Transitioning from Friends to Fans, Profiles to Pages on Facebook

A recurring issue in the past year with my clients in the music industry and beyond is the why, what and how of Facebook marketing within the new platform. By now most bands have made the transition from personal profile to an artist page, but many solo artists and other celebrities have hesitated to make the big move. Perhaps many artists feel that a personal page is well, more personal, and they're not wrong. The ability to direct-message, invite your friends to events and add new friends is valuable and not an option on a fan page. Many are frustrated with Facebook's constantly changing platform for artist integration and refuse to make the jump on these grounds. However, for artists on the rise that are thinking about the long term promotion of their work, fully committing to the exclusive use of a fan page may be something to consider sooner rather than later.

As of this writing, Facebook caps the number of friends that one can have on a personal profile at 5,000. For a developing artist this may seem like a respectable number, but why would any artist want to limit the number of people who choose to become a part of their online world? An indie artist may have far fewer friends than this on a personal profile, but once again it makes sense to plan for the long term. Also, though the success that artists have found with Social Ads (Facebook's advertising program) has been mixed, this is an option only available to fan pages that should not be ruled out. Artists with specific marketability have found success with the program and a fan page allows you to keep this option open. Finally, personal profiles are more likely to contain sensitive information and may understandably cause an artist to hesitate in handing over their password to members of their marketing team. On the contrary, anyone with a personal profile can be added as a fan page administrator, increasing the likelihood that none of your messaging will fall through the cracks when you become too busy to update.

Once you've decided on making the transition there are a few basic rules to follow that will make things easier.

First, limit your privacy settings to drive new connections to your fan page instead of your personal profile. Click on Account (upper right corner) -- Privacy Settings -- Connecting On Facebook -- View Settings. Change the dropdown menu next to "Search For You On Facebook" to "Friends Only". This will ensure that non-friends who search for you in the future will come across (and like) your fan page instead of your personal profile. You can still send friend requests to new 'real life' friends that you wish to add to your personal profile, but they will not be able to find this profile via Facebook search.

Next, take a good, hard look at your fan page and prepare it for your fans by plugging in all content that would normally exist on your official website or myspace profile. Make sure that your iLike account has your most current music uploaded and organized and add the iLike 'Songs' application so that your Facebook fans can easily listen (or use the My Band app as an alternative). Make sure that all press-ready photos, performance shots and pics with fans are uploaded and organized; save the non-professional images for your personal profile. Do the same with videos, either by integrating the Youtube application or by uploading manually via the Videos application. Use the Events application to make sure that all of your performance dates are current.

Now that your page is ready for traffic, begin the process of inviting your fans from your personal profile to your fan page. There is no way to automatically 'convert' from a personal to a fan page, so you will have to bank on your true fans following you from one to the other. There will be casualties along the way, but remember once again that you are making a long-term commitment. Under the profile pic on your fan page, click on 'Suggest To Friends' to bring up a list of the friends on your personal profile. Suggest your fan page to all of your friends and attach a friendly note with the invite. Something like this:

Hello friends! Moving forward I will increasingly be using my artist page to share my music-related updates such as new tracks, photos, events, videos and more. Please take a moment to 'Like' my page so that we can keep in touch. Thanks for the support!

Finally, commit to a set period of time in which your artist page will be your exclusive portal on Facebook. For practicality, let's say about 3 months. During this time period, follow the 'suggest to friends' instructions above at least 2 more times to catch the folks that missed your first request. Tease your artist page from your personal profile now and then:

Just posted 3 new tour dates on my artist page! (with attached link)

You can also offer incentives that are available exclusively to those who like your artist page. My favorite trick is to use Fan Access, an application that allows you to create and edit a 'fans only' tab, to offer a free mp3 download.

