Online Artist Reputation
Online Artist Reputation
Online Artist Reputation – Have you Googled your name recently? Have you tried each iteration? Were you in ‘Incognito Mode’?
Taking back control of my appearance on Google was something that did not dawn on me until the other day. When, you guessed it, I googled myself. Nothing terrible came up (I’d hope!). The problem is that it was a hodgepodge of misinformation. All my nerdy brain could think was, “My branding! My S.E.O.!” Let’s satisfy the little voice in my head that gets hung up on the details for a moment. It’s not overthinking things this time!
Start in ‘Incognito Mode’, if on Chrome. Or, start a new private window if you are on Firefox. Type in your name and you will see the S.E.R.P., or search engine result page for your name. Fortunately I don’t have too many iterations it could be. As you can tell typing in ‘Chuck Weiselberg’ leads to a bit of a messy page. For context, my goal is to push this site here – Get More Listens Dot Com – to be associated with every possible way one could dream up when typing in my full or artist name into Google. I want my affiliation to reflect the connection to Get More Listens Dot Com, preferably on this front page.
This Isn’t The Case, So What Can I Do?
The humorous part is that it’s not as difficult as you may imagine to fix this. It’s just annoying. Word to the wise, use a fake name for … everything going forward. I’m kidding… Or am I?
There’s privacy laws in many countries. They were a bit of a pain to get in place for businesses (boo-hoo, I agree). Being that they were a pain, though, requirements under the law became standard operating procedure. Meaning, when users haphazardly create accounts they later don’t want reflected on S.E.R.P. pages like I did, there’s still recourse. And where it’s not required by Law, it is just easier for many businesses to adopt policies allowing you access to your information. Why? To not have to maintain two completely different Corporate policies.
Let’s Take My Example Of IMDB To Further Discuss Managing Your Online Artist Reputation
I am definitely not hating on the nerd paradise that is the International Movie Database. It’s an awesome place! The thing is, I am listed for a project I no longer really give much of a care to being associated with. And, IMDB is pretty good at S.E.O. (Search Engine Optimization). To boot! I am a dunce who has forgotten my IMDB password. For further mystery, I don’t even know what e-mail I used!
All Hope Is Not Lost!
Here’s what I did to further control my online artist reputation – Since IMDB was prepared for dunces like me a mile away, I typed in ‘IMDB Customer Support’ on Google and the top option brought me here – https://help.imdb.com/contact –
Cool! We’re Onto Something!
The trouble is I can’t answer question one. I honestly have no clue!
I’m going to select IMDB Contributor for question one. I know that my listing on their site is connected to a film which I did sound work on after College. At least I know this much! From there, I’m a little uncertain. Yes, I do need help with a submission made but it’s not at all new. So, I used ‘Other Data Issue.’
You Are Then Brought To A Contact Form.
In a very short timeframe from completing the contact form I received a follow-up (below). Awesome! I don’t know what’s done from here on their end to correct it but I’ve done what I can! This is also what Google recommends you do to reclaim your result page. If you try to go through them, even they admit it’s a lengthy process.
Why Bother? What Impact Does This Have On Marketing My Music?
Fair point! Online artist reputation is a matter of branding. In other words, the way in which you go about publicly displaying who you are, and what you’re about. It’s important! It’s important because you work hard to cultivate the proper image and represent yourself how you wish. It also happens to be the case that one of the first few places someone may begin to learn more about you is Google. Don’t let Google tell your story!
My Recommendation?
You don’t need the help of a music marketing agency to handle this. Instead, start off in Incognito/Private. This is because Google otherwise has cookies that store info which will skew your results. Be sure to try each instance of your name you can imagine and see what pops-up. For example, I need to double check what is listed for Chuck, Charles and Chuck W., to name a few. Once you do the same, you will hopefully know your credentials and can login to what you notice you want removed. Look for how you can fully close the account. That’s important! If it’s not fully closed you will still be indexed by the site (showing on Google), since whichever site is still claiming ownership over your information. And they’re not in the wrong, you need to ask for it back. Finally, exercise some patience. Even after you gain the attention of a representative you’ll want to allow a few business days for Googles gears to turn enough that they recognize the change.
