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Benefits of Hiring a Social Media Expert

You may think you are great at social media. You get a lot of responses when you post something. Like when you post a picture of yourself eating at your favorite restaurant, hundreds of people share it and like it.

Or, when you share a live video from a concert you are attending, people go crazy. They want all the details.

What you may not realize is that your posts are just a small version of what your online presence could be with the help of a social media expert. It could be huge. Think 10,000 fans times five. And then triple or quadruple that over the next year.

Before long, you could be competing with the Kardashian-West social media combo. Okay, so maybe not that huge right away. But a social media expert can attract hundreds of thousands of online fans much quicker than you can attract them on your own.

A social media manager has the experience needed to give your online presence the right boost it needs, with the right influencers, and at all the right times.

Your social media expert can do many remarkable things for your career and your bank account. They can turn your social media accounts into revenue making machines. They also have many other talents.

Social Media Managers Are Jugglers

Major celebrities make being on social media look easy. You know who you are.

Every picture is perfect, and every caption is spot on. This is not because they are just “winging it”. They have social media marketing strategies. And they planned those strategies with their social media expert.

As a celebrity, you can’t just have one social media platform. Your fans want to see you on multiple outlets, from Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram. And because there are new platforms being created, you will need to hop on those to keep up with current trends.

A social media expert can prepare the perfect social media strategy for you, within a given budget, ensuring all your accounts are up to date and relevant. Every single day your social media manager can keep your fans in the loop. They do this with a custom plan to meet your celebrity needs.

This includes all phases of running a campaign on your social media sites when you have something awesome to promote.

Social media managers make organized micro-managers look lazy. They are multi-taskers and can juggle multiple sites for you.

Your Social Media Expert is a Responder

You have a lot of fans. They make posts on your social media sites offering compliments, asking questions, and giving the occasional unwanted advice. You do not have time to respond to all your fans. Your social media expert will know exactly which fans to communicate with and what to say.

There can be a fine line between fan and fanatic. While you may want to respond to every single fan, this may not always be a good idea. Social media managers can keep your communications with fans professional and safe.

They can navigate on your behalf between the fans who just want to send you a shout out and the ones who want to spend the rest of their lives with you.

They Can Analyze Your Audience

Every social media outlet gives you specific data analysis. This data is wonderful in that it tells you specifically how well your posts are doing online. Social media experts are skilled at reading analytics and turning them into profit building strategies.

Specific demographics of your fans and followers on social media are calculated and summarized on each platform. If you are like many others, data analysis is not your thing. So, let the social media expert handle it.

They know how to interpret the way your target audiences react to the video or content that is posted on your site. Social media managers know how to target your audience to help build your career and status.

Social Media Experts Have Passion

Your passion is your work. You like performing and you are great at it. Being on social media may not be your thing. When you think of spending multiple hours a day just on social media updating your status, do you feel excitement or dread?

Your social media expert has a passion for making you look good on all your social media outlets. When you look good, they look good. They get excited to go to work for you. Your expert team is filled with creative ways to capture an audience, for you.

They Are Computer Savvy

To be a social media rock star, you need to know a lot about creating content, graphics and putting both together. Posts without images are not as attractive to active users.

Digital design experience held by your social media expert can make you look the best. Your posts will look like they were done professionally, because well, they were. They know all the best apps to utilize for videos, photos and content that showcase your talents.

Your Personal Assistant is Too Busy

If you asked your personal assistant to take on the additional job of managing your social media platforms, they would likely say yes without hesitation. Even if that means they will sleep less, they would do it.

But do you really want an exhausted personal assistant working for you? When they have too many jobs, their focus must be shared. One of their jobs will begin to suffer. Meaning, an area of your life will lose the attention it deserves.

Your social media expert team of online warriors are focusing on only you and improving your image on social media. Because this is their only job, they can spend hours each day posting videos, content and photographs to all your sites.

They can run ads and campaigns promoting your new projects. They are the professionals with the right tools who can manage all your online needs. Most importantly, they can get you followers by showing them what most of the world already knows, that you are a star!

How to Find a Talent Agent to Represent You

Wouldn’t it be great if you could just do a google search for a talent agent and voila, the perfect one for you pops up on your screen? You call them, they agree to represent you and then you become a huge star.

Yes, that would be great. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen that way. There are many steps in between your decision to showcase your talents to the world and being able to do that. Finding a notable talent agent is one of those steps.

Just because there are many steps in finding the best talent agent, it doesn’t mean you cannot realize your dreams. In fact, many new stars are being discovered in all industries every day.

There are many reasons why you need talent representation from an agent. Your talent agent will help you with entertaining booking, time management, and monetization opportunities. They will help you take your career to the very next level.

Below are some things you can do to help your chances of getting noticed and finding an agent who can help make your dreams come true.

Know the Best

One thing you don’t want to do is get picked up by a talent agent who is terrible at what they do. It is your job to find out who are the best talent agents. You want to be an A-lister, after all.

You can start learning about the best agents in the business by checking out The Screen Actor’s Guild directory. It’s also a good idea to research the celebrity or performer you admire and find out who represents them.

Prep Work

To get the best, you must be your best. This doesn’t mean you have to be better than all other stars in your industry. It just means you must be at your best, bringing you’re A game to the table.

