Step Your Internet Game Up!!

For those who are inspiring to be successful in entertainment, rather it is being a rapper, producer, singer, model, actor or actress, the industry is in a time of change as social media technologies continue to grow and dominate society. Digital media and internet marketing is taking over and to become a presence in entertainment, you better be internet business savvy or you are going to get left in the dust. Not to say that live performances or CD/DVD sales aren't still important but entertainment is moving to what people are calling "The Digital Age" and it is growing bigger and faster everyday.

Let's think about this for a minute or two. Just about everybody is on Facebook and Twitter and both can become very addicting. Here are some interesting statistics that may amaze you:

- There are more than 400 million active Facebook users, more than 100 million access the site from their mobile device daily

- There are more than 106 million active Twitter users, Twitter users increase by 300k daily



I could not find statistics that indicated how many music or other entertainment pages are on Facebook or Twitter but I think it is a safe bet to say there are thousands maybe even millions.

My point for bring up these stats is if you are an artist or entertainer, having a page on Facebook or Twitter is the bare minimum because every artist has a Facebook and Twitter page. You have to do more than that to get noticed or to build an online following. To be successful in any business you have to think outside the box and come up with other strategies and ideas that other people are not doing until you come up with one that works.

There are other music websites and social media networks on the web such as Reverbnation, IndiebyChoice, MySpace and it is important to build a presence there but as an artist, model and etc... it is important for you to have your own website that you can direct fans and online traffic to. It is also important to have an analytics program, to locate your drivers and referring domains to help figure out your target demographics. It does not make sense to continue to market yourself to the masses if you do not know who your audience is. I hear inspiring artists say all the time that they know their target demographics and in reality they do not. For those who have fan pages on Facebook, look into Facebook insights as you manage your page. That will give you a start to figure out who is listening, looking at you and how much interaction you have.

Get people to talk about you online such as bloggers, twitter followers, facebook friends and build personal relationships with fans. I'm not talking about doing direct mail blast all the time. Make the time to write your new and old fans a personal note, message or email, make them feel as if you appreciate them supporting you. It helps build lifetime fans that will purchase your product.

To be successful in entertainment you cannot just think on a street or local level, think globally. As an independent or unsigned artist it is on you to market yourself, remember entertainment is a business. Yes, you have to lock down your local region to start getting recognized but with the correct internet marketing scheme, you can build fan bases in a matter of hours or days in other areas in the country or internationally through the world wide web.

References:

http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/facebook-statistics-facts-figures-for-2010/

http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/infographic-twitter-statistics-facts-figures/

Who Says You Can't Follow Your Dreams?

As children everyone has been asked "What do you want to be when you grow up?" and we reply with wanting to be a doctor, lawyer, athlete, entertainer or whatever it is you want to be. As people get older, some tend to forget about that dream or lose focus while transitioning into adulthood with decisions that are made in everyday life.

Having grown up in the urban community, I tend to see this quite often. Many of us allow ourselves to get caught up into situations and make decisions that negatively impacts our future such as committing crime, dropping out of school, having unprotected sex and selling or getting hooked on drugs, which causes setbacks and bad judgements. Sometimes these situations are just a bump in the road to where you can dust yourself off, refocus and strive towards the dream you once had as a child, but many times it can lead unto a path of imprisonment, poverty or a struggle of survival.

So the question becomes how can you stay focused on your dream and goals? The first step is to never give up on your dream. I have heard so many people say, "I don't have time" or "It's hard when I got to put food on the table" or "It will never happen for me". What is happening is that you defeat yourself before you even try because of your negative thoughts. Who ever said it was going to be easy? Achieving your dreams most of the time will not happen over night and you have to constantly work at it. That means if you are in a situation to where you have to do a little at a time to get to where you want to be then do the little at a time. You're not in a race but you have to stay consistent as you are reaching towards your goals.

The second step is to not be afraid. Do not be afraid to take on new and different challenges and do not be afraid to fail. Remember that everyone and I mean everyone makes mistakes. It takes a mature person to admit to themselves that they have miscued or was completely wrong about a decision they have made. Every now and then you will fall or there will be a bump in the road but people that are successful get back up and find a way to overcome the odds. Just remember that a higher power works together with you and determines your destiny, but you have to put the work in to reach your dreams because it is not going to just fall into your lap.

Finally, be confident and proud of your achievements. Not to the point to where you boast or come across arrogant, but have some pride in what you have accomplished. Be enthusiastic about your progress and steps you have made. Negative people will always try to deter you from going after what you want to achieve or want to say, "You're not good enough" or "You don't have what it takes". Just remember that your path does not run through them, it runs through you and from the man up above, so you have nothing to prove to anybody but yourself. If you don't believe in yourself, then who else is going to believe in you? Keep positive people that are constantly uplifting you in your life.

So honestly ask yourself, "Where do you want to be within the next five years?" Plan to prepare and prepare to work your plan and remember dreams do come true.