Community Building

This is Part Five (Community Building) in a seven-part series that addresses the essential pieces a classical guitarist needs in place in order to build the business side of a music career.

This list is all about the pieces you need to start building a community. Completing the list doesn’t mean you are finished; it means you have the foundation in place to build an awesome community. In other words, it's the beginning and not the end.

As in previous weeks, go through the check list and see what item(s) you are missing in your own career. Take the week to address one of them. Remember, knowledge without taking action won’t move your career forward.

✅ 1 – 2 Professional social media pages

A professional social media page allows you to find your audience (you’re not waiting to be “discovered”). It also gives others an opportunity to discover you. Having a professional social media page gives you the opportunity to develop strong relationship with your fanbase, you as an artist, and your music. It allows you to forge industry connections (other musicians, journalists, booking agents, etc.) and you can promote your work or upcoming concert (you can be your own publicist)

✅ Have a professional YouTube page

93% of the most popular videos are music videos (2020). It should also be noted that 85% of teenagers utilize YouTube, so if you want to find or build a new audience, this is where you need to be. YouTube is a free streaming and marketing platform and is the second most popular search engine. It is also a key to music promotion and if built properly, an artist can monetize their page.

✅ Have 1000+ Fans

Your fanbase is the cornerstone of your career. With no customers, you have no career. Fans have the potential to provide you with support (e.g., financially, creatively) and can help you promote you and your music (e.g., repost or share links). It should be noted (sorry about the bad pun) that it’s not about creating numbers – It is about forming relationships.

No public activity → No audience growth → No gigs

✅ Built an email list of 250+ subscribers

Building an email list is one of the best ways to connect with your fans and followers.

Emailing people directly makes your fans and followers feel they are part of an exclusive group. Those that sign up to your email list are REALLY interested in you and your music.

When you email people directly, it is personal; people don’t feel like they are just a number. When you build an email list, you own the information about that contact (Don’t abuse that privilege). In terms of connecting with fans and followers, email outperforms all other types of marketing.

✅ Created your fan avatar(s)

Creating an avatar helps you get a better understanding of the people who love your music or music service. Essentially, it is a summary of who is your typical fan. By understanding who your typical fan is, an avatar may help you connect and communicate with fans in a more meaningful way. An avatar helps you make objective decisions when it comes to marketing (base your decisions on data rather than assumptions). An avatar helps you to look at your music more objectively.

WARNING: Fans want to be seen and treated as individuals. It is important that you know each person who supports you and your music

✅ Created giveaways

At the start of your musical journey, it is important to get as many ears listening to your music as much as possible. Giveaways helps potential fans sample your music and/or service. They draw more attention to your music or music-related product or service and increase awareness/exposure of your brand. Giveaways encourages more engagement and is also a great way to re-engage existing fans. They also help you grow your email list by giving your fans, followers, and supporters a chance to sample what you’ve got coming their way. In other words, they add value to your products or services because they create excitement about what is to come.

✅ Getting fan engagement on social media

Currently, social media is an essential part of marketing for musicians. You can use social media to find new fans and connect with existing fans. It is important to communicate and engage with people and not just advertise. In other words, it is about building relationships.

✅ Have a well-crafted elevator pitch

This is not about spewing out a rehearsed set of lines. However, by having an elevator pitch, it can help you describe your music and mission on the spur of the moment. It is important to be able to grab the attention and hold someone’s interest within a VERY short period of time. It is an essential part of face-to-face networking. An elevator pitch helps you to talk to others about “you” and your music without sounding like an idiot.