How To Share Your Knowledge Online

Anybody who has spent a certain amount of time on the internet will have no doubt heard about blogs. It took me about 2 years to actually know what a blog was. I was too busy being overwhelmed by the fact that I could get my music heard on the world stage to bother. Blogs are growing in popularity each day, with focuses on every subject one could think of; people from all over the world can interact with each other, no matter the hour where they live. Naturally, in an attempt to appeal to the masses and stay current, some businesses opt to create a blog to talk about their products and services. Many, however, are not sure of how to use said blogs to market their business. By reading the below tips, you can learn how to effectively market yourself using this internet tool.

1. Post interesting content. You are not writing for yourself; on the contrary, the focus of the blog is meant to entertain your reader. If you want people to become interested in your product, do not discuss how great it is or how professional your company is all the time. If you overdo it, your visitors will be less likely to take you seriously; they may even leave based on your saturation method. The blog should not be one big sales pitch, in other words. Make even those who would not normally care about your business want to visit.

2. Make your readers relate to you in some way. This can be achieved by sharing stories from your everyday life. Did you have a challenging time finding a birthday gift for your grandmother? Talk about it.

Did the tires of your car blow out while you were driving down the highway? Share this event. When they start to see you as a real person, as opposed to simply a cold business suit on the other end of the computer screen, customer loyalty may result. Weave in how your situations relate to your services, as well.

3. Update the blog frequently. Many people who run blogs find themselves falling into this trap, but it is quite important in the long run. You do not have to update several times a day, but posting once a week or month is not an attractive move. Should someone come across the blog and discover how infrequently it is given attention, they may lose interest. In fact, they may believe that you are not professional, or are out of business entirely. This is a terrible blow to your marketing goals; do not make this mistake.

4. Provide information that cannot be acquired any other way. In other words, make it feel like you are giving away special "insider" information. Give notice on upcoming sales; tell them about what is selling the best in your industry, and so on. Educate them; make it fun for all involved. However, do not give away anything that might damage your reputation, such as how much your fellow employees drank at the annual Christmas party. Stick to "safe" topics, but do not make them boring.

Related articles

• Why Owning a Blog is Much Better than Owning an Ordinary Website (gseo.net)
• 23 Things for Professional Development: Thing 6: Online networks (cpd23.blogspot.com)
• 50 Great Ways to Grow Your Personal Learning Network (onlinecollege.org)
• Is Blogging a Necessary Evil? (searchengineoptimizationjournal.com)

Tips To Selling Your Music Online.

In an era where digital music is frequently pirated and distributed freely around the internet, it might seem highly difficult to discover new methods of selling your tunes. Sure, there is always going to be listeners who download albums illegally, but allowing it to ruin your day or marketing strategy isn't going to help anyone. Finding true success within the digital market is by no means easy, but never impossible if you have a decent product and the right plan.

Right off the bat, you must ask yourself what about the music influences people to purchase it, and drop their hard earned cash on one of your creations. Obviously, writing material which is inspired and enjoyable is the first step, but even this might not be completely enough. Listeners need to love the music so much it's impossible to resist, and something they can't help but share with friends and family, hoping it will evoke a similar positive reaction.

Creating a deep, diverse selection of music is another critical step in making some cash off your tunes. Perhaps if some people aren't interested in one album, there's another with a slightly different style which will pique their interest. Building an impressive discography allows potential fans to experience multiple sounds and ideas, and with enough of them, they are bound to discover something they can jam to. Once someone purchases a few songs, they'll become inclined to download more, becoming thirsty for another taste of your music.

While constructing your discography, it's also significant to remember that quality will always outweigh quantity. Just because there's an extra five tracks or so you've been dying to dust off and post online for sale doesn't quite mean they're ready for public consumption. Capturing accurate emotions, feelings, and inspiring people is what truly pushes fans to spend money, and you're more likely to capture new audiences with top notch material, rather than some B-side you don't even enjoy. Making sustainable, powerful music should be the top priority, and always before a marketing or distribution plan.

