Tuesday, October 18th, 2022.
Hey, it’s TJ Miller, you want some game? Let's Tip Unda The Hat!
For the best indie music from indie artists, click, and follow Independent Artist Of The Week Unda The Hat. This week, Watson’s Head Be sure to hit the like button and follow this amazing group of indie artists. They will be major soon!
CGM? - Let’s go -
Consumer Generated Marketing or CGM as it is often called is an inexpensive way for musicians to gain exposure and notoriety by having someone else do the speaking for them. In other words, it is fan/follower-created material and feedback that is created and disseminated to their friends and followers on behalf of the artist. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, because you as the artist will have no control over a would-be stay-at-home critic who wants to give you a bad review. But the good outweighs the bad in this instance, because consumers believe other consumers to be more truthful than marketers and advertisers. Let’s face it if someone hires a marketing firm they expect that firm to show them in their best light. It’s like those pictures of burgers that look so big and juicy, until you buy one. Once the consumer takes a picture of it and sends it around, people will get a feeling that the marketing was just a lie, and buy into what the consumer posted. These engagements are genuine and come from fans and followers usually on their own merit and on their own accord based on their own likes. Consumer-generated content on social media gets 28% more engagements compared to standard posts made by you the creator or the marketer.
There are several different ways DIY musicians can use CGM such as social media post sharing and tagging, Whatsapp sharing, writing blogs and articles about you, reviews, and forum comments like on clubhouse. One of the biggest things a musician can do is to ask everyone at the gig to take out their phone snap a picture and post it and tag you in it. Let them know you will be reposting it, and some fans will get hyped to know that their post will end up on your site. Another way is to ask your followers to use your song on tiktok and even in duets, this way you begin to share with fans, and hopefully, you both will grow. Another way is crowdsourcing. I’m sure you know of the film director Spike Lee using Kickstarter to fund one of his films. This is another way for DIY musicians who have a good enough following to research and possibly do. One other CGM tactic is to run a contest of some sort. You can get your followers to tag you in the commenting, hashtag the song and then award them with a prize, that’s probably merch. Additionally, you can get them to wear it as a winner tag you again and you then repost it, a nice little cipher.
DIY musicians must look at themselves as entrepreneurial business people that are putting out a “widget” into the world. The more people you get to talk about it on your behalf the better, by any means necessary.
To hear great stories and gain insight into the industry, join industry legend Johnny Walker formerly of DefJam now founder of Nabfeme, Philanthropist Robert N. Johnson, and myself on Wednesdays at 4:00 PST, 6:00 CST, and 7:00 EST on Clubhouse. Click and save the link, then join in to ask questions, make comments or tell stories. Untold Tales of the music industry.
This week's #IAOTW - Indie Artists Of The Week - Watson’s Head. The San Diego rocker who is all about psychedelic-funk-rock with a hit of reggae. Yeah it’s special like that. If you rock out, this is what you want and his new single Despot. Click here to pre-order.
Click on his name, scroll down, and click the picture to learn more about this real throwback hippy artist. Be sure to like and share the Spotify playlist.
For more information on this or to hire Unda The Hat as your brand or label consultant send a message via undathehat.com. See you next Tuesday.