To conclude, a quick note on facebook Groups. Here is the reality: facebook groups are a dinosaur from a bygone age. Very few people join or actively partake in groups anymore, opting instead for the fan pages. Its not that groups lack any particular functionality; rather they just aren't cool or current. Ask your fans to join your Facebook group and you risk sounding out of touch.

Awesome Viral Video Promotion

One of my favorite myspace designers recently sent me a link to a viral video promotion that he'd seamlessly integrated into the website for the Ohio-based rock band Before Their Eyes. Near the top of the website just below the band's photo and logo, visitors are prompted to share an exclusive video as a status update with friends on Facebook or Twitter first and receive access to the video second.

Tracking on the site's backend shows that this particular campaign generated over 2,000 posts between Facebook and Twitter.

While the concept of exclusive fan content is certainly nothing new, I love the way that this has been so attractively built into the backend of the band's website. In only 2 mouse clicks I have shared the content and viewed the video without ever leaving the site; this is infinitely more attractive a proposition than finding, copying and pasting code or a URL, leaving the page to visit a new one, figuring out the best way on each constantly-evolving social network to share it, etc. I also love that because the promotion exists entirely on the band's website, in essence they 'own' the promotion, as opposed to hi-jacking a branded technology that somebody else has created for a similar purpose and plastered their logo over.

The only concern of course is cost. Web design and video production services do not come cheap. However if you email Nick Moore at nmoore3@gmail.com to inquire about this service, he may cut you a good deal.

The New Tyler Hilton EP and Why It Should Sell

One Tree Hill fans will remember Warner/Reprise artist Tyler Hilton in his recurring role as the villainous Chris Keller. Those of you who without an affinity for the soapy CW teen drama may remember him as Elvis in the 2005 film Walk The Line. Though throughout his 10-year career as a recording artist Hilton has not quite been able to match his success on the screen with success on the charts, he's been on my radar since I first heard 3 brilliant and memorable acoustic/pop tracks from his 2004 album The Tracks of Tyler Hilton (When It Comes, The Letter Song, and Pink and Black). I believe that When It Comes is still in my Ipod's Top 25.

A few days ago I saw a Facebook Ad announcing a new release of Hilton's-- likely targeted to me because I'd listed him years ago as a favorite artist. Since he'd already earned my trust I was more than willing to give his new music a chance, but the first thought that popped into my head was "I am not paying $8 for 5 songs that I haven't heard and may or may not like." The second thought? "I don't have time to listen to 12 new tracks that I haven't heard and may or may not like." To my surprise and delight, the 5-song EP was available on Itunes for only $2.99. I downloaded it without hesitation.

Kudos to Warner/Reprise for appropriate pricing and marketing on this release.

Will EPs eventually replace full-length albums as the default method for releasing new music? This marketer and music fan hopes so. Think about it; unless we're talking about a full-length new album from an artist that one is very passionate about (I can only think of 5-10 of these off the top of my head), why should I allot hours of my time to dedicate the 3-5 listens to 12 songs that it normally takes to reach a level of familiariarity and enjoyment with each? Also, why should I spend $9.99 on unknown music when I could just as easily use this money to purchase 10 songs that I love?

If labels and artists want digital downloads to compete with the Groovesharks of the world as a means of music discovery, a fairly priced EP is definitely a step in the right direction.

5 Questions for Eric Michael Hopper

If in the past few years you have taken even a casual glance at the myspace unsigned artist charts you have no doubt come across the profile of country artist and top 10 mainstay Eric Michael Hopper. With over 2 million song plays and 100k 'real' friends I just had to dig deeper and put together 5 questions specific to his substantial self-marketing success. A big thanks to Eric for taking the time to respond.

5 Questions for Eric Michael Hopper

DM: You have consistently ranked among the top artists on the myspace music charts for as long as I can remember. To what do feel you owe your enormous popularity on the site?

