As we kick off the first week in 2010, we need to look at what happened in 2009 as well as our history as a band/company and then make some good assessments to get us on track to have a better year and continue to make music our business.

photo by Dain Sandoval

What to look at as you develop your music marketing plan for 2010:

Keep it simple. What worked and what didn’t. Did something outperform other events, promotions or traffic generation? Did one style of marketing work better than something else?

This is the first step. Go back to the Pareto Principle, or as we typically know it the 80/20 rule. 80% of your output comes from 20% of your input. Put your focus into that 20% and see your results go through the roof.

Let’s talk about this blog, for instance. I know that when I post more frequently, specifically more than once per week, I get more traffic. When I get more traffic I get more people to signup to the email list. When more people signup to the email list I get more sales, etc.

So my first area of focus is to post 3 times a week, or have writers, guest posts, interviews, etc fill in to equal 3 posts per week. I know this will work because I took a look at my analytics and noticed trends and patterns. I also notice that notifications from Aweber come in more frequently when I post more.

Sounds simple, right? Then why didn’t I post more?

In some instances I went weeks without posting. We all get busy, but when we know that results come from a specific source, we need to hammer that source til the water runs dry.

Do this same exercise with your own website, your live events and any other activities you do that produce results.

Some simple questions to answer:

• Did one live music venue produce more revenue than another? (ticket sales or merch?)
• Did one music venue produce more fans or email signups?
• Did one social network produce better results than another? What were those results?
• Did one form of online promotion bring you significantly more revenue than the others?
• Did one music distributor bring more sales than another? (iTunes vs Amazon vs Bandcamp vs physical stores vs a specific store, etc)
• Did one site, blog, review bring you great results? Did some bring nothing?

These are just some examples of where to start. Take a look at your own music career and decide what was the best use of your time when it comes to music marketing.

Applying this to your music marketing in 2010

In 2010 I want to take it simple with your music marketing plan. I don’t think you need to be on 100 social networks or every single online store or whatever. You do need to be everywhere that you can manage and that can be done through awesome tools like Tunecore, Artist Data, TubeMogul, Bandcamp, Ping.FM and everything that Google makes.

Your goal in 2010 is to make the best use of your time. Here is where I think that time needs to be spent.

Creating content. We live in a new society that likes 24/7 updates from its celebrities, news station, athletes and really any and everyone. This means that no matter the privacy that you want in your life, you need to let your fans in and let them in often. Content is much easier to create then you would expect. Try doing live streams on uStream. This is something Shinobi Ninja has been doing to engage fans (even from their iPhone). You can also create blog posts around your lifestyle or about affilaite products, which also can generate income.

Meeting People and Networking. Being someone who loves things like Twitter and blogs to meet new people in 2009 the thing that changed my business the most was meeting people in real life. This includes organizing local events, Tweetups or just going to shows. Head out to conferences, festivals and NON MUSIC events – things like Bar Camp or local meetups, art galleries, etc. Be genuine and follow up. These connections can last a lifetime in this business.

Also continue to do this online. Seek out people and build real networks through blogs, social networks or online communities. Meet your fans and engage them. Maybe your number one fan is a designer or works for a print shop or something.

Turning your music into a business. This includes looking at stats, building a sales funnel and turning your casual fans into buyers. If you want to suceed in 2010 in the music industry, you need to look at your music as a business. I don’t give a rats ass if you think your only job is to make music – IT”S NOT! Look at every single one of the top money makers in pop music. They work their ass off. Interview after interview. Performance after performance. Business deal after business deal. Do the same for your music. Find alternate streams of income. This is a must.

How are you looking at your music in 2010? What does your marketing plan look like?

-Greg

P.S. The new 100 Resources for DIY Musicians in now available. Grab your copy of the industry’s hottest musician resources here.