If you meet with a talent agent and you haven’t been perfecting your skill, it will show, and you will be rejected. If you are partying every night after your performance rather than continuing to work on your talent, this will be evident.

Take the time to prepare for your meeting with a talent agent. Show them your best work.

You can do this by taking classes. If you are a writer, take writing courses. Maybe you’re a musician, so take voice lessons. If you are an actor, work with an acting coach.

There are many online websites you can check out to get educated. YouTube channels such as SAG-AFTRA and the Hollywood Reporter get a lot of attention for providing inside information.

Build Your Platform

This can be one of the reasons you will get rejected. Authors hear this too often. Even the best writers can get rejected due to not having a large platform.

Building a platform simply means creating your presence, getting people to follow you, developing your own engaged fanbase.

You can build your platform both on and off social media. Don’t just thank your audiences from the stage, go out and meet them. Sign autographs. If possible, get their contact information (email, social media) and tell them to like and follow all your social media pages.

You cannot just hope to see each person return to your concerts anymore. You must find creative ways to communicate with them at least once a week, preferably two or three times.

Beef Up Your Portfolio

You want to showcase your best work to a talent agency. This means don’t use selfies for your portraits. Hire professionals to help you put together the best representation of you. Create demo reels that rock. And not the ones your mom loves. Let’s face it, she loves them all.

Get feedback from an objective insider who will tell you the truth about your work before you submit to a talent agent.

Networking

You don’t become a star and then start meeting important people in the industry. It happens the other way around. Networking with other actors, directors, screenwriters, novelists and musicians in the business will start getting your name out there.

When you network, be professional. At the same time, show your personality. Everything in moderation. Don’t be star-struck and let your inner nerd take over. Be calm and confident. You want to leave a great first impression.

Attending events, even the ones that sound boring, can help with networking. You just never know who will be there with you. It’s the old right place, right time kind of experience you are seeking.

Every networking opportunity you take can enhance your resume.

Be an Intern

There is no better way to learn the industry, as well as meet the agents you want to represent you than by working for them for free.

Internships may not always be the easiest jobs to get but if you can, you can learn a great deal about what it takes to make it big.

Working for a publishing company, record label, talent agency or television network as an intern looks great on your resume. And it can be exciting. Depending on how bad you want to make it, you will do even the smallest jobs to get your foot in the door.

Highly successful people are busy all the time. Sleep is an afterthought until they reach their dreams. They are driven by ambition and will stop at nothing until they reach their goal. In this case, getting representation.

Never Give Up

Sure, you may have to work some unlikable jobs until you reach your dreams. And yes, it may take years before you are recognized for your talent. That does not mean you should give up. Instead, dig down and try even harder.

You have the grit it takes to be successful. Don’t set a goal that says you must give up on your dream if you have not reached success in a few years. You may miss the biggest break of your career in year four.

Keep trying until you reach the dream.

If you are turned down by agents repeatedly, find out why. Then make the changes you need to make to reapply to an agency. Everyone needs improvement in some area. Be willing to go that extra mile. The right talent agent will notice!

How Facebook Monetization Helps Your Business and Brand

It’s no secret Facebook is the largest social media platform with billions of active users. If you don’t have a Facebook page yet, now is the time to get one. Facebook is free: it is free to join, free to connect with fans and free to grow your business. Not only are most of its benefits available at no cost, you can even make money. I mean, lots of money using Facebook monetization practices.

Below are a few examples of how Facebook monetization helps your business and your brand.

Target Specific Audiences with Facebook Monetization

Facebook monetization makes it easy to reach the exact audience you want to reach. If you run a Facebook ad, you can choose to place that ad in front of the active users who have searched for or is a group about a topic like what you are selling.

They see your ad, click on it, and buy your product or service.

For example, if your new fiction romance novel will be ready for release in a few months, you can run a pre-sale on Facebook to get people to order your book before it will hit the shelves. When creating your ad, you will target Facebook groups that have interests in both fiction and romance novels.

It really is that simple. And with just a click, they can pre-order your book.

Advertise Through Live Videos

Those awesome videos you have been creating can now make money with Facebook monetization. Facebook is allowing businesses to monetize each video. Meaning, others can place ads on your videos. When users watch your video, and click on the sponsored ad, you can money if a purchase is made.

To grow your brand, you can seek out the biggest influencers on Facebook and pay them to promote your product through a live video. Connecting with a musician, writer or film celebrity could boost your brand in just a few minutes.

Just make sure you connect with the right artist, one that fits your brand’s mission.

Create Content

Most audiences love to read good stories that touch the soul, induce laughter, teach them something new or all the above.

Useful content can turn Facebook users into loyal, engaged fans.

If you have a story to tell that can connect you with Facebook users, tell it. Share it on Facebook and ask your audience to share it. In a matter of minutes, your follower list will grow.

Throughout your content article, you can refer your fans to products or services you have created that can benefit them. You can get them to sign up for your email newsletter where you can make even further sales while also providing them with even more useful content.

Affiliate Marketing

Another Facebook monetization strategy is through affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing allows you to link your fans to great products and services. When they purchase the products or services you are recommending, you receive a commission.

Facebook users love reading reviews of products, from kitchen tools to educational courses, they appreciate what you have to say about it.

