direct message | Michael Brandvold Marketing

I have written many articles about what you should do online to promote your music. This time I am writing about what you should NOT do to promote your band or music.

Do not spam your music.

Do not spam your shows.

Do not spam your videos.

Get it, do not spam! Spam is when is you send someone a message without them asking to be contacted, without them knowing you, without you knowing if they are interested.

Technical Definition of Spam

An electronic message is “spam” if (A) the recipient’s personal identity and context are irrelevant because the message is equally applicable to many other potential recipients; AND (B) the recipient has not verifiably granted deliberate, explicit, and still-revocable permission for it to be sent.

Here are some common examples to avoid.

Facebook

If you have a Group do not add anyone to the group without first asking if they would like to be added. Even if they are already a friend or have liked your page. Ask permission first.
Do not make a post on someone’s wall promoting your music, show or video without first asking if it is ok to post. Just because you are a friend does not mean they are interested in your music or band, ask first.
Do not make a post on your wall and tag someone in that post without first knowing if they are ok with you tagging them. If someone is not in that post, do not tag them.
Do not send messages promoting your music, shows or videos without first getting permission. This is no different than sending a spam email.
Do not invite people to a event who can’t attend. This means if you have a show in Italy do not invite all your friends in the United States.

Twitter

Just because someone is following you does not mean you can send them a Direct Message with links to music or a video. First send a message asking if they would like to review your music. Again, this is just like spam email.
Do not @mention someone in a post just to get it to show up on their Twitter feed. Especially if the person does not follow you back first. Ask them first if they would be interested in receiving a link.
Here is a link to Twitter which explains exactly what Twitter considers spam.

Soundcloud

Read the article I posted earlier about Soundcloud spam, Proper Etiquette On How To Solicit Your Music Online.

Do these things and you seriously risk getting reported as a spammer to both Facebook and Twitter. This means you will be blocked and you won’t be able to talk to anyone.

Treat your online connections with respect. Nobody is going to take anything you say seriously if you are seen spamming the same message out to everyone or are seen pushing your product on someone you have never had a conversation with or you have no idea even has interest in your music. Respect gets respect.

Time management is a challenge for everyone. I constantly hear from clients about how they have a hard time spending the time they should on Facebook or Twitter.

Well here are five check boxes you can select in Twitter that will help you save time.

You should always be on top on who mentions you, who retweets you, who marked your tweet a favorite, when you get a direct message and when you get new followers. Sometimes you can’t make the time to log into your Twitter account and review these.

Here is how you can stay on top of these items using your email; edit your Twitter profile and click the Notifications tab. You will find check boxes for each of these items, that when checked will send you a email for that action. Once checked you will get a email anytime someone mentions you, a email when you are retweeted, a email when your tweet is marked as a favorite, you get a direct message and when someone new follows you.

Now when you check your email you can also review important Twitter activity.