Music Marketing Secret Weapons: Google PPC Adwords Management

Do you need online music marketing services?

I’m Matt, and at Kurb we offer a service that is comprehensive – that is, covers pretty much everything you need to have ongoing online promotions; personal – that is, we carry out our promotions based on what’s appropriate for you, not just ramming your music through some system we came up with; and affordable – that means you’ll pay four times as much as you would in L.A. for the same thing – because we’re from New Zealand, but the service you get will be four times as good as it would be from some dudes in India; because we’re in New Zealand.

It costs $600 for 3 months. You pay $400 upfront and if you’re not happy after 3 months you can keep the rest.

ORIGINAL POST FROM MY MUSIC MARKETING BLOG CHECK IT OUT AND SUBSCRIBE FOR INCISIVE ONLINE MUSIC MARKETING ADVICE!

Email, me, Matt Turner – Kurb Promotions: kurbpromo@gmail.com

Adwords PPC is one of the most serious weapons in my music marketing arsenal right now. Whenever I worry about how business is going I always remind myself I’ve only got the volume set to about “1″.

I mean, hey, it costs money. Most good things do. Business costs money. The labels that used to do the business side of things are disappearing and artist have to get into business for themselves. It costs money.

When myspace started to go downhill it was a testing time, I’d built my whole online business on helping artists to spam myspace in the smartest ways and basically studying interactions between musicians and their fans because there was so much going on to observe.

I realised when you’re constantly trying to “game” certain websites it’s only going to be a temporary strategy. Youtube closed the door on fake views earlier in the year . . . because fake views worked! Fake views created real interest I saw it happen – I mean, well, it’s my job!

But real interest never turned directly into sales on myspace or youtube.

A smart band strategy would be to stay fluid and shift your myspace efforts to twitter knowing something else is around the corner for social media after facebook and after twitter . . .

But when it comes to straight up and down online marketing and business it’s still about websites bringing in traffic and making sales, that’s why the core of of promoting any brand online is search engine optimisation -  which let’s be honest, takes years to develop viably – or pay per click advertising which takes about 4 hours to set up a decent campaign.

Now don’t trust me to be modest here. There are a lot of layers to the art of ppc marketing, it’s taken me a while to realise it was something I’m just naturally really good at, or maybe it’s just the experience built up in doing this online thing full time for years now.

So just like myspace or youtube or building up a blog or anything else you might see me about – sure you can buy a copy of friendblaster, sure you can grab a free wordpress hosted blog at www.wordpress.com, sure yo can get an adwords account with google but often artists do all these things and they’re still not doing it right and they’re still not freeing up time to create more and better primary content.

If you’re going to use all these things to your best advantage you need support from someone who lives it. If I showed up at yours and tried to play some of your songs do you think I’d do any good at it?

So are you going to nderstand google adwords pay per click? The amount of information to impart on the science of this thing is just vast. Your best off with someone like me who has experience in setting up adwords – performing the necessary keyword research, setting the parameters at an optimum, and most fundamnentally: Making VAST amounts of ad variables.

But . . . ALSO knows about music, niches, and can make relevent connections.

It takes hours to put this knowledge into an adwords campaign but god is it worthwhile.

Expertise. I has it.

But the other point is that there’s no reason to put money into ppc campaigns unless your platform has actually been developed to the point you’re able to create a positive outcome – which is an email sign up principally. There’s no point throwing a whole bunch of money into adwords if you haven’t got a proposition to engage with or you’re not going to have any recognisable measure of success.

Again, this is why artists are coming to us – because we provide that whole platform set up, establishing a landing page and email list as part of the deal and to launch an advertisng campaign within 3 months.

Our marketing service is all one fluid promotion strategy, platform, content and promotion.

You’re just not going to find anyone else in the music business who is able to set everything up for you – build the website with email sign up management, write your sales pitch, and then launch an online ppc advertising campaign to begin getting sign ups – all at one low price.

In 3 months online promotion with us priced at $600, you get all this and MORE.

Places are ALWAYS limited, but unless you email us you will never be offered a place as they become available.

Email: kurbpromo@gmail.com

State of Online Music Marketing: Music Promotion Services 2009

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Need Music Marketing services for your band, act, music or entertainment brand?

That’s what we do. Comprehensive plans – that means we do basically everything you need online – design, websites + blogs, social media, fan management, video, google traffic, content distribution and promotion – there’s someone here who can do it. AND Personal Attention – that means ME talking to YOU about what YOU need to work and make progress with YOUR music. Not some software, some bot or some “masterplan blueprint for instant industry success” no. We work with you to build yourself a music and content business.

It’s $600 For 3 months. You pay upfront $400 first, and after 3 months, if you’re not happy, you can keep the rest of your money.

EMAIL: kurbpromo@gmail.com PHONE +64 27 684 8250

Alright time for some plays on the music marketing scene, I just get a feeling things are really starting to pick up and we might see things really start to ramp. There’s a general air about that it’s time to quit with the talking, and have new ideas come forward that become the basis of new systems that are qualified new industry standards for a fully digital music industry.