Buyers like reviews because they mean you have done all the leg work, the purchasing and the testing of the product so they don’t have to.

While it is not a good idea to promote your own products or services through affiliate marketing, you can still grow your brand by recommending others. You become the expert in the field of what is good and not so good when making a purchase.

Recommend products related to your brand. When they click on the link to purchase what you are recommending, you can receive a portion of what they pay.

Messenger Communication

Facebook messenger allows you to reach out and communicate directly with potential customers. Because of this, it’s a great way to implement Facebook monetization. This is great since 56 percent of users prefer messaging to phone calls. And with billions of messages being sent months on Facebook, you can jump right in.

With Facebook messenger, you can run targeted ads, provide interactive experiences and convert users into loyal fans and buyers. When using Facebook monetization strategies in messenger, you can even allow sponsored ads to run in your messages.

Like messenger, WhatsApp is a way for businesses to communicate with potential customers. It allows anyone who has the app to upload contact information and communicate for free. It currently has 1.2 billion active users around the world.

WhatsApp is still a work in progress, however. Monetization tools are something to keep your eye on, as they are changing and improving.

Getting to know WhatsApp now will keep you on the front lines of reaching customers. You will not be jumping on board later, trying to capture buyers that have already been caught by your competition.

Even if you aren’t making money on something now, making connections is just as important. These connections will turn into customers later. And they will not want to switch to another business or brand if they already trust you.

Retargeting Audiences

You have targeted them once, now you can target them again. Facebook gives you analytical data that shows you who has been liking and checking out what you have to offer. It lets you see what people are searching for, what they need.

This information gives you the chance to provide them with what they need.

So, anyone who visits your website, people who visit specific web pages or a combination of the two can be retargeted. Meaning, they will be shown advertisements on their Facebook page based on their internet searches.

If someone visits your website but does not purchase an item, can be shown an advertisement for your business when they are on their Facebook page, tempting them to take another look at what you have to offer.

Facebook monetization is growing every day. Facebook wants you to be successful in growing your brand and business by using Facebook tools. This helps you just as much as it helps Facebook.

Social media management and monetization allows you to grow your brand while making ancillary income. To grow your business or brand, take advantage of all the Facebook monetization capabilities, not just one, to see quick growth in fans and increased revenue.

10 Reasons You Need a Concert Promoter

Post author By Jason Swartz
Post date December 11, 2017
Categories In Music

You have a concert date set and you can’t wait to kill it on stage. You love performing in front of large audiences and it’s so cool to see your fans singing along to lyrics you wrote.

Performing a concert is a thrill, a high that makes you feel good about your creative abilities. It let’s you know you are doing what you were meant to do in life and you love it. However, finding time to write, rehearse, and promote your shows is nearly impossible without the help of a concert promoter.

Here are 10 reasons why you need a concert promoter as a musician.

You Are Too Busy

As you know, your stage performance is just the final act of putting together a concert. There are hundreds of smaller, yet equally important tasks that must be done to make your concert a success.

You don’t have the time or energy to complete all tasks. A concert promoter can help you get everything done so you can focus on rehearsals with your band, tuning your voice and your instruments, and deciding on the order of your set.

A concert promoter can focus on the smaller necessary tasks needed for your concert so you can focus on the most important thing, your music. They help you to continue growing your music career while handling everything you need.

Get People to Your Gigs

You have fans that will come to your event. You have friends and family that will attend. But to make money, you need every seat filled and then more people rocking out while standing in the back.

The venue for your concert needs to be packed. Concert promoters can do all the necessary tasks needed to successfully do so.

It is their job to fill seats and they know many ways to do this. They know the right time to run contests, giveaways and other promotions to fill seats.

Concert promoters are influencers in this space; they have the connections, and the skill set to influence fans to attend your show. They are more successful in bringing in crowds. Once they have arrived, it’s your turn to create fans.

Spread the Word

Concert promoters know how to get people to show up for your concert. They collaborate with all media types to get the word out about your event. From radio and television promotions to spreading the word on all social media outlets, they make sure everyone knows where you will be and when.

They ensure that you are successful in entertainment booking and will also build your brand during the process as well.

Negotiates Fees

Concert promoters want you to make the most money possible. They also want to make money. They know that overpaying in some areas will cut into both of your profits.

Concert Promoters don’t just accept the initial costs of everything you need. They negotiate on your behalf for the most cost-effective solutions to your needs. They get you the best venues, best contracts and best perks for a lot less.

Finds the Venue

Let’s say you are an up and coming music artist. Would you rather perform on a local theater stage or a famous place like The Echo in Los Angeles or The Electric Factory in Philly where artists like Lil’ Wayne and Public Enemy have been known to perform?

Exactly. You want the venue that fits your band’s personality and style, not a cookie cutter stage with just seating and lights. You want to feel comfortable when you play. Your swagger and cool vibe should be enhanced by the environment. It’s important to play in venues where there is a large portion of the audience you are targeting as well.

A concert promoter can help you find the right venue. They are location scouts. Promoters also work with the venue directly to get you in.

They get you seen and heard in the best location.

Budgeting

You want your fans to have the best experience at your concert. You want them to walk away begging for more of your music. This is one reason it becomes easy to over spend when planning for a concert.

A concert promoter can stay within a budget and they are able to say “no” to things that would be awesome for the event, but are not necessary.

