by David Andrew Wiebe | Jan 12, 2023 | Entrepreneurship
Trainwrecks and triumphs. Turnarounds and tragedies. Trickery and tribulation.
2023 is upon us, and a looming uncertainty is moderated with measured excitement.
In the social media space, it could go either way – upheaval, or just more of the same. But I’m honestly counting on the former, if nothing else, for a bit of entertainment, and let’s face it – the validation dopamine hit the kids are so irreversibly hooked on (if there is upheaval, some of my predictions will be proven right).
For good or for ill, the following social networks are the ones to watch in 2023.
LinkedIn
My coach has been saying for years that LinkedIn is a killer platform for sharing video content, mainly because no one else is posting anything that interesting. Like moths to a flame, on LinkedIn, users are drawn to things that are even the slightest bit more interesting than corporate speak and head hunting.
Content marketing speaker, strategist, and entrepreneur Joe Pulizzi is very bullish on LinkedIn, so it seems like, years later, people are finally catching up to where my coach has been for ages.
Blogger / vlogger / digital nomad Tom Kuegler has also been on about the value of LinkedIn for a while, though all signs seem to point to the idea that his confidence in Medium has been restored and he will probably remain a Medium guy for 2023. Then again, he has been known to change his mind ever so often…
Twitter
Well, if nothing else, Twitter should be fun to watch.
It’s funny how they keep rolling out new features and then do an about face when initiatives don’t pan out…
Revue, for example, seemed like a brilliant acquisition on their part, but now they’re shutting her down (I’m so glad I didn’t go further down that track)…
And I don’t know what the hell they’re trying to do with Twitter Blue. Operation money suck, I think, but it seems like they could be offering something of greater value. Some users, I bet, would pay for the ability to edit their tweets.
Anyway, what’s going to happen to Twitter now that it’s in better hands and those hands have already said they’re not going to prioritize Twitter over Tesla? I think that’s what everyone wants to know.
I don’t have a morbid fascination with Elon Musk as a lot of people in this space seem to, but I am at least slightly leaning towards his ownership being a good thing rather than a bad thing.
There’s a very good chance I will continue to use Twitter heavily throughout 2023.
Discord
If there’s one social network that seems to be doing everything right and will probably continue to experience significant growth in 2023, it’s Discord.
With the Clubhouse hangover wearing off, if you’re still over there listening to NFT “experts” saying “we don’t know how this Web3 thing is going to pan out, but it will be an exciting thing to watch” like it was 2020 again, it’s really time to find something better to do… and move yourself over to Discord, okay?
Spotify is poised to overtake audio content in a significant way, but you know who else could mount a sizable attack? Discord.
TikTok
TikTok will be interesting to watch. Not in a positive sense, but rather in an “oh my god, see that trainwreck, look at that trainwreck, oh my god” kind of way.
I mentioned this in an earlier post too, but if you have no idea what I’m talking about, refer to episode 354 of This Old Marketing. TikTok is being banned in the U.S.
Yes, I recognize I’m kind of the bad guy in relaying this less than lovely news, but as they say, “give away all your money to the messenger.” Wait, that wasn’t it…? 🤔
My prediction, if you remember, though, was that either some party would establish TikTok North America, separate from the original, or some competitor would rise to create a rival app.
So, don’t come crying back to me saying you weren’t warned. Your short video addiction cycle may be broken this year, but likely only temporarily.
(And, hey, you’ve still got Instagram and YouTube Shorts…)
Facebook
As with TikTok, Facebook isn’t interesting because of the amazing changes that are coming (honestly haven’t heard of any), but rather because the backlash has been significant throughout the pandemic, and the disdain is still palpable.
It seems people aren’t thrilled about “Meta,” or their new direction, and it’s looking like they may be course correcting in short order.
I can’t say I care too much, because Facebook hasn’t made it into the two or three networks I’ll be focusing on in 2023, but I think they’ve made their own bed and now they get to lay in it.
Final Thoughts
If I can suggest something. It’s all fine and dandy to build on rented land, but we live in unpredictable times. You just never know when your favorite platform could take a nosedive into an abyss never to return (just one of many possible negative outcomes).
If you’re tired of the compromise. If you can see the foolishness in single source dependency. Make 2023 the year you set up your own home on the web. SiteGround is the perfect place to start. Let me know the moment you get your first WordPress site erected. It’s way easier than you might think!
by David Andrew Wiebe | Jan 9, 2023 | Creativity
The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it a great deal of uncertainty. Live performance and touring ground to a halt, leading many artists to consider throwing in the towel on their careers. If I had made any predictions for the music industry in 2020, I probably would have been wrong about most, because I could not have seen widespread lockdowns coming.