And what I see is some of the movers starting to play their hand, where as others could well be shown to be coming up short when it’s time to deliver the goods.

Personally – I just recently bought a staff member on board who’s soul job is to distribute articles and posts that I have created both for my own blogs and my artists blogs so we can spread content from myself and the bands and build all important one way backlinks.

For me, It’s like the artists I represent – It lets me focus on the creative energy and have the systems in place to distribute and leverage that creative content, otherwise rather than building and progressing new ideas as you should be doing – you just end up doing all this donkey work.

And if you don’t do the work you’re just going to stay that little blip on the radar with some “really nice songs”, it’s never going to work unless you play it smart.

The other thing I’ve been looking at again is new ways to game youtube, as a lot of those opportunities to get an edge got flushed earlier this year when youtube got wise so just developing some interesting new strategies there for youtube video promotion – just another tiny part of our comprehensive online music marketing packages.

So that’s me, working away with the small group of artists I work with. I wont ever work with 20 artists at a time any more I just can’t focus on the essential nature of that artists brand that has to be developed. Personalised music business and marketing support is now crucial. Me, well I’ve already got this hustle down pat so I’ll just keep charging more. Best to get in now, then.

But if you are looking into retaining a serious music marketing solution, if you’re hiring an outfit to give you personal online marketing support for your music or your entertainment brand and they come to you talking about some myspace thing, you’re probably in the wrong situation.

Wanna hear my myspace strategy? Have a myspace. That’s it. Songs, Pictures, Bio, Links, contacts, next – there’s more important stuff to worry about. Let one of my guys log in and post your blogs to your bulletin board and myspace blog, update the shit on your page.

That’s nonsense that needs to be done, but you can’t be worrying about if you’re trying to become a creative force.

Oh sure, we can do the friend adding thing and all the bot stuff if you like, but honestly . . . Myspace just lost it’s last hold, the US, and cut 30% of it’s staff. Facebook dominates. Wanna know the bad news? You can’t spam facebook with a bot. Do you have a facebook presence? No? One of my guys can set you up a facebook and show you how to use groups, Facebook can be a real cracker for gig promotion, and we can help with that.

And this is personal attention. This isn’t done by a bot, this is done by someone who knows facebook. That’s the difference, personal attention to detail when dealing with your explicit needs as an individual artist appealing to an individual niche.

I mean, look at this guy, he’s actually one of my old clients, can you believe it? Look, as far as this guy is concerned I want to save my ammunition but this gives you an idea of exactly what to avoid.

Eric Herbert and Greg Rollett have launched their new music marketing platform label 2.0 recently. Now these guys definitely have a few clues – both have shown good SEO skills building high google rankings for good keywords on their respective sites, and Greg in particular I know is a big crusader for the landing page and the email management which are very strong in my approach also.

This is because this is basic internet marketing strategy that has been used to market everything under the sun, but for some reason, not music? Basics. Landing Page. Building and working a list. Providing heaps of value up front before you even think about trying to put a sell on them.

Check out this post from Way Cool Jnr. that totally tore up the net in the last day or so – the online artist report card – so many strong ideas coming through here which really made me start thinking there are quite a few of us who have quite clear ideas about how the new business models can be applied practically.

The clear theme coming through that I’ve noticed from Ariel Hyatt’s posts on Music Think Tank also recently is the application of common and popular general internet marketing concepts.

She’s talking about how to leverage that list to sell those essential core fans on your list more and different stuff presented under your brand, what is commonly referred to as “upselling”.

Whereas with me you know I’m rabid about branding these days because without a knock out brand thats totally out there, 1000 crazed fans who want to buy anything you’ve got is a far off dream.

Some funny stuff from Andrew Dubber at New Music Strategies also – seems to be very much rolling up his sleeves and keen to apply some of his wisdom practically. Much more practical, on the ground, in the trenches stuff coming from him and his interactions with real musicians.

Note that he also has been starting to push his consultancy services and this to me is a great demonstration of another principle of been harping on about – finding extremely high value services you can offer and leverage to get funds immediately.

Andrew knows with is highly engaged list of over 4000 subscribers to his blog, all musicians and music business people, there’s surely going to be a groupwho are williing to pay a couple of hundred dollars for a consultation with him.

Just like Andrew – or me for that matter – how can you present services that provide high personal value for individual fans that allow you to make a decent wack of cash from an hour or a nights effort?

As for Bob Baker and Derek Sivers I guess they only need to rest on their laurels and rub their bellies and laugh because they basically invented independent music marketing.

But is this the new model? We’ve read about the music entrepreneurs behind the music from reading Lefsetz, the guys who built the stars, is it time for a new era of music business people, of music industry star builders, developing brands from which to monetize attention in new ways?

Rather than a label and a manger sucking your lifebloodwith a contract, or  would you have me and those like me contracted to serve you?