Once the concert is over, you want to receive the most money possible for you and your band. If you blow all your money on a 3-hour event, you will regret it. And a concert promoter knows this and will be able to steer you in the right direction.

Promotions

You do not have time to create marketing materials that will be handed out to thousands of people. You don’t have the time to make sure the merchandising plan is implemented. Concert promoters do this for you.

Your promoter ensures the t-shirts, caps, koozies, bottled water, keychains, stickers, magnets, earbuds, photos and even the stadium cups are available for purchase by concert goers. They make sure every piece of merchandise is there and ready for sale.

They know that even if someone doesn’t pay full cost for a ticket, they will be spending money on merchandise and concessions.

Red Carpet Pre-Show

Preparing the red carpet for your V.I.P. fans can be a media relations nightmare if not done correctly. Here, celebrities and other important guests will answer media questions while arriving at your event. They may even get a surprise from you on the red carpet, if you are not too busy doing your own interviews with the media.

Your concert promoter again has the knowledge and connections to make this successful. They will ensure you and your brand are accurately represented, and ensure the whole pre-show runs as smoothly as possible. They are here for you!

Media Relations

Planning your media tour before and after the concert can be a daunting task. Making sure you are at the right radio station or the right news station on the right day and time needs organization skills that are just as powerful as your vocals.

Putting all this together is challenging. A concert promoter helps with these intricate details. They are super organized and detail oriented. Their job is to make you look good on and off stage.

Not only is the actual task of managing media a time-consuming task, but it also requires the level of connections and networking that come with a concert promoter. They work with you during the whole media and promotion process.

Even More Benefits of a Concert Promoter

Just a few more of the necessary duties of putting together a show can be done by a promoter, rather than have it all fall on your shoulders. These include booking your opening acts. Stage set-up and stage tear-down is organized and planned by a concert promoter.

Concessions can bring in a great deal of money, especially when alcoholic beverages are served. Concert promoters can help choose what to serve and who to serve it. They work with the on-site services available to make money for you, the venue and themselves.

It’s important you see concert promoters as a benefit due to the many tasks they complete to make your show a success. The goal of a concert promoter is three-fold: to give ticket holders an exceptional experience, to boost your career, and to make money for everyone involved.

Why Brands Need a Social Media Presence

You have an awesome brand.

You know it and now it’s time the world knows it. Getting the word out about your products and services needs to be done quickly. You need an effective way to share your message, while at the same time outplaying your competition and rocking the worlds of your consumers.

Creating a social media presence is one of the best ways to get noticed in a noisy business atmosphere. And here’s why.

Buyers are Influenced by Social Media Presence

Recent reports show 71 percent of consumers who have a valuable experience with a brand are likely to recommend that brand to others.

When someone shares a post of an awesome product they discovered, they are influencing all their friends to make the same purchase. Meaning, your brand receives free promotion. There is no better way to advertise than by word of mouth recommendations. When your followers and fans are engaged in your social media presence, it promotes awareness and interest in you.

Even more helpful is when a post about your brand goes viral. This sends information about your products and services through a whirlwind of sharing among social media users. We are talking thousands and thousands of people viewing what remarkable things you can offer. Viral content improves your social media presence by promoting your brand naturally and organically.

You can even create your own viral videos. Formulas have been developed to help you develop a social media video that will get shared.

Competitors are Using Social Media

There are millions of small businesses using Facebook to advertise their companies. If you add Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and other outlets, the millions increase, along with access to customers. Your competitors know this and are taking advantage of these inexpensive resources.

The most popular industries on social media in 2016 were retail, media and entertainment. Brands within these industries have an extremely strong social media presence that encourages consumers to interact and engage with their brand. Some of these industries overlap. Other popular industries were consumer goods, technology and travel. These are followed by non-profits and government type industries.

These statistics are reflective of how consumers want to spend their money.

Influencers are Watching

You know those major influencers who can skyrocket your brand with a simple shout out? They all have a massive social media presence and following. They are seeking opportunities to help brands just like yours.

You may even connect with an influencer who wants to collaborate with you. Working with the big names in the business gives you access to all their fans and followers. In a single day you could double, maybe even triple your fanbase.

When your brand is associated with an influencer in your industry, you are earning the same respect and loyalty they receive.

Fan Feedback

One of the best ways to improve the products and services related to your brand is to listen to your customers. Find out what they want and how they want it. Communicate with them so they know you are listening and working to meet their needs.

It’s not difficult to do this with a social media presence. Responding to consumers, asking them questions, and engaging in conversation with them helps to generate such feedback. Simple actions such as these turn ordinary fans into loyal, long-term customers.

Cuts Marketing Costs

To purchase advertisements on television or print sources can get very expensive. Before you know it, you have spent thousands of dollars for very few marketing opportunities. Plus, you have no control over who sees the advertisements.

There is no way to target specific markets, even niche markets, when using traditional methods of advertising.

With a social media presence, you can spend very little money but reach the exact audience you want to target.’

Not only can you reduce your costs, you can also increase your revenue my monetizing social media. All in all, it’s a win-win.

Analytics

Social media platforms are excellent resources for gathering specific data on consumers. You are given details about their likes, dislikes, and type of information they share.