2023 is already shaping up to be an exciting year, though, and there has truly never been a better time to be an artist. But my predictions aren’t all positive. Here’s what I’m predicting for the music industry in 2023.
Doomsayers Will Scream Louder Than Ever
I covered this in yesterday’s article. Sad but true – this is nothing more than a marketing ploy to get you to empty your wallet.
Fear not – there will always be opportunities in the music industry. If someone like me can play over 300 shows in western Canada, be featured on The Antidote and CCM Magazine, and become an award-winning composer, imagine what someone who doesn’t spend the bulk of their day writing articles could do with their music.
This would be an excellent year to get your house in order, but don’t worry about the roller-coaster rises and dips that inevitably play out every single year. Focus instead on growing and bettering yourself, your craft, your fan base, and your brand.
Spotify Will Make Strides in Overtaking the Audio Space
Spotify is working hard to become the go-to destination for everything audio, be it music, podcasts, audiobooks, or otherwise (maybe even live streamed audio). And they are well positioned to do it.
I don’t think 2023 will be the year they completely overtake Apple and Amazon (if this happens at all). But I do think Spotify will be making some strides this year and will be broadening their stable of offerings.
It Will be a Rocky Year for TikTok
Most people in the business are making rosy predictions about TikTok, but truthfully, TikTok has a hard year ahead of them. Take for example this CBC News headline from last month:
U.S. lawmakers introduce bill to ban TikTok
Now, I don’t think TikTok is necessarily going anywhere. The more likely outcome for the year is that some company will purchase the rights to create TikTok North America or develop an entirely new substitute that isn’t China run. But we should not expect TikTok to remain in its current form for long.
Still, if you have yet to set up your own home on the web, you are in a position of compromise. Either create a SiteGround account, Bandzoogle account, or get some expert coaching around building your own artist website TODAY.
Web3 Adoption Will Continue to be Slow & Confusing
Just because we’re in 2023 does not make the confusing and difficult any less confusing and difficult than it was before.
Now, you and I know that Web3 isn’t all that bad, but the majority are not savvy to the extent we assume they are.
I have been sharing a great deal about Web3 based social networks and my ongoing experimentation for a couple of years now. But anything that isn’t push-button fast is at risk of alienating larger adoption, and Web3 just isn’t where it needs to be for it to be mass consumption ready.
Even all the “experts” just keeping saying, “oh, we don’t know – it will be exciting to watch and see what happens.” Thanks, expert. Pretty sure I could have figured that out myself.
I would still encourage artists familiarize themselves with the new ecosystem, though, because it is our future.
Live Music Will Recover & Grow Steadily
You might think this is a safe bet, but out of all the predictions I’ve made, this is the one I feel iffiest about.
COVID-19 set a precedent that the entire world can be locked down in a matter of weeks should there be any new public health safety concerns that drop in our lap.
Assuming there are no worldwide meltdowns, though, live music should continue to recover and grow. Artists and audiences alike will begin to feel more comfortable hosting and going to events.
Final Thoughts
Every year, enthusiastic predictions are made about A.I., virtual and augmented reality, and other emerging technologies. And the reality is, one year is a very short span of time. We’ll probably see some fresh developments in these areas, but not to the extent many think. It will be gradual at best.
I do think 2023 will be a year for great progress though!
What are your music industry predictions for 2023? Which trends only serve to annoy you? Do you think I’m out of my gourd with my predictions?
by David Andrew Wiebe | Mar 24, 2022 | Creativity
If you’re a social media fiend, chances are you spend all day everyday scanning Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Or, maybe like some, you like spending most of your time on TikTok and Snapchat (other social networks be damned…).
Either way, you probably have something to share or offer. Maybe you like to make beats in your spare time. Perhaps you have a YouTube channel you’re looking to grow. Or maybe you’re a writer on Medium whose latest article just went viral.
The bottom line is, we all have links we want to direct our audiences to – Patreon, OnlyFans, YouTube, or otherwise.
Given that this is inevitable, the app (or link in bio) you use to promote your works should be something that helps you get results, shouldn’t it?
And preferably, it should be an app that makes the process simpler and more streamlined, not more convoluted. After all, no one wants one more app.
What About Landing Pages?
I know, I’m a big fan of landing pages too. I’ve created and leveraged many over the years.
But builders are kind of pricy (you’d better be using one if you want access to the best templates), and let’s face it – unless you have a perfect offer to market fit, getting people to sign up is hard.