Once a record or single is touched up, completed, and prepared for release, it's time to devise an effective strategy to create some buzz and compel more listeners to try out your latest product. Utilizing social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace is a free, easy method to spread the word and drive some more traffic to your web pages. Affordable and sometimes free press release services are available online as well, which help to distribute information to the appropriate music blogs, message boards, magazines and sites. Make contacts with other bands or record labels so you can reach their audiences as well. If you've created something special, people will be listening, and the reflection will hopefully become evident in your bank account.

As long as you're focused on writing and producing top notch music, there's always a way to create some income through attracting people and generating digital sales. Stay away from rushing your products out the door, and ensure each and every release is absolutely of the best quality. Marketing and promotion is equally important, but all the fancy Flash animation and website hits in the world won't make poor music profitable.

Online Music Traps

The notion of me writing a book has, for as long as I care to remember, been a given. It was a matter of 'when,' not 'if.' That 'when' came to fruition on March 12, 2010; two days after my 43rd birthday.

I can't recall the actual 'moment' that I decided to finally put a particular train of thought into some semblance of order in the shape of a book. I do know, however, that the subject matter has been bugging me almost instantly on entering the world of online music in April 2007.

Despite being generally reserved & apathetic towards most forms of media, I do find myself verbalising my annoyance when I feel strongly about disparity in an area that I am part of.

"Online Music Traps" is the result of extensive research, personal experience & countless emails from frustrated independent musicians,disc jockeys & equally frustrated fans of my music all voicing their displeasure & confusion with the major organisations & their hold over online distribution.

The book sheds light on what's going on right under our noses but also gives advice on what we all can do to improve the situation. It can be done.

The online music industry, like any other industry, is a numbers game. If an artist can't guarantee exorbitant profits for a company they are overlooked. It's that simple. As it stands, the odds of an independent artist making any impression on the online music charts are slim.

Giving you the option to have a productive online musical presence on your own terms should be a 'given' but until recent times it hasn't been. After extensive research I feel more than comfortable (if not proud) in saying that there is no other ebook like "Online Music Traps."

When you purchase "Online Music Traps," there is nothing more to purchase; quite the opposite. By the time you have read the book & applied what you have read, you have saved over $200  (U.S.). Many books on the matter will allude to saving you money. Their idea of 'saved' is much different to mine. My idea of 'save' includes not paying out money in order to receive a discount.

Your wallet can safely stay in your wallet once you have purchased "Online Music Traps." No 'gold membership,' 'paid upgrade,' not even a mailing list to annoy you.....& I'm afraid there's no holiday to Tasmania if you buy in bulk. (!)

Due to the vast nature of the book, occasional duplication occurs. It is unavoidable & you will see why on the few occasions that you do encounter it.

Towards the end of the book I present you with a scenario This scenario has been specifically written so that it can be easily adapted to suit your needs.

Whether you are new to the online music industry, a veteran or somewhere in the middle, I am sure that you will find "Online Music Traps" both enjoyable & informative. Additionally, I spend quite a bit of time addressing music enthusiasts as the musician may as well not bother tuning-up if there is no-one around to listen.

The actual publishing of the book was an experience in itself. having never done it before I treated every wrong turn as a learning experience. It did, however,wear thin after a while. The first publisher that I used is Lulu. Very easy to manage, even for a learner like myself. The book is available there in both paperback and as a downloadable pdf document.

The next place that I discovered to publish was Click2Sell, an affiliate site dealing in a range of online products. My book is only available as a download here & an affiliate programme is available. This is also the case with PayDotCom.


The final external site that I put "Online Music Traps" for sale was in the Amazon Kindle Store. Being something of a techno-luddite I did have initial reservations but on doing some research & as in keeping with the actual substance of the book, the Kindle Store is, at the very worst, free advertising.

For the first two days that "Online Music Traps" was out there, I spent quite a lot of time wandering about aimlessly. I've been busily jotting down thoughts etc. about my next literary venture.I'm actually rather surprised with the volume I have amassed already.

I have no idea when this will commence & a a publication timetable is, at, this stage, over the hills & far away. How long will remain so? I have no idea. Stay tuned.

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