Ten Tips To Better Sales on GospelReggae.com: PART 1 (Social Networking)

Dec. 12, 2009 - A few months ago GospelReggae.com faced our biggest dry spell in years. For almost two months there was nary a gospel reggae release in sight. Left with no other option, we released a slew of Christian hip-hop releases and rode the storm. Thankfully the dry spell is over.

Today we have a whole new problem; a literal over saturation of incredible gospel reggae releases. We’ve already released 15 brand-new albums by some of the top artists in the genre in the last 3 weeks and will likely release another 15 note-worthy titles before the year is over! Out dilemma is that the supply is currently greater than the demand.

If you have released an album on GospelReggae.com in 2009 we want you to see a tremendous sales spike this Holiday season. But just how can you compete with a proven bestseller like the Streetlight Mixtape series, or new releases by established artists like Monty G, Mr. Lynx or Christafari? Let’s face it; it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. But if you do nothing you will get nothing. And there is one thing that all the best sellers have in common; PROMOTIONS.

In the past I have written to you about hiring publishers and professionals to service your videos. While those things are essential, they are just not an option for an up-and-coming artist who has little in their bank account and nothing in their pocket but lint. Everyone has to start somewhere and while you may not have money, if you have time and motivation, you can accomplish a lot.

So with the hungry independent artist in mind, I’ve written ten tips to help get your album to sell more copies on http://www.gospelreggae.com and in stores worldwide. I will send you them one at a time so that you can digest them and have ample time to accomplish each task. So here we go…

1. TWEET MY FACE (Social Networking): I am sure that you already have a MySpace page, but MySpace is dying fast. Nowadays you also need to have a FaceBook and a Facebook group. You also must be on Twitter and I strongly suggest ReverbNation too.

But most important of all, you must update your status regularly. People don’t want to be bombarded with huge press releases anymore. And they don’t want to hear your sales pitch. They want to know who you are as a person (i.e. what your favorite meal is, what movie you are coming out of, etc…) You need to sneak your album plug into regular micro-updates about your daily life instead of stale promotional releases. Consistent announcements are the most effective. If people have a sense of connection with you and feel like they know you or can identify with you, they are more liable to support you and buy your album. RevRunWisdom has a half a million followers on Twitter because the masses connect with his micro messages.

I personally will add any friend that requests me (unless they are smoking a bong or wearing a thong). I use a handy app called TweetMyFace on my iPhone that allows me to update my status on Twitter, MySpace and FaceBook with one click from anywhere in the world. I post a few times a day to keep people interested.

So while banners on MySpace are essential (and everyone should have one), don’t underestimate the power of a Tweet. I may get 5 friend requests a day on FaceBook when I’m at home, but when I’m out on tour that number can get up to 50! This leads me to my second point--Stay tuned…

So what are you waiting for? Log into Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and ReverbNation and remind your friends that your album is currently available at http://www.gospelreggae.com
Blessings in Christ,
Mark Mohr