34 AUGUST <strong>2007</strong>
BUSINESS & MARKETINGInternet MarketingBy Jen LoweAs business owners, we oftenhave to reinvent ourselves. Ifwe don’t, we might get lost inthe shuffle or we might get leftbehind. These days, businessmodels and objectives seem tochange daily. The music business,in every aspect, is no different.And ultimately, we have no choicebut to subscribe. The good newsis that there are so many ways tosubscribe for free!The advent of sites such asMyspace, YouTube, and Kanevahave allowed the music retailer tomarket their businesses for free.These sites are easy to use, and ifutilized properly, can be effectivetools in the cyber world. Researchis showing that people are spendingmore time on their computersand online than they are watchingtelevision. The statistics areoverwhelming. Seventy percent ofYouTube users are American androughly 50 percent are under theage of 20. And the total amount oftime people collaboratively spentwatching YouTube since it startedis 9,305 years. Myspace is the largestonline social networking portalon the Web. It has 61 million plusregistered users with 21 millionunique visitors. Myspace reachesmore men than ESPN.com. Nowwe are talking!So given the numbers, whywouldn’t we use these powerfulresources to market our musicretail businesses? Why wouldn’teveryone be jumping on the Internetto sign up and get in on theaction? Truthfully, the only reasonI could think of for not joining is:you do not own a computer. Andif you don’t own a computer, I willbe the person to tell you, it’s timeto get one.I have an online business calledBoomBoom Percussion LLC.We sell new and used musicalproducts. Tied in with the storeis a Web-based television stationfor Freecalled BoomBoom Television. Theconcept behind the channel is toget involved with the community.We conduct interviews, documentartists playing, and perform productdemos in order to connect,get involved, and educate. Simplystated, we are not just selling ourproducts but rather selling thelifestyle.The advent of YouTube,Myspace, and Kaneva has allowedus to do all of this for free. And itis working! It takes a little timeto keep up with these mediums,but it is well worth it. Using thesetools, I am able to blog, sendbulletins about events and sales,and stay in constant touch withmy customers. My customers ultimatelyform the BoomBoom Community.I answer questions on allof these sites. I can see commentsthat people choose to leave, and Iremain in touch with them. I neverwanted to simply be a retailer. Iwanted to be a part of somethingbigger than that. I wanted to be apart of the community, as I believeat the end of the day, we all wantto be invited to the party.With these sites in place, andwith so many more being added tothe Web every day, we can all bebetter connected with our customers.The beauty is that it is free.You do need a few tools, however.You will need a computer, ahigh-speed Internet connection, adigital camera, and some editingsoftware. Although these itemsare not free, they are good investmentsin your business. Whendeciding which camera to purchase,you might want to considerone with video capability. Softwarewill depend on whether you areusing a Mac or a PC. If you are ona Mac, and you want to edit video,you have iMovie, which is a veryeasy program to navigate. If youown a PC, you will have choicessuch as Muvee, Avid, and WindowsMovie Maker 2.1, which canall be downloaded on the Web forfree. For editing photos quicklyand easily, I highly recommendEasyBatchPhoto. This programwill cost about $30, but it is wellworth it and a lifesaver when tryingto get all your photos to lookuniform. Once you have thesetools, you are ready to go. Don’tbe scared. Jump in and find yourcontent!Sign up for a Myspace, You-Tube, and Kaneva account. It issuper easy. All the sites will walkyou through the process. Thenpost your photos and videos onthose sites. Invite your friendsand customers via their e-mailaddresses. Now you will be able tokeep in touch with your community!Invite people to post their ownvideos and share their content.Invite comments and suggestions.Allow your customers to feel likethey are part of the family, thattheir opinions and needs are beingheard, and that you want to betheir customer service provider.I can tell you firsthand thesefree sites work. I am not saying itdoes not take some time investment,but it is one you will notregret. The Internet communitiesare powerful. They are viral. Wordspreads fast on the Internet, andnot just in your neck of the woodsanymore. Now we all have accessto the world! It is lovely to giveadvice to folks all over the countryand world. It is amazing to sharestories and create a communitythat is not limited to geography.I have watched www.boomboompercussion.comand www.boomboomtelevision.com growvery fast just over the last yearalone. I have come to understandhow much musicians, whetherthey be aspiring, professional,hobbyists, or anything in between,long to connect and share. Thesesites give us the ability to fill thatneed. Ultimately, I am simply thatmyself. Jen Lowe, percussionist,drummer, songwriter, guitarist,touring musician, and businessowner who wants to connect inevery aspect. I now have thatability and I am loving it everyday. I spend a lot of time with mycommunity. And in the end, I thinkthey give back equally to what Iput in. Rock on!Jen Lowe is the president ofBoomBoom Percussion. She gavea NAMM University speech onthe same topic during last month’sSummer NAMM.<strong>Music</strong> & <strong>Sound</strong> <strong>Retailer</strong> 35
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