Category: music marketing & business

I found Ramit’s book and blog, “I Will Teach You To Be Rich,” by reading Tim Ferriss’s book and blog, “The Four Hour Work Week.” As it turns out, they’re friends, and not just because they both have scammy sounding books and blogs.

They both seem to be perfecting the ‘work smarter, not harder’ mentality, tirelessly investing in their own smarts and values to play and win the game of creating and marketing content. They also both seem to really understand and utilize media, new and old, blog and book.  So when I found Mixergy the other day, I saw an interview with Ramit on blog marketing, checked it out, took a bunch of notes and got a bunch of good ideas.

• started for friends, found no one would show up for money talks, so started a blog
• blogged for years before getting recognized by WSJ
• had routinely, tirelessly emailed the WSJ finance reporters about his blog, mentions, until they covered him
• says, “tell the right people” — like if you post on saving money for a wedding, tell the wedding bloggers
• methodical about writing (10-15 hrs a wk) and marketing (10 hrs a wk)
• says read, “Never Eat Alone,” “Permission Marketing,” mentions, “The Paradox of Choice”
• make friends with reporters, find out what they need, be a resource, add value to the relationship
• says remind yourself until you don’t forget “Nobody cares about me” (you have to appeal to people)
• on your blog -> engage, engage, engage
• get people on your email list (it’s a different crowd that visits your blog)
• on email list: split test your emails to determine what works, what people want
• provide your email list with fresh content
• identify hero visionaries (even outside of your field), work for them for free, and knock it out of the park
• don’t monetize too quickly, value your long-term relationship with your people more and it’ll pay off more, longer
• the real payoff from blogging is the doors it opens like speaking gigs, opportunities, etc.
• everyone is a consumer, be a producer of great stuff

I am, by the way, only a few chapters into Ramit’s book, because I’m still automating my bills and savings, which are his first prescriptions at the end of ch. 1. It’s got lost of tactical advise on making money management easier.

What this all made me think and how I can apply it…

• keep writing songs, posting, figuring out the new-media game and committing to being a producer of cool stuff
• start getting to know (perhaps persistently, but politely bugging) music reporters, local (Chronicle, Austininst, etc) and bloggers. in addition to reminding them of what i’m doing, provide them with what they need whether it’s a pre-written story with a good angle as part of my press-kit, or to connect them with the news or content that i know-of and they might appreciate
• when i post a song called “Bananas” look beyond music people to food people, kid people, etc. for cross posting
• keep as disciplined as possible about both producing and posting stuff but also about doing the marketing stuff
• don’t assume people care about what i’m doing…give them a reason and appeal to what i know they like
• i’ve started by taking Amy Mitchell, Sarah Sharp, Austin Kleon out to lunch…don’t stop there. ask all kinds of local heros out for a drink, meal
• make more videos, lo-fi is easy, and one of the easiest ways to draw people in
• get my mailing list going with monthly updates and special info, put a sign-up form on my homepage
• get the podcast going again too
• i’m now collaborating with Sara Hickman…knock it out of the park…this is the best opportunity i’ve ever had. but keep thinking beyond to other visionaries i’d gladly help.
• don’t worry about making money with the blog (though i do want to sell t-shirts and music directly), think about who i’d like it to connect me to and connect
• and again…make cool stuff. don’t just be a consumer, produce value

Any other ideas out there?