In 2012 the Music Dilemma is in question? We are seeing with many Artist, Labels and event curators , building successful driven project plans and business models in the digital era is a Indiana Jones Mystery.
In many eyes of music execs globally has become a major issue.
With retrospect to even the built branded artist labels, independent Artist and even the Major Labels.
In this 2 Part Interview Rockstar Special, we speak with Geoff Livingston as not about Obama and the State of the Union, but the State of the Union of Music, Marketing and how to situate building your integrated marketing initiative in the Digital Era.
Geoff living and Co – Author Gini Dietrich are well-known marketing strategist and have just released their book, “Marketing in the Round How to Develop an Integrated Marketing Campaign in the Digital Era”
Corey Biggs: Many Artist such as the leaders in dance music such as Paul Kalkbrenner, Fatboy Slim and so many other elite artist that their music moves wisdom of crowds with user-generated content in bootleg remixes that are spread through social media. Can you elaborate as in your book how crowd-sourcing enables this and can engage your energy and enhance your brand reputation creativity?
Geoff Livingston: So this is really smart. It empowers customers to interact with the artist and enjoy the experience on their terms. As a result, the fan is much more likely to share the artists music with their fans.
: Crowd-sourcing requires a lot of time and structure. Bands may want to consider how to do this without necessarily getting knee-deep into a crowd-sourcing platform. For example, reward fans with special access for designing the best tees, or creating the best remix on YouTube. That kind of stuff!
Corey Biggs: You speak in your book, “The biggest issue with social media is people forget to be Social”? With the Electronic Dance world this has been a major issue, In your eyes can you provide three pointers that you could give to upcoming artist and present to how to overcome this obstacle on a daily initiative?
Geoff Livingston: Sure, first thing, monitor conversations about your brand and respond to them. Do this daily.
Second, talk to people everyday. Initiate that conversation by RTing, Liking and most importantly commenting on their stuff. Even just 10 of these a day goes a long way to making things happen. My co-author Gini Dietrich (spinsucks.com) is a master at this. Check her out on Twitter, @ginidietrich.
Third, embrace the bad. Be seen taking the bad critique, the off comment. It helps humanize you, and lets fans see your not just positioning yourself as an icon.
Corey Biggs: In Essence you book you elaborates on Social definition in the digital era, do you believe the definition is always innovating in every market daily and how can you stay ahead to achieve success?
Geoff Livingston: Personally, I see it as people evolve or regress every day as well. So should your brand as the customer experience changes.
As not all customers use social media can you provide some advice to elaborate on as in your book how to engage these users as an artist or brand in your brand reputation initiative?
You could post their letters or postcards for them. Have them mail to the band and post the ones you like the most each week. This has worked well for Frank Warren on PostSecret: http://www.postsecret.com/
Corey Biggs: Do you see in you past social media efforts with clients the reality that the digital relationship in any business process has to be equal or even more to build the speed of trust in 2012 or is it a lot easier to as we say fake the funk and get away being everywhere and all just assuming?
Geoff Livingston: I think it’s still the same. It’s about investing the time to interact with and serve people, just much more focused on social networks. With the inundation of social technologies, you have to make your content easy to share, like and comment on.
That’s probably the biggest difference. Otherwise, you are sunk! It’s the best-kept secret syndrome, and no one will find you.
Corey Biggs: Within The Music and the highly concentrated Dance world the artist with built brand reputations has made it quite hard to engage social media directly with consistent results. In your book you speak as in war about flanking techniques. Would you be able to elaborate to our listeners why this is essential in involving in their integrated marketing measure now in this digital era?
Geoff Livingston: Yeah, so if you can’t interact directly, you have to find a way to speak to customers where they don’t expect it.
So if you’re a dance artist, perhaps you want to cultivate the DJ community so find ways to get in front of them that are not normal. Perhaps mail all the DJs in a top market your record with a personal note and see what happens. Because mail is used so infrequently now, I’m pretty sure this would be well received.
Corey Biggs: Do you believe that artist even the ones that have the potential to get to the top miss the boat on common flanking techniques of advertising? In your book you go into more detail on this but can you elaborate in general why advertising conveys a level of legitimacy and its is seen globally if a brand can afford to advertise, they are often perceived as stable.
Geoff Livingston: Yes, the big challenge as an artist of any kind – music, writer, painter, etc – is that today you have to market yourself.
The best thing you can do is get a working knowledge of marketing tactics so you can expand your experience to customers. They expect to see you out there; they want to invest in something cool.
If you’re relying solely on word of mouth, it might take too long. Why wait to get discovered? How often does that really happen anymore? You have to make your own destiny through marketing.
Corey Biggs: For artist do you believe in this digital era that events can do more then direct marketing to stakeholders, which may be ineffective if they don’t know who you are such as labels in the music world?
Geoff Livingston: Yes, especially if you let people photograph and record your efforts. Be smart, the Grateful Dead were the first to do this, but many, many bands have caught on to the fact that letting people share their music experience creates fantastic word of mouth marketing. Every show can be a word of mouth bomb in that market.
As to not getting paid for the recordings, etc. you know the quality will be less. I’d rather have four new customers than one locked down somewhat disgruntled person who can’t share their experience.
Biography
Gini Dietrich is the founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, a Chicago-based integrated marketing communications firm. She also is the lead author of the PR and marketing blog Spin Sucks and co-author of the book Marketing in the Round (with Geoff Livingston).
Gini Dietrich
Blog http://spinsucks.com/
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ginidietrich
Twitter @ginidietrich
Geoff Livingston is an author, public speaker and strategist who helps companies and nonprofits develop fantastic marketing programs. He brings people together, virtually and physically to build loyal networks for business, change and higher knowledge. A former journalist, Livingston has written three books, most recently co-authoring Marketing in the Round with Gini Dietrich.
Geoff Livingston
Blog http://geofflivingston.com
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/geoffliving
Twitter @geoffliving
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