This is information you can use to build your brand. You can target advertising based on analytics. Based on the information you gather, you can even brainstorm or create new products.

You can even create social media posts and videos that will cater directly to potential customers based on the information you learned through analytics of the platform.

In the past, you would need to hire a data gathering company to conduct surveys and interpret results. With a social media presence, you can get even more information for little to no cost. Using analytics saves you time, money and effort.

Build Relationships

Building relationships can lead to great outcomes. However, the process must be a two-way street. You cannot just expect your customers to do all the work. This will lead to a high bounce rate, where customers choose to jump from your brand to another.

Customers want to know more about the brands in which they invest. They want to have accessibility and look for quick responses to their questions.

Social media gives your brand a direct connection with consumers. You control the information you give consumers. Meaning, you can give them enough data to let them know they are valued. Yet, you don’t have to overload them with the intricate details that may seem boring.

Being open to feedback shows consumers you are interested in a long-term relationship. And long-term relationships are what you want, ones that will grow with you and support you through good times and bad.

Become the Go-to Brand

No matter what you are selling, you need to be the one people go to first. You need to be the expert, the superstar, the one with the best product or service.

Becoming the go-to brand has a lot to do with social media presence. You could be the best person to teach others how to write a novel, but if no one knows who you are, your talents or how to find you, you will never get work.

Social media helps you get noticed. It gives you a space to tell the world what you have to offer and why people should choose you over your competition.

Through search engine optimization opportunities and targeted marketing, you can easily become the go-to brand in your niche. When people do a google search for experts in your industry, you want your name to be at the top of the list.

Social media makes it easy to get your name to the top of the list. With a little effort, your brand will have a social media presence that shines above others. You have done an excellent job getting to the top. You deserve to be in the spotlight.

6 Benefits of Utilizing a Talent Agency

There are reasons the big names in your industry have a talent agency working for them. They learned having a talent agency can bring rewards far greater than just the money and fame.

It may be hard for you to give up control of some aspects of your career. After all, it is your career. You know your dreams and desires. You know the big names you want to work with, and the short term and long-term goals for which you aim.

Allowing someone else take the lead in guiding your career can feel intimidating and even scary at times. But the need to put your fears aside and allow a talent agency to represent you is a necessary for many reasons.

Why Utilize a Talent Agency?

You need to focus on yourself and improving the talents that can make you famous. You need time to enhance your image, and time to create.

It’s your responsibility to fill your calendar with the activities you enjoy, meeting with fans, doing interviews, and showcasing your work. These tasks alone will fill your schedule. When would you have time to do the rest?

When would you do marketing to sell your work? How would you contact leaders in the industry to set up meetings? When will you search for new job or collaboration opportunities?

Talent agencies can do all the leg work for you while you do all the jobs only you can do.

Also, a talent agency only gets paid if you get paid. This alone is a benefit. Agents want to make money too. To do this, they must make sure you are making money.

Agents have many skills that you need to boost your career. Keep reading to learn more about these skills and how they can help you.

They’re Specialists

Talent agencies are made up of specialists in the industry. They are experts and when you need help for something as big as your career, you want an expert in your corner.

If you are in the music industry, they have an agent that specializes in your music career. If you are a pro athlete, they have a specialist that deals specifically in representing athletes.

No matter what your industry and no matter what niche your talents fall under, the right talent representation is available in a talent agency.

Talent agents have years of expertise, education and on the job training. All these strengths are shared with you and used to your benefit.

Help to Get Jobs

It’s hard to get a major publishing company to sign a writer without an agent, even if you have written the next great novel. It’s hard for a record label to sign a new musician without an agent, unless you become a YouTube sensation and that is rare.

To get jobs with the movers and shakers in your industry, you need help from people who can get leaders to answer your calls and respond to your messages.

Talent agencies have the rolodexes with important contacts. They have established the relationships with the people who hire. They get inside leads on new job opportunities.

It would take you years to gather this information and build these relationships. When would you ever find time to create?

Shape Your Image

Yes, you are the expert on all things you. But you may not be the expert on your industry image. A talent agency know how to shape your image and brand so it can attract and grow followers. Agents can also shape your image to support growth over many years.

You will have enough factors to focus on throughout your career. You’re busy handling the demands of your business, satisfying customers and using your creativity to produce more of what you do best. You may not have time to focus on shaping and modifying your image.

An agent can handle it for you. They are experts in crafting images. They know how to overcome negative press and are pros at getting you positive press. When you look good, they look good.

Negotiate Deals

There is an art to negotiations. If done right, you can expect to get many rewards. If done wrong, you could lose the deal. This could mean career devastation.

On your own, if you are sticking to your guns in a negotiation deal, it could come across as you are feeling entitled.

A talent agency employs experienced agents who have the knowledge, tactics and special styles that can get you the contracts you deserve. They have experience in the industry and can tailor each negotiation to fit the deal you are trying to make.

They’re Mentors

Talent agencies provide you with mentors who have years of experience working in your industry. Mentors offer many benefits to your career.

They can notify you of job opportunities. They can help calm you down before the big meeting, coaching you on how to answer important questions. Mentors can help you make the big decisions you will be facing throughout your career.

From problem solving to opening new doors, mentors play a valuable role in making you the star of your industry.

When you have questions about the business, talent agents have the answers.

