Watch the video below to get the full scoop…
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Ian “I Am Legend” of Band Promotion Blog
The fastest way initially is to collaborate with others.
Warning: collaboration will kill you if your band is crap and has a pisspoor website!
Create a ‘Target Fan Profile’ and figure out how they will come to your website; there are three usual ways (with multiple criterion):
1. By searching in a search engine.
2. By clicking on an incoming link.
3 By typing your URL directly into the address bar.
Create the right environment on your website that will satisfy your target audience. Point your potential fan towards your website using both online and real world techniques. Visitors will keep returning and become fans if they are continually entertained!
…How Fast?
Well it is not going to be a 9.58 100m sprint, more like a decathlon! Visitor numbers improve with the quality and quantity of Content, in combination with the quality and quantity of Incoming Links, and Time.
Read Ian’s follow up post: 100 Fan Decathlon
Ariel “The Real Deal” Hyatt of Cyber PR
The most effective way I have found to increase your fanbase is to create one authentic relationship at a time. This will make you connected to people and, as a result, remarkable things will happen.
I think artists become completely tripped up with the feeling that they need to have thousands (or millions) of fans, or plays, or impressions to succeed.
What I know is: They don’t. Just think about creating one fan, then two fans, then five fans. I’ve seen miracles happen from very small groups of engaged and committed fans.
Do something that you feel passionate about using a social media tool or a real life tool. Start with just Facebook or Twitter and use it thoughtfully as if you were talking to just one person who represents your ideal fan (or the type of fan you would like to have). When you play out live, stand by the merch table and meet fans and potential fans one at a time.
Bobby “Lightning Bolt” Owsinski of Music 3.0
I’d use Twitter messages that contain a link to you site along with 2 or 3 hashtags per tweet.
Find the right hashtags at search.twitter.com by entering your keyword and observing the traffic and also noting any other hashtags that other people are using.
I’d also time the messages so that they’re were always sent at the top of the hour at 7AM, 12noon, 3PM and 8PM EST. Tweets have a very short shelf life (less than an hour), and these times have proven effective, but I’d experiment plus or minus one hour to see what time was most effective for your particular audience and area.
Of course, if your site doesn’t have refreshed content every day, then the whole exercise is moot.
Jon “Olympiad” Ostrow of MicControl
Without a doubt, the best way to gain consistent and highly targeted traffic to your own website on a daily basis is to create and maintain a well-developed blog. Here are a few things to help get started:
1) You must create a strong and unique direction for your blog
2) Seek out your blogs niche elsewhere to who and where the influencers are/ readers are/ strongest traffic sources exist.
3) Network with the right people, including guest posting, commenting, sharing, etc.
As you begin to make your away around the niche, meanwhile focusing on the strength and value of your own content, readers of other blogs WILL take notice and start to explore the offerings on your own blog. This will most often lead to new RSS subscriptions and will help to develop a strong, loyal reader base that will visit on a daily basis.
David “The Bullet” Hooper of Music Marketing [dot] com
If you want true fans, my suggestion is to take things offline.
Play gigs to set the foundation with an audience and strengthen that connection by bringing them to your website for photos of themselves at the gig, live recordings of each show, acoustic versions, demo tapes, rehearsal tapes, and a tour diary.
Greg “On A Roll” Rollett of GenY Rockstars
The fastest way to get fans consistently to your site is to consistently put out amazing content both on your site and on other people’s sites.
These can be videos, blog posts, press releases, MP3′s, photos, etc. Your fans need a reason to keep coming back, and new fans need a reason to visit in the first place. Your job as a musician is to keep them entertained.
Start by figuring out who from your team is best at the different content types (who is better at writing vs. video, etc). Next come up with a content schedule and stick to it. Finally have an assistant, intern or super fan start connecting with other websites and bloggers. Best of luck in getting this setup.
Brian “The Beast” Thompson of Thorny bleeder
Provide intriguing and well crafted content on your blog (which should be the landing page on your website) on a daily basis… aside from spammy posts such as, “Hey I have a new song you need to hear”.
Share each blog post with your social networks, asking people to comment and share their thoughts and opinions with you. Encourage and develop discussion.
Your content shouldn’t always be self-promotional. Be creative. Be funny. Be witty. Be controversial. Be enlightening. Be honest. Be transparent. Be real.
Use the 80/20 rule. 80% of your posts should be focussed on community building, while only 20% should be about your music, your upcoming shows, etc.
Share videos, photos, poems, thoughts, ideas, solve problems… create a community of like-minded individuals around your music, and not just about your music.
Give lots of shit away for free. Yes, that includes your music which cost thousands of dollars to record. Your music will do you no good if no one ever hears it.
Collect email addresses in exchange for the freebies. Send out regular newsletters, but don’t overdo it. Perhaps once or twice a month, tops. Send your subscribers free gifts (exclusive downloads no one else can get) to show your appreciation for them supporting you.
Never be pushy or be a salesmen. Keep cool. Good things come to those who wait…
This strategy takes time… but it works.
Seth “Wonder Boy” Jackson of How To Run A Band
Stop the “Come to my show!” and “We have a new song!” announcements.
If that’s all that is in your updates, then…YAWN! Instead, have FUN! Ask questions, post weird pics, and give oddball status updates. Create controversy or elicit thought provoking topics. Be SOCIAL.