And That’s It! Take That, Improperly Listed Information Effecting My Hard Work Regarding Online Artist Reputation!
If you would be interested, there’s a whole lot more on branding to read through, found within our premium services section!
Contact Chuck at [email protected] if you have any questions about how to earn listens, or marketing your music!
Audience Discovery
Audience Discovery
Audience Discovery – This is something you will be on the hunt for the duration of your music career. In plain English it means doing a bit of research in order to uncover those who will enjoy your art. It’s not that you want to exclude anyone in favor of music marketing efforts. There’s folks who will be into what you are doing more than others as an upcoming artist. One of the hardest things to do is locate these individuals when even they don’t know who you are yet.
Make Use Of This Set Of Audience Data As The First Steps To Finding Your New Audience!
Audience discovery starts with honest work. Before you ask, “What does someone who would like me ALSO be interested in?” Try, “What am I interested in?” If you’ve been honest in your product development and it is resonating your unique brand, this challenging task will be much more scalable.
Audience discovery also starts with self-reflection. Before you ask the public, “What do you want from me?” Look within your brand and explore who your target audience is made up of. If you’ve been honest in your work and it emanates your unique brand, this will be a relatively easy task to accomplish. Read on to find out how!
Creating an Audience discovery report starts with honest work. Before you ask, “What does someone who would like me ALSO be interested in?” Try, “What am I interested in?” If you’ve been honest in your product development and it is resonating your unique brand, this challenging task will be much more scalable. Other digital marketing tools can try to unroot that audience on a technical level. But nothing is as effective as stone cold facts. Facts in finding a specified audience are your greatest ally. Trust only what’s on paper and disregard estimation.
My Recommendation For Audience Discovery?
Audience discovery also starts with self-reflection. Before you ask the public, “What do you want from me?” Look within your brand and explore who your target audience is made up of. If you’ve been honest in your work and it emanates your unique brand, this will be a relatively easy task to accomplish. Read on to find out how!
Make a list! What do you enjoy? Start with 5 general topics you like that are NOT music related. Then try to think up 5 that are. Finally, focus on your brand in relation to your own personal interests. If staying true to your brand, this correlation is easy to draw.
How? Consider one word interests and keep things both simple and general while finding this new audience . While drafting this, I happened to select what I ‘liked’ as the word ‘watch’. I always find well coordinated visuals a stunning feat. Based on this interest I jotted down 5 things i like to watch.
Your one word may be ‘read’. Cool! What do you like to read? You may like to run and hobbies are as good an interest here as any. Why do you like running?
My list had many more items but in the interests of time it all boiled down to 4 interests of mine. LCD Soundsystem, the Works of Stanley Kubrick, South Park and Radiohead.
After Uncovering Your Own Interests Audience Discovery Can Truly Begin!
What’s even better is that social media has made the next steps so simple. It’s a little bit of a walk to get there but hang in with me and you’ll be bookmarking this page before you know it.
Facebook.com/business/ was previously Ads.Facebook.com but both lead to the first URL. Music marketing was never so easy, with these sites handing us demographic information! Please begin there and select Create an Ad to continue.
This Would Be The Screen That Follows
I’d recommend selecting ‘Get More Website Visitors’ as a starting point. It is in the middle row and furthest to the right.
Above is an actual music promotion campaign ran for a recent single release. What we choose to enter for this ‘website’ we’d like visitors to head to is actually negligible for audience discovery in this moment. We’re more interested in what’s further down the page.
This Section Is The Literal Audience Discovery – Targeting
Labeled ‘Audience,’ is exactly what we were seeking! You’ll notice the top option down is selected by default and is labeled, ‘People you choose through targeting’. Since this targeting option is already selected for us (as indicated by the blue dot to the right hand side) we see a prompt directly below. This is labeled ‘Audience Details’. Click the pencil icon to the right – hand side of the screen so you may edit these audience details.