This is where the new musicians is in the driving seat – to decide the future for their own music business.

But really to me the challenge is as it has always been – in the monetization. Give me an artist who is marketable and $5000 to burn and I’ll get you your 1000 true fans. If you’ve got an artist now, with fair talent and appeal who’s got the commitment to understand that the music game has now returned to the true players, and the days of manufactured overnight sensations are gone . . . then you’ll get your 1000 true fans.

If you think this is just something you’ll do for now while you’re young, you’ve got the wrong idea. Do it for fun and have a blast, but don’t think of it as a business.The money you put into it now won’t be coming back for years to come so get used to the idea that if you don’t plan to be around then to collect then you’re kissing it goodbye.

Because the true challenge for us who offer music marketing services, online artist management and internet promotion, is turning that 1000 true fans that will take years to build into a decent income for musicians. If you can keep writing the songs, rocking the videos, blogging and really using the tools – twitter, for example – to truly connect . . . then it’s up to US – the business and marketing people that you have behind you – whether they’re paid upfront like me, or your bound to a contract like a traditional label or manager.

It’s now time for the innovative thinkers of music marketing and the new music 2.0 industry people to bring what they’ve got and deliver value for new musicians – new careers, new stars and a new music business.

It’s $600 For 3 months. You pay upfront $400 first, and after 3 months, if you’re not happy, you can keep the rest of your money.

Need Music Marketing services for your band, act, music or entertainment brand?

EMAIL: kurbpromo@gmail.com PHONE +64 27 684 8250

Music Industry Trends: New Music Business Model or No Music Business Model?

Interested in comprehensive online music marketing for bands, musicians, performers, entertainers – etc? We provide online management and marketing services to arists, musicians and performers around the world.

Contact me, Matt to talk about building your music brand online – kurbpromo@gmail.com

What else have I been up to?

Also read another article”New Business Models or No Business Model?”

I think what Gerd is saying here is that conditions  are constantly changing for music businesses so it’s essential to stay flexible.

That’s why I put so much emphasis now in building the brand because whatever value proposition you’re trying to leverage to generate income, if your brand is strong its easy to change up and do something else if you’re smart. If people are coming to your website because they’re coming for you and to get your content, then it doesn’t matter what you’re selling as long as it’s a sweet deal and that’s what branding is all about.

So when you’re talking about “no business model” it doesn’t mean come up with some cool thing that everybody loves but would never pay for. It means right now, we just worry about engaging as many fans as possible with consistent and quality content – and as long as you build a smart platform, then later you can think of a thousand ways to give those people more of what they want from you and get some money.

Copywriting – for bands, musician’s bio’s, blurbs, write ups, press releases, reviews, blog posts, articles . . .

I have also been doing some copywriting for a lot of artists, mainly working on their landing page copy.

So all I can say about this is I often take this stuff for granted but a lot of artists when left to their own devices come up with some pretty terrible shit when it comes to describing themselves and doing that thing I always talk about: engaging.

Need a whole post on this – I guess it’s part of this “anti-branding” concept I talk about – this condescending “hey buy our t-shirt” and “check us out” kind of vibe doesn’t always create the right impression. It’s extremely subtle the art of branding, but you don’t see that many big bands being all like “yo check us out”.

I could name a dozen crimes in such copy or bio’s related to artists but I’ve got to get back to work.

Yes you’ve got to be compelling.

Some of the shit I read in artists bio’s or blurb, honestly, why in the HELL would I care about that? I want to hear about some crazy shit that’s on another level. It doesn’t matter what game you’re playing, you can always take it to another level. You’re trying reach people here so you’ve got to stand out – and stand out meaningfully, not just by having some novelty factor or gimmick that’ll get old fast.

Also, this concept of social proof again, you’ve got to demonstrate immediately that you’re real and not a pretender, and how that is conveyed very much depends again on the value of your brand and your target niche.

It’s great if you tell me where you’re from and what acts you are a little bit like because those are important searchable keywords. but don’t tell me you’re taking the world by storm unless you’re in the habit of summoning hurricanes and have the pictures to prove it, otherwise the main impression you create is that you’re in the habit of summoning bullshit, and trust me, that market is a little saturated.

I guess what I’m saying is that if you’re sitting there and you dont have good ideas about how to build your brand by producing compelling bio’s, intros, blogs, blurbs etc. then you might find yourself in need of my services, because I provide a comprehensive service for all your online marketing needs, and if you dont have great copy that engages visitors when they first arrive to visit you and hear your music online then it’s going to be that much harder to engage to the extent that you can actually build fans.

You should email me: kurbpromo@gmail.com or phone +64 27 684 8250

If you’re Interested in comprehensive online music marketing for bands, musicians, performers, entertainers – We provide online management and marketing services to arists, musicians and performers around the world.

Contact me, Matt @ Kurb to talk about building your music brand online – kurbpromo@gmail.com