I was cruising through some of Jimmy Shelter’s posts this morning. If you haven’t been to Jimmy’s blog recently, you should check it out. He has a great collection of resources for do-it-yourself indie music marketing.

In his Band Promotion Links IV post, Jimmy links to a really important article by Ariel Hyatt posted at musicthinktank.com (check it out). Ariel talks about Twitter, and how it’s a great tool to use for reaching new fans and making industry contacts.

Don’t underestimate the power of Twitter. If you happened to be watching Twitter’s election pages after Obama’s big win, you would have been amazed at the volume of ‘tweets’ that were rolling down the page, and the stories that were being told with just a few characters of text.

This is what you want to achieve with Twitter. No, I’m not talking about thousands of messages, but messages that help you tell a story about your act – to build a relationship with people who are following you and create a unique and interesting reason for them to care about who you are and what you do.

Popularity: 24% [?]

Twitter is one of those micro niche tools that has developed in the last few years to take advantage of the various different opportunities available through Web 2.0 technologies. Basically, the service allows you to post a short, 140-character line about whatever it is you are doing at any given time. You can upload them directly to the website or from a cell phone. It is basically a take on the status messages so many people use on their social networking profiles as applied to the Internet at large.

So, what can this basic little gadget do for you and your MySpace profile? It might seem straightforward – a widget that tells people what you are doing – but it can be so much more if you let it.

Twitter on the Go

First, you need to find the right application for your MySpace profile. You can find plenty of simple, easy to install Twitter profile widgets that will display your posts directly on your profile. Make it as unobtrusive as possible and with the same colors as your background and it shouldn’t stand out too much.

Next, start posting to your Twitter. The best part is that you can post from anywhere in the world by texting your posts in through SMS. After setting up your cell phone to work with Twitter, you can post from shows, on the bus, or the comfort of your own bed.

Now, make sure to post as often as possible. If you post often enough, you will create an effect similar to that of a blog – an interesting, content filled glimpse into your life. Especially if you are able to post to it everyday, you can be sure to have something new and interesting for your visitors each time they visit your profile – one of the most important things you can do.

Ultimately, twitter is just another small tool in the monstrous toolbox that is the Internet. But, like the other tools that are available to you, Twitter – when used properly – can provide a solid boost to your page views, fans, and ultimately to the connection you have with those fans. You want them to keep coming back, so give them something to come back for.

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One of the basic, irrefutable truths of all marketing techniques is that you must offer something above and beyond what you customer expects. Like it or not, your band’s marketing campaign needs to utilize the same basic marketing concepts as almost every other major company and brand out there and that includes providing something that your “customer” or listener in this case, does not expect. Continue Reading

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