This is the pop – up which shows once we do select ‘Edit’
You DO need to select a territory first under Locations, as seen here –
Keep It Local
Plenty of megalomania to be had with time. For now, we’re just getting our toes wet, so start small. You’ll find this ad center to have more information than you may expect.
Now what about this picture do you think is driving me nuts to look at?! If you take a look at the highlighted rectangle above, two key lines of text are selected. Our ‘potential reach’ is 230,000,000 people – two-hundred-and-thirty-million people – Pretty big! The audience selection is also ‘fairly broad’. I’d say that is an understatement, yes.
What’s The Problem?
If you were a superstar this size may make sense for you. Remember, we’re starting small. This number is household name status. There’s a predicament now – We need to trim down this number! Let’s discuss why. Take particular note of what the red rectangle highlights.
Next to a search query box for ‘Detailed Targeting’ we have browse. Click that! Another pop-up generates –
Before anything else, select the option for ‘Interests’ toward the top.
As I start typing in ‘LCD’ below, the full band name shows as an option to choose from. Within the confines of the geographical space you created, your search will be filtered. It will include, in this instance, folks in the United States who have listed ‘LCD Soundsystem’ as someone they are interested in (within their Facebook profile).
Further, if I type in South Park (remember the correlation we drew between my similar interests above) we can add an extra filter to the search. Meaning, we will see folks from the United States who have listed BOTH LCD Soundsystem as an interest, as well as, South Park.
Let’s See The Result!!!
And, BOOM! Goes the Dynamite. We just whittled it down to 3,900,000. Not quite where we want to be YET, but what a difference!!!
I’ll leave the rest of the number whittling to you. To see how we brought this number down further, to 54,000, in a few clicks you’ll want to explore our premium offering. Inside our core curriculum is where the answer is found!
Contact Chuck at [email protected] if you have any questions about how to earn listens, or marketing your music!
Like Artists
Like Artists
Like Artists – A.K.A. Similar Artists – No, not your faves (Though, someday, please email those to me. I’d love to nerd out). It’s just the terminology used. Consider ‘Like Artists’ as similar artists to yourself. Whether they resemble you in sound, or in branding, there’s something there. And it’s not you or your fans listening habits to thank entirely for the comparison (FYI, Namely, I’m referring to Spotify when I reference algorithms going forward).
What’s funny is that Like Artists was a feature readily available to compare yourself against artists similar to you signed by Majors. Was. Until just recently, that is. Now, you see something more like this –
Which is great! These are all artist friends of mine (that you should be sure to check out!). While I’m humbled by the comparison (truly, they’re all amazing and to be aligned with them is mind-blowing), it’s not what I need from this section. The problem is we already share fans. I’m not looking to target the SAME people. What a waste of time!
I Thought I Had To Have Been Making an Error When Initially Looking For Related Artists
Dropped Spotify a line, figuring CEO and Owner, Daniel Ek too busy to speak with me. I cannot say I expected much in the way of an answer. Received this as a reply.
It’s Not “Manually Curated”?
Err.. Okay, it was a feature which once existed. That being the case … It can exist again, no? I’m not asking you, Cyrus, to manually comb Spotify’s database for my like artists . . .
Anyway – Whatever – This Is A Music Business Tutorial, Not A Whining Session
One day I was messing around my Distributor’s site for something else. Unfortunately, what I’ve discovered will only work for those presently using Distrokid, but it’s better than nothing. Long story short, there’s a really roundabout way you can kind of, sort of obtain this information. It’s not as robust. Again, It’s something!!!
Above is your Distrokid Dashboard. From there, you’d go to ‘More’ in the Header Menu. It’s furthest right. Once Under ‘More,’ select ‘Hyperfollow’.
It’s that fifth option down. Once there, scroll down and select any release you’ve set a pre-save for in the past.
Now, scroll down about a page and a half to find …. This!!
And Boom Goes The Dynamite!
Not everyone is signed to a major, but again, it’s a start. Enjoy my friends!
Contact Chuck at [email protected] if you have any questions about how to earn listens, or marketing your music!