Open Doors

On your own, it’s going to be tough to get the leaders in your industry to notice you, especially if you are on your rise to the top. You need help from those who are already at the top, those who have the connections.

Being associated with a talent agency is a sure way to get those doors opened. If you are struggling now, you need help from others, so you do not continue to struggle. It is time for your big break in your industry. A talent agency can help you get in the door of those who can give you that big break.

There is a great deal of work to be done in the background to make your career a success. Utilizing a talent agency lets them focus on the many behind the scenes tasks, while you can focus on being a star.

5 Ways to Jump Start Your Music Career as an Artist

Post author By Jason Swartz
Post date November 30, 2017
Categories In Music

People have been praising your musical talents. You are excited to share your talents with the world. You have been paying your dues, getting gigs wherever you can and working slowly towards your goal of music success. As an artist, you are working on starting your music career, but how can you successfully do so?

You want to know what steps you can take to jump start your music career. Below are five actions you can take to boost your music career to meet your ultimate goals.

Create a Brand for Your Music Career

Your music is good but by itself, it may not put your music career into overdrive. Creating a brand, based on you and all your talents, will help you reach a wider audience. It will also help you bring in additional income.

Find ways to sell your talents. Merchandise, poetry, creative writing and doing voice overs are a few ways to expand your brand. Let the world know you have many talents and there are many avenues to get connected to you. An artist representative can help you in this process to help you successfully start your music career.

Implement Social Media

Music stars are being found every day on YouTube. Justin Bieber is one of the greatest examples of being discovered on social media.

Showcase your talents on all your social media outlets. You can post content, live videos, and photographs to promote your work. Along with posting, you can sell merchandise through your social media platforms. You can even show support for other musicians.

Over a billion people are on social media outlets. For very little cost, you can reach out to them. Not only can you reach a wide audience and build brand awareness, you can also make ancillary income through social media monetization as well.

Book Gigs – Any Gigs

To grow any business, you must do one thing, work. If you were to interview successful musicians, they will tell you they have been busting it for a long time. They didn’t just wake up one day and become a famous musician.

They began by booking gigs, any gigs they could find. Saying yes to smaller gigs can eventually lead to larger gigs. You never know who will be sitting in your audience. A high-powered music executive could be attending the county fair, birthday parties or any other event in which you are hired to perform.

Entertainment booking is how you get found and start your music career. The more gigs you can book, the more you will be seen and heard.

Collaborate With Other Artists

Working with other musicians and artists is a strategic way to boost your music career. You immediately have twice the fan base when you work with someone else in the industry. Even if that person makes it big before you do, you will always be connected to them.

This means their fans will be your fans. Be open to all types of collaborations, not just musical. Writing a children’s book, acting in a play, volunteering for local charities or mentoring youth are just a few collaborations that enhances both your music career, as well as your inner self.

Interact with Fans

Fans want to feel connected to an artist. It is the fans that can boost or break your career. Find ways to interact with them. You want to engage your fans, both on social media, and in person.

Some ideas include letting your fans contribute lyrics to your next song, choosing a few fans to appear in your next video, or live chatting with a group of fans before a concert.

You can also have an autograph signing event, inviting fans to pay for a V.I.P. meeting where they receive a swag bag while getting to meet you in person.

When your fans are happy, they show it. One fan can influence many others to support your career.

Have Fun

The experiences you have now will shape your future. You are on the ride of your life. Enjoy it. If you are having fun, your fans are having fun. Your thoughts and feelings shine through your music.

Fans typically want to escape from their realities through your music. They want a way to feel good even when things are going bad. You can entertain them and help them find this escape.

Before long, your career could be so busy you will be wishing for a break, a time where you can relax. Do things now to make sure your love of music continues. Find ways to enjoy your passion. If you don’t keep it fun, you may begin to resent music over time. Then it feels more like a job than a dream.

Other ways you can jump start your career include building your support team, work on your image, improve your craft and do whatever it takes to stay healthy. Without good health, your music career will not thrive.

Both your mental and physical health deserve adequate attention so you can be there for your fans for many years to come.

How to Build an Engaged Fan Base on Social Media

Post author By Jason Swartz
Post date November 28, 2017
Categories In Social Media
32 Comments on How to Build an Engaged Fan Base on Social Media

Having thousands of fans on your social media outlets is great. Having all your fans intentionally engaged with you online is a lot better. However, many people are asking how to build a fan base on social media, and how they can create an engaged fan base.

An engaged fan base on social media means your fans are liking your pictures, videos and content. Not only that, they are also sharing and responding to your posts. You are getting your fans to do something in response to your post.

This is huge for your career. Social media engagement helps you get feedback from fans and acquire new fans.

If your social media engagement is not happening at the level you want, there are some steps you can take. You may only need to tweak a few of your strategies to see a significant improvement in a brief period.

How to Build a Fan Base On Social Media

Engaging with your fans on social media is necessary for any brand. However, before you can engage with fans, you must build a fan base on social media. Here’s how to build an engaged fan base on social media. Growing your following can be a tedious task, but it is possible. With the help of talent representation, hashtags, location tags, and creating meaningful content, you can grow and build a fan base on social media.

Once you’ve created your following on your social media platforms, you can begin engaging with them. It doesn’t matter if you have hundreds or thousands of followers, you want your followers to be engaged with your brand’s online presence.

