Music Promotion Tip: Create An Encyclopedia of Your Music Niche

If you’re looking for a sure fire way to get targeted fans visiting your website everyday, then you need to give them a good reason to do so.

In the past I have touched on the idea that you need to be a great source of information for your fans to have them coming back day after day. But recently I’ve come up with a new way to think about this idea to make things a bit more clear for you.

This is where the “Encyclopedia” concept comes in, because that word conjures up positive images in the mind of your fans right away.

Setting this up is simple…

You would have your own website with information about what you are up to, and then have another section called something like…

“The Death Metal Encyclopedia – Everything Your Need to Know About Everything!”

…or whatever kind of music that you play.

In this section you would make it your business to create the definitive guide to your music niche, and in the process you will start to build up a loyal following of aficionados who find your site through multiple google rankings. They will start to rely on you to keep them up to date with all the latest information.

You can keep track of your music news using the Google Music Alerts method that I talked about in a recent post.

Here are some ideas for the topics and categories for your encyclopedia…

• Daily news section
• List all the club nights with a description
• Create a countdown of the 100 greatest artists in your music niche
• Best new songs
• Recent gigs
• Radio shows
• List music magazines
• Best Websites
• Forums
• Interview all the musicians that you can
• Review all the new music
• Go to the gigs and make live videos
• Talk to and list the producers
• Write biographies of other musicians
• Make a documentary about your niche
• Cover the latest songs
• Talk to promoters
• Rumors
• Talk about music gear that the bands use
• Go to after-show parties and make a report
• Interview the fans

These are just a few ideas that popped out of my head in only a few minutes, but you will think of hundreds more once you put your mind to it.

There is so much to talk about in your music scene, and if you approach it with the idea of turning your website into the “definitive guide” you will have more than enough content to post one or two new pieces of information everyday.

And the best part about this is that it’s totally fun because you will become like the ultimate music journalist.

!!!Warning!!!

At this point you might be thinking that this sounds scary and that you don’t have the skills to create such a valuable resource. But all you need to do is get started and bit by bit you will gain confidence and soon become the “go to” guy or gal….

Remember that if you want to become the expert at something you need to spend a great deal of time being rubbish at it first.

I know that sounds like a cliche, but the funny thing is that it actually turns out to be true once you test it.

Final thoughts

Music fans will now habitually visit your website each day, just to get the latest news and to brush up on their music knowledge so that they can show off to their friends 

This process will be a labour of love for you, and could become your life’s work. But the great thing is that as you build your resource, you will also be building a loyal fan base which will help toward our ultimate goal of 1000 true fans, which is an idea that Ariel Hyatt talks about very well here.

I’d love to know what you think of this topic and any other ideas you have for creating a musical encyclopedia.

I should have another post up for you guys on Monday, so stay tuned!

- Chris

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Chris Rockett is a musician and music marketing consultant from London who uses Direct-to-Fan marketing tactics to help level the playing field between DIY musicians and major label artists. Feel free to follow along on his Music Marketing Blog or (Facebook Page)

Image credit: Howard Dickins

Comments

[Michael Doves]

So... You're advising that artists also become bloggers? Doesn't seem to be fostering fans through "quality music", lol.

[Band 101]

This is poor advice. To begin with, it's misleading to claim that this is sure-fire. No marketing tactic is sure-fire. To develop a successful music niche resource requires you to dedicate a great deal of time and effort to becoming a compelling writer/blogger/reporter. Musicians need to become compelling musicians. If you want more people to visit your band's website, craft remarkable music and perform it in front of the right audiences over and over. Those are the efforts that build a meaningful career. It's that straightforward. But it's incredibly difficult. That's why it's special. Chris has good intentions, but this advice is a distraction and an attempt to circumvent the real work of a musician. SEO is driven by great content. If you're a musician, what kind of content should you be perfecting - your music or website copy?

[Bob Reynolds]

I think it's an excellent idea.

[Band 101]

@Bob If you are truly passionate of the genre/niche that you operate in, and genuinely want to educate people about it, then it's worth it. But if you're viewing it as just another marketing tactic to increase your web traffic, and your heart isn't in it, you may be disappointed in the results. Depending on your motivations, there may be better things to do. Wynton Marsalis doesn't educate the world about Jazz because it's a clever way for him to get more web traffic or sell more records. He's an ambassador because he truly loves the music and feels it's important to share his knowledge and passion. Motivation behind what you're doing makes a difference.