or a band is what I would consider a “branded” keyword.
Now, it’s completely understandable that some of your song titles (and maybe even EP or album titles) won’t be entirely unique to you.
Even so, not creating content around your releases is a big mistake. You exercise no control over your own content when you don’t write anything about it on your website.
So, when people search for it, they’ll be brought to Amazon, or Apple Music, or Spotify, where you can’t command attention (because of distractions) or control the message (because there’s a limit to the amount of information these platforms show).
Not creating content around your musical releases is a big mistake. You exercise no control over your own content when you don’t write anything about it on your website. Click To Tweet
This isn’t terribly professional. Not to mention – you’re missing out on traffic that should be yours (and would be if you just put a little effort into it).
Updates
The days of your website being a static business card or brochure are long since gone. Websites are dynamic, living, breathing creatures if done correctly.
Updates pertinent to your music (shows, releases, interviews, etc.) should first and foremost reside on your website (preferably on your blog). The tendency is to push all this to social media, and I’m not saying not to do that. What I’m saying is, updates unique to you should be on your website. Your audience shouldn’t have to go onto social media to find relevant updates (or vice versa).
Publishing to multiple destinations isn’t going to require that much more of your time, and it’s going to help you grow your online portfolio.
Email Campaigns
You are sending your email subscribers weekly email campaigns, aren’t you?
Most artists are smart enough to know the importance of email, but it’s worth pointing out that this is another key publishing channel.
And while you might not be writing multi-page essays about your last tour stop, you should still be sending out regular updates to your fans.
And even this content can be turned into more down the line (retrospectives, physical newsletters, books, etc.).
You’re Already Doing the Work
And the main takeaway here is to notice how many different places you’re publishing already (even if you think you aren’t).
How much more work would it take to organize your content assets and set your website in order? To ensure you have updates shared on both your website and social media channels? To create a dedicated archive of the work you’ve done, and targeting relevant keywords that are either unique to you, or have a strong association with your brand?
You will not regret the time invested in building out your own platform, because that’s an asset you can hold onto. And entrepreneurs should be building assets.
You will not regret the time invested in building out your own platform, because that’s an asset you can hold onto. Click To Tweet