Here’s how to build an engaged fan base on social media.

Just Ask

If you post a photo with no instructions, or questions, you may not get any responses. If you post a photo and ask all your followers to press like or share, then many of your fans will press like or share. The wording of your post is extremely important in building an engaged fan base on social media.

If you post a photo and ask all your followers to share your photo for a chance to win a prize, it’s likely most of your fans will engage.

People like to be told how they can respond to your posts. Ask them to respond to your posts in the way you want them to respond. If you are trying to attract new fans, tell your followers to refer a friend. If you are selling a product, give an incentive with your instructions to purchase or share the product. Incentivize them to respond.

For instance, the first fifty fans to purchase your product will get a free autographed photo. Without your instructions, fans are more likely to stay on the sidelines and not engage.

Be Real

To build an engaged fan base on social media, you must be yourself. You must be real. Your fans want to connect with you. They want to know more about you personally. While you don’t want to share too much information, there are some topics you can touch on that give your fans insight to your life.

Fans like to know what your reading, your favorite foods, music, and travel destinations. There are times when you can share more personal stories with your fans. If you are struggling with an issue that affects many of your fans, sharing this makes them relate to you even more. To build an engaged fan base on social media, you have to portray yourself as human to your fans. Yes, you may be an extremely successful talent, but you still face many of the same challenges, laughs, and experiences as many followers.

Your fans know your life is not perfect, so don’t try to fake it. Be real. Your fans will be your biggest supporters when you are struggling and your biggest support when you are successful.

Hashtag It

Hashtags increase awareness and when done correctly, gets attention. Hashtags do not have to be hard. In fact, the simpler the hashtag the better, if they are unique and creative.

Some think the more hashtags you use with a post the better. However, using one or two can have a massive impact on your social media engagement.

You can increase social media engagement and see an increase when promoting your brand. Remember that to build an engaged fan base on social media, they want to see who you are. Use these hashtags to work in your favor. Show your humor. You don’t have to stick to generic hashtags to achieve awareness and engagement.

Make it Visual

Simple posts that use only words do not get as great a response as do posts with visuals. Pictures and videos get shared and liked the most among fans. One of the best ways to build an engaged fan base is to share visual posts. Regardless of which platform you are using, visuals draw the attention of your fans. It’s the first thing they see on your post.

Whether you are posting your own creative work or someone else’s, showing images makes a difference. You can also use memes and GIFs to increase fan base engagement. Finding a way to relate your fan base to your brand is key.

Respond

One of the best ways to build an engaged fan base on social media and ensure they continue to engage is to give them a response. When you are asked a question or tagged in a post, respond. Let your fans know you are active on social media and you are interested in what they have to say.

Share and retweet posts your fans put online. React to videos and content. Even if you simply use an emoticon, respond.

Responding helps your fans feel important. When they feel important to you, they remain loyal. They then recommend you to their friends and your fan base grows organically. It is very rewarding when this happens. It also shows that you are human and react to the same type of posts as they do.

You may also want to chat live with your fans. Schedule a time, let your fans know when and where the chat will be held, and invite them to join you. Take five to ten minutes to answer fan questions. Your return on this small investment of time will be worth it.

A good rule of thumb for building an engaged fan base on social media is to treat your fans how you would want to be treated. Give them the things you would want to be given. With all this information, you now know how to build an engaged fan base on social media. Enjoy this new level of engagement!

Why You Should Perform at an International Music Festival

Post author By Jason Swartz
Post date November 22, 2017
Categories In Music

This summer, one of the largest international music festival in the World was held in Serbia. Just ask Wiz Khalifa and Bastille, two of the performers at the Exit Festival. Over 200,00 people attended this event. Who even knew there were 200,000 music lovers in Serbia?

That means 200,000 people who could also be camping, waiting in lines and vying to see you perform live. That means 200,000 people buying your band’s merchandise.

If your goal is world-wide music domination, playing at an international music festival is a must.

Keep reading below for many other reasons why you should book your spot at an international music festival.

Expand Your Business at an International Music Festival

There are many benefits of performing at an international music festival. From growing your fanbase, to meeting industry professionals, to growing your name, there are many perks. An international music festival is what you need to take your music career to the next level.

Here are the top reasons you should consider performing at an international music festival, and how a talent agent can make that dream become reality.

Grow Your Fanbase

Having fans in the United States is great. In fact, it’s awesome. They travel long distances to see you, they know all the lyrics to your songs and they go into total hysteria if they bump into you in person. What a great feeling.

Think about it, the same thing could happen with fans around the world. Picture yourself in China, Australia, London and other fascinating locations. Picture all those fans, some who do not even speak English, singing your lyrics.

You could be signing thousands of autographs for the fans who stand in line to buy your merchandise. Think of the instant spike in social media followers, giving you even more influence in the industry. This spike in followers will also allow you to focus on making even more income with social media monetization.

Growing your fanbase doesn’t have to be hard, especially when using the connections you make with other musicians.

Connect with Other Musicians

Even though your star is on the rise, you most likely get star struck by other celebrities in the industry. These super stars attend international music festivals, connecting with fans like you.

You can connect with the musicians who have influenced you. Some of the biggest and hottest names in the business will be at the same international music festival as you. Some may be performing there, others may be just enjoying the shows.