Even when you have the perfect offer, Campaign Monitor says the average conversion rate for a landing page across all industries is 2.35%.
That means you need to draw 1,000 visitors to your landing page just to get 24 conversions (rounded up).
Sure, landing pages sometimes do better. But exactly how much time, energy, and money do you want to spend on endless A/B testing with fonts, colors, copy, imagery, videos, button variations, and more, just to get a few signups?
It’s too much for the average person.
Enter Link in Bio Solutions
Obviously, there are a few “link in bio” solutions out there. And they’re all great. Honestly, I’m not here to diss any of them, because I’ve tried a few myself, and I can’t say I’ve had a bad experience with any of them.
The great thing about these solutions is that they bypass a lot of the guesswork. You can prioritize the links you want to show first, so you can get more clicks on those.
With most, you can usually include links to your social media profiles, and sometimes embed your latest media, like your latest podcast episode, music release, or YouTube video.
But that’s all most link in bio solutions have been designed to do. Is that wrong? No. But someone realized that link in bios could be taken to the next level, that they could be the best of both worlds, or in this case, all worlds.
The 1 App That’s Transforming the Link in Bio Concept
The newcomer that’s fast transforming the “link in bio” landscape is Koji.
When I saw it for the first time, honestly, I didn’t know what to expect. But once I started digging a little deeper, I quickly realized that it offered more than any other solution out there. For FREE.
It has built-in mini apps that allow you to collect donations, crowdfund your next project, sell locked content and NFTs, create Cameo style videos, collect emails, and more.
If you’re going to send people to a link in bio, it should be one where you can do all of that anyway, right?
After all, aren’t you sending people to Patreon, OnlyFans, YouTube, OpenSea, PayPal, Kickstater, ConvertKit, and other destinations anyway, even if you’re already using another link in bio platform?
Wouldn’t it make your life a whole lot easier to be able to do it all from one central space, AND direct people to one link instead of half a dozen or more?
That’s why I recommend checking out Koji.
Is Koji Just for Musicians?
Not at all. It’s great for all types of creators – NFT owners, eCommerce businesses, artists, musicians, and more.
What Does Koji Cost?
It’s FREE!
Are You Playin’ Me, Bro?
No, I just think it’s a great app you should check out. That’s why I brought it up. 😉
So, join the likes of Melissa Etheridge, Def Leppard, and Walk Off The Earth who already have their own Koji link in bio.
by David Andrew Wiebe | Feb 19, 2022 | News
Hey creator!
👉 Friendly reminder… Your week is what you make of it. It doesn’t matter what you’ve encountered this past week, you can get something from everything if you have the right mindset. Just look at me. I’ve felt fatigued and exhausted most of the week.
💪 Here’s my productivity tool stack for 2022.
🎨 Making content? Creating art? The bar is higher than ever…
😋 Fried mashed potato spread, organic bacon, aged cheddar, organic cucumber, organic ketchup, and organic chipotle habanero pepper sauce, all in a cheese croissant.
📘 The Music Entrepreneur Code – 2022 Edition is staring at you, wondering when you’re planning to pick it up and read it.
🎸 Ready to start learning guitar chords? It’s time to download The Chord King System eBook.
🖱️ Follow me on TikTok.
😢 Dry skin got you down? Then you might want to check out these products…
And there’s always more where this came from…
💪 Thank you for your creativity and generosity. I’m rooting for you.
by David Andrew Wiebe | Feb 5, 2022 | News
Hey creator!
👉 Friendly reminder… Your week is what you make of it. It doesn’t matter what you’ve encountered this past week, you can get something from everything if you have the right mindset. Just look at me. I’m playing catchup with my projects on a Saturday.
✅ Not sure how to steer your marketing efforts? The Rule of 5 Marketing is for you.
👩💻 This is my definitive review of 10XPro.
🐤 Tired of Twitter? You really need to have a look at BitClout.
🎛️ My new musical gear came in (and I’m able to get back to recording my demos):
💻 I continue to enjoy myself on BitClout. When will you be joining me? You do know we can elevate each other on that platform, right? I’ve decided once and for all it’s the better Twitter.
📘 The Music Entrepreneur Code – 2022 Edition is staring at you, wondering when you’re planning to pick it up and read it.
🎸 Ready to start playing the guitar? It’s time to download The Chord King System eBook.
🖱️ Follow me on TikTok.
🙏 Special shoutout to Shannon for creating some awesome playlists and adding my tracks to them.
😢 Dry skin got you down? Then you might want to check out these products…
And there’s always more where this came from…
💪 Thank you for your creativity and generosity. I’m rooting for you.