Picture the one person you’re talking to. Hold that person in your mind and then post as if you’re talking to them.
Share posts from other bands and local blogs without any expectation of return. It’s not about you, it’s about a movement that you are a part of with your fans.
Don’t spam! You’ll get so much more traffic to your site if you are genuine and not self-promotional. Participate in other blogs, podcasts, and other bands’ postings like you’re a fan and not a band.
Be consistent in your postings. Newsletter, twice a month. YouTube once a week. Blog once a week. Facebook daily. Twitter, a few times daily.
Remember it’s not about you, it’s about everyone else! Support the scene, and it will support you.
Chris “The Terminator” Bracco of Tightmix blog
To quickly build consistent traffic to your website, a couple basic social and marketing skills are needed.
First, you’ve gotta be able to quickly figure out who your potential fans are, and where they like to hang out and interact (both online and in the real world).
Second, you need visit those hangout places and start interacting with people. Network, make friends, and just be yourself. Attend events, exchange names, links, and business cards.
Make sure that these people have something to do when they visit your website (e.g. read your blog, download a free song, join the mailing list), and make it simple and obvious.
It’s also important to note that you’ve got to be genuine in your efforts, and true to yourself, otherwise you will not be taken seriously by anyone, and no progress will be made.
Lior “The Jet” Shamir of Vibedeck
Find 10 targeted fans who think you’re AMAZING and treat them really really well. Shower them with gifts, love and attention. And do it sincerely because you want to and not for any other motive.
My friend Jim Bianco has a way with people that goes beyond his music: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2070231717/you-release-jim-biancos-new-record?ref=live
Brian “Eat My Dust” Hazard of Passive Promotion
There’s a surefire way to do it quickly, but it ain’t cheap: give something away. Not a song, an EP, or even an album, but something of accepted value in the real world. I suggest an iPod Touch. Create a landing page for your site, preferably the home page so everyone will see it, featuring the giveaway and a mailing list widget. Announce that one winner will be picked from your mailing list after 24 hours.
Then spread the link on Twitter, Facebook, etc and doubly reassure your friends and followers that it’s real, not a virus or phishing scam. Just be careful you aren’t breaking any contest laws in your state (Eh, who are we kidding. You’ll probably get away with it!).
Note from Chris: Brian was the first person to submit his answer for the Olimpics and I have to hold my hands up and let your know that I did not mention the paid traffic rule to him. Not that he suggest paid traffic as such, but he does suggest you give away a prize which will cost you some money. I personaly think this tactic is within the guidlines and also too good to leave out so if you have “beef” with this blame me.
Wes “Win Or Die” Davenport of Where The Circle Ends
Good question! Here’s what I think. To get 100 targeted fans to visit your website on a regular basis, you have to give them reasons to visit regularly. Just adding tour dates doesn’t cut it. Creating great content that ties into your music will keep people coming back. Write blog posts, share pictures, and produce videos that will appeal to the preferences of the targeted fans.
Find out what sort of content they like with these two steps:
1) Using analytics tools. Over time, you’ll see what sort of content gets the most love.
2) By simply asking those targeted fans directly. Fans will be glad you value their opinion. Make it clear you are creating a better experience for them.
Loren “Powerhouse” Weisman of The Artist’s Guide to Success in Music
Content, Content, Content is the fastest way to get 100 targeted fans visiting your website.
Artists to often assume that people are just going to flock to their website but after you have seen the basics, purchased the music or seen them play recently, why go back?
Putting up new and varied content once a day, five days a week is a great way to make those fans return to constantly check your site but more important, giving material from you to pass on, forward on or send to others to check out.
Put up short video segments, pictures, a blog, a weekly content or question as well as song samples and anything else. Make it interesting, interactive and updated regularly with out blasting out dumb tweets saying “I just ate a sandwich.” Not only will you build up returning fans, but you will heavily increase the chances that those fans will pass along your content to others as well as just having the content out there to help optimize you and get you found easier on the internet.
Don “The Hero” Harrison of Network Or Die
1. Establish yourself online as an expert within my chosen niche.
2. Keep my post content a bit more consistent (on topic), as well as posting on a regular basis.
3. Leave meaningful comments on related blog posts and forums.
4. Writing guest posts on established blogs with plans to launch into article marketing.
5. Interact with readers, as well as encouraging interaction between readers.
6. Ask readers to share my content and provide them the tools to do so.
7. Stay active on Facebook and Twitter.
Mike “Made To Win” Venti of Wayward Musician
First you need to give people a reason to visit your site. Start a blog and keep it updated regularly with interesting content that will attract people. Besides showcasing your own music, create content that can help attract a variety of visitors. You could write articles to help other musicians, create a section of your site for music reviews, discuss road stories that you’ve experienced along the journey, or anything else you think will interest others.
Next learn some basic SEO strategies and implement them on your site. With the proper optimizations in place and regular content updates, your site will rank higher in Google, allowing a wide range of people to stumble upon your site, where your killer content will eventually convert some of those visitors into returning fans.
Will this happen overnight? Probably not. But if you keep the engaging content coming, your traffic will start to rise.
Matt “Superfast MoFo” Stevens of This Amazing Music
What I’d do is focus on building a relationship with a niche blogger.