EMH: There are a number of different factors. Social networking and new media have changed the way artists and fans interact. I have a more immediate relationship with my fans and friends online than what was possible in the past. I also believe the new media paradigm allows for a more level playing field in terms of what content the public decides to embrace. We are migrating back to a situation where content can be king again. The intersection of these points gives me a sense of obligation to be sure not to let my fans and supporters down. I really do try my best in the creative process because of this. I understand that everything else hinges on the quality of what you are putting out there.

DM: I found it interesting that you appear to be much more active through your personal facebook profile (3400 friends) versus your fan page (800 fans). Can you explain your reasoning behind this?

EMH: 1) Although facebook is a social networking site, it is not geared toward multimedia discovery. 2) My approach has never been to simply take the role of artist or celebrity figure. I have always focused more on the relationship of myself with my fans and friends online, rather than as the artist as a figure. I embrace the "fans" for what they really are... my online friends.

DM: As a marketer I can't help but notice the dramatic increase in 'clutter' on myspace; sometimes it feels like there are more spam profiles, businesses and artists trying to promote themselves than actual people. With over 100,000 friends, what do you do to weed out and communicate with your true fans?

EMH: It's pretty simple. I really just dont accept or add anyone that appears to be a spam or solicitation myspace page. It doesn't take long to be able to recognize these profiles.

DM: I just saw a Facebook status update inviting friends to join your mobile fanclub. Which service do you use? What do you like or dislike about communicating with fans via mobile messaging as opposed to the web?

EMH: The deliberation is still out on this matter so I'd rather not mention any sites.

DM: I've seen you on the popular live video/webcam network Stickam.com. Many artists and celebrities steer clear of web shows because of the vulnerability inherent to appearing in a live, unedited, un-moderated chat setting. What has your experience with live webchats been like?

EMH: For me it's been great. It has allowed people to see that I am a real person and not just a management company running my sites. Vulnerability is not always such a bad thing. We're all just people. It's really been more of a reciprocal relationship between myself and my friends online.

5 Rules for Successful Artist Newsletters

With the advent of social media and the ease of managing relationships with fans provided therein, many artists these days see email communication with fans as a thing of the past. I, however, still find the monthly newsletter to be a relevant part of the overall marketing objectives of most artists. Probably the most difficult aspect of digital marketing for artists is the fact that in this day and age people interact with music and artists online in a plethora of ways and places. I think that it is important to respect fans decisions to interact with you when and where they choose to do so and to accommodate them accordingly. Email is still an important part of most people's everyday lives, and if fans choose to offer up their personal address to you it is your responsibility to give them what they want and deserve. In no particular order here are 5 rules for getting the most out of your email newsletters.

Rule #1: Limit Frequency
When considering how often to send out your newsletter it is important to keep your position in the recipient's life (and Ipod) in perspective; Do not assume that every single signup is a superfan who wants you to bombard their work email account every day of the week with what you ate for breakfast that morning. On the contrary, assume that the majority of signups are content to hear from you once in awhile and use your newsletters sparingly. My recommendation is once per month; definitely no more than twice. If you overwhelm your fans inboxes they will simply stop opening the message, rendering your newsletter ineffective. If you are facing a quiet point in your activity as an artist and you have nothing compelling to say in a newsletter, wait until you've got something exciting to send it out.

Rule #2: Provide Original and Compelling Content
You must give your fans a reason not only to sign up for your newsletter but to open it once it arrives in their inbox each and every time. Without at least some small tidbit of original content that does not exist elsewhere online, what is the incentive? Always include something that is exclusive to the newsletter; a personalized note from the artist; a sample of a new track in the works; exclusive photos. You can also use this content as an excuse to promote your newsletter via your web properties. Another idea is to offer giveaways such as free CDs to random signups; do this once per week if you are able and announce the winners in the newsletters to show that the giveaway is real.

Rule #3: Promote Effectively
Provide an easy way for your fans to sign up for your newsletter and feature it prominently on every web property available. The easiest way to do this is with an email collector widget-- the type offered by ReverbNation and other services. I also like to draw added attention to the newsletter by creating a custom banner that sits on top of the widget. The banner can invite fans to sign up and provide the incentive you've created for doing so. On Facebook, use the Gigya Mystuff Application to add your collector widget. Cross-promote the newsletter through mentions on Twitter once in awhile and remember to include your incentive for signups. If you are using myspace comments to communicate with fans, plug the widget and banner into your comment code and invite all new friends to sign up.

Rule #4: Limit Sales Pitches
A common artist mistake is to overwhelm web properties with sales pitches; ie. links to purchase on Itunes AND rhapsody AND CDbaby AND Amazon, etc. It's easy to take for granted the fact that your fans are knowledgeable about purchasing music whether digital or physical and will have no problem finding it should they decide to do so. Use your newsletter to announce new single and album releases; encourage fans to listen to and enjoy your music and make their own purchasing decision when the time comes. After your music is available steer clear of overwhelming pleas to purchase. Also relevant to this, be very careful not to overemphasize tour dates that are only relevant to a small percentage of those who signed up (ie, a newsletter to promote your big show in NYC when only 10 of your signups live there).

Rule #5: Format Effectively
Like all of your web properties your newsletter must be formatted perfectly; use color schemes and artwork that are in line with your other pages. Proofread all text to avoid errors in grammar and punctuation. Double check to make sure that all links are functional. Use fonts that are appropriately sized and easy to read. Format all pictures and text in a way that is clean and attractive. If it's within your budget, hire a graphic designer to create a custom newsletter template for you.

Gigya's My Stuff Application for Facebook

A lot of people who manage music pages on Facebook are probably already familiar with this but I thought I'd throw it out there nonetheless.

Gigya's 'My Stuff' application when added to a Facebook page will allow you to post any string of code that you wish that will appear in a box on your profile. This is perfect for.......you guessed it.........WIDGETS. Keep in mind before adding this however that many of your favorite widgets probably already have facebook applications designed for them.

This example shows how a children's artist used My Stuff to add their Gydget to their page.



The application doesn't slow down the page's load time as it would on myspace because a user has to click on the widget once before the flash begins to function.

My main tip is to make sure that you are adding the application and the code to your fan page and NOT to your personal profile-- a bug in Facebook's system often makes it difficult to tell if you are working on an application within one or the other.

Facebook Fan Page Netiquette

Here is a little wisdom for anybody who is managing a Facebook Fan Page.

Managing a page allows you to send updates to fans at any time. These updates appear on the user's homepage in the same location as friend requests and application invites. I am currently a fan of about 2 dozen artists on Facebook. Some of these artists I have yet to receive an update from and some I receive updates from all the time that are of little or no value to me. For example, this morning I received an update from British piano jazzer Jamie Cullum asking me to participate in a contest in which I would win free tickets to a concert in London. While a trip to London to see Jamie perform would be nothing short of a dream come true, I can't help but feel a little irritated that I had to take time out from my morning routine to read a marketing message that was of no value to me. Unlike a myspace bulletin, fans are obligated to read the updates in order for the '1 new update' message to disappear from the homepage.

Here is what I strongly suggest. Use Facebook updates sparingly for very important messages that are applicable to all fans.

*New Album Release
*New Video Premiere
*Large-scale contest with wide fan appeal
*Tour announcement with all dates confirmed

Fans will appreciate this and resist the temptation to 'De-Fan' you from their profile if you respect their space.

Here is a useful alternative. For lesser communication with fans that does not fall into the 'update' category, install the 'Notes' application and simply post a new note. It will post to your fan page for awhile but more importantly a large number of your fans will see it in their own status feed. This way they are able to determine the value of the message for themselves and click on it only if it is applicable to them. Think of a note as a myspace bulletin with a much higher probability that your fans will actually see it.

Always communicate with your fans online in a way that is unintrusive and provides value rather than interruption.