John Moore recently posted on the music business What’s a Troubadour to Do?Then last weekend I went to see a concert in Waco headlined by Kevin Fowler, with opening act Aaron Watson. Yes, I'm a country boy at heart.
In the opening act, Watson invited concert goers to visit him on either MySpace or Facebook and leave him a message, promising to personally reply to every single friend request. Then he promised 15 free song downloads from his website in exchange for an email address.
Fowler told the crowd the concert was being taped and would be up on YouTube this week (Note to Kevin: the videos aren't up yet). Additionally a visit to Fowler's website leads to a link to his MySpace page.
What happened to the days when you just bought a CD? Mark Cuban weighs in with his solution on his blog with The Album is Dead.
So Here's The Implication:
With times of change come times of great opportunity (apologies to Uncle Ben). This is not just about music, this is about the new business model. Opportunities are there for small businesses to take great leaps by using the new rules of marketing & business.
As small businesses, we are facing change, and opportunity, all around us. It takes big businesses a long time to steer their big ship and navigate to new business models. On the other hand, a small business can do something next week.
What changes are happening, or about to happen, in your industry? Are there new rules of marketing you need to be adopting?
Related posts on small business marketing:
How to Buy Advertising on Local Media - Part 1
Small Business Advertising: Sexy USP's They'll Love
Video: Achieving Brand Superiority in Your Town
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6 comments:
Small businesses have flexibility, but it's all-too-easy for them to try the next greatest thing and get overwhelmed trying to do/learn it all.
The MySpace/Facebook idea is a natural for a musician, since it builds on the viral-ness of the business. However, it's not the right solution for all businesses/demographics.
If a business doesn't already have a marketing plan, they should create one to clearly identify who they're targeting and what problem they solve. The techniques for attracting those clients will differ based on resources, core values, and demographics.
I couldn't agree more. You hit the key factor in identifying your target. I am on record as not being a believer in Facebook/MySpace for most small businesses.
The question is, "Have the rules of marketing changed, or just the tactics?" As everyone has noted, one advantage small businesses have is flexibility. But,just because they are flexible doesn't mean that they should implement new tactics willy-nilly. As we describe in, "Making it Easy to Buy--Honing the Small Business Edge", http://www.bbmarketingplus.com/articles/BBJ_4-2003.htm , the key is using that customer intimacy and flexibility to give prospects exactly what they want--the way they want it. As yet, few business people are seeking work-related solutions via MySpace or FaceBook--even if that's where they spend their leisure time.
The subject of music brought to mind a gentleman who is active in the renfair and celtic music business. Marc Gunn is member of a duo called The Brobdingnagian Bards. Since I first discovered their delightful music, and got to know Marc I have been impressed with his innovation marketing methods that he has used for the bards and celtic music as well.
Check them out for yourself
www.thebards.net
@Barbara, I would say that the tactics have changed because the rules have changed. We are past the age of interuptive marketing and are now engaging in a form of involvement marketing. Steven Van Yoder and I talk a little about this in the most recent blogcast here on the blog.
Yes, my Mom (Jolene Ehret) reads by blog! And Mom leads us to an interesting subject because she is very involved in the Celtic music scene.
This is a genre of music that can flourish because of the new rules of marketing. Celtic music is not one of the major forms of popular music. But followers of Celtic music are very passionate about their music and can now become more involved with their favorite artists.
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