Either way, this is your chance to meet them. It’s possible your connection could turn into a collaboration.

Meet the Industry Professionals

Growing your fanbase and collaborating with other musicians will get the attention of key industry professionals. They can make things happen for your music career.

From agents to producers to other important record label staff, your presence at an international music festival gets you closer to them.

You can take advantage of learning opportunities from industry leaders. There are many panel sessions and question and answer sessions where you can learn what it takes to make it even bigger.

Panel Sessions Led by Super Stars

It’s like a conference on steroids. The biggest names in the music industry offer their time to answer your questions. This is information many people would pay a lot of money to obtain. And you are getting it just because you participated in an international music festival.

The steps you need to take to grow your music brand can be answered by those who have been exactly where you are. You will see what other attendees are wanting to learn from the music legends. You can use their questions and answers to your advantage, giving your fans what they want before they even have a chance to ask.

Creative Ideas

The ideas you get from panel sessions can boost your creativity. Being around innovators is inspiring. It motivates you to create and produce more of what you do best.

Hanging out with some of the best musicians in the world can give you ideas that are new to you and your fans. Creativity may also include how to expand your brand through products, content, and social media platforms.

All of which increase your presence and pocket book.

Free Parties

Okay, so what is a music festival without a good party. Yes, there will be a lot of business opportunities to take advantage of at an international music festival. But there will also be some great parties. You totally deserve to unwind, relax and have fun.

At international music festivals, there are hundreds of parties to choose from to help you celebrate all your accomplishments.

Depending on the connections you made, you could be sitting in the V.I.P. section of some of the greatest parties. And you don’t have to pay to get in the door. Festival parties are free. Pick the parties that will continue to enhance your visibility in the music industry.

Your next step? Work with your talent booking agent on the application to the international music festival you want to attend.

How a Celebrity Endorsement Can Increase Business

Consumers are exposed to thousands of advertisements every single day. On television, social media, billboards and all other forms of media. Whether you are a small business or one of the big guys, you need your business to stand out from the rest. The fact that you offer better products or services, at better prices doesn’t mean much if you can’t get customers to buy in. One way to engage and encourage customers is through the use of a celebrity endorsement.

Using a celebrity endorsement to influence buyers can boost your sales by at least 4 percent almost immediately. Just as fast, stock in your company can increase soon after you announce the celebrity on your team.

Product Launches

Many steps go into creating a successful product launch. Scheduling the launch so that it enters the market at the right time, avoiding any of your competition’s product launching. You also need to prepare for what may happen after the launch. Make sure you have enough inventory; your website is running efficiently, and your team is ready.

Preparation before the launch is just as important. This means finding a celebrity endorsement to help.

The right celebrity can help you achieve all your product launching goals. You want to see sales on a large scale, as well as gain new customers.

A celebrity endorsement brings with them a level of trust with their fans. When the celebrity says a product is good, their fans believe it. If the celebrity asks fans to follow your business on social media, they follow. If a celebrity tells fans to purchase your new product, they purchase.

Search Engine Optimization

When potential customers do a Google search and they type in your product, they may retrieve thousands of similar products in their search results.

When potential customers do an internet search and they type in your product, along with the name of the celebrity endorsing your product, only your information lands in the search results.

For instance, if you are trying to sell a new kind of earbuds and people do a search for earbuds, they are overwhelmed with the many results.

But if you sell your new earbuds using print or video advertisements that show Rihanna, Gucci Mane or Nicki Minaj wearing them, your sales will skyrocket. And any time someone googles the celebrity on your team, your earbuds will be in those search engine results.

Access to New Customers

Celebrities have fans. They have a lot of fans. People like Selena Gomez has over 120 million followers on social media.

Collaborating with a celebrity means you have instant access to their millions of fans.

In the business world, the term fan translates to potential customer. By adding celebrity endorsements to your social media marketing campaign, you have access to hundreds of new consumers. As soon as you tell the world which celebrity loves your product, those millions of fans will be trying to get your product too.

Brand Awareness

Brand awareness is defined by how well consumers know who you are, what you sell and why they should buy into your company. It’s important to get your message out to the world.

Your products and services need exposure. And they need it yesterday. The quickest way to get exposure is by using a celebrity endorsement. Because they are so famous, they can reach millions of buyers with just one advertisement.

Using celebrities to increase brand awareness has been done for many years. Only today, you have more advantages. With social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, your product information can be shared in less than one minute.

Targeted or Universal Appeal

Choosing a celebrity endorsement to influence consumers to buy your product or service utilizes targeted marketing or marketing with a universal appeal. Meaning, if you only want to target a certain type of customer, you can pick a celebrity connected with that market.

For instance, if you have a product that can benefit football players, hiring Cam Newton or Odell Beckham Jr. would be a great move. If you developed a software program to help people write fiction novels, getting Stephen King or John Grisham to help you promote it could boost sales by the millions.

Celebrities can help you stand out from the crowd. The advantages of having a celebrity working for your business are plentiful and they far outweigh any disadvantages.

The most crucial decision is to find a celebrity endorsement that matches the values, beliefs and mission of your organization. Finding a celebrity that can honestly benefit from your product or service will make their endorsement genuine.

Find the right celebrity endorsement to help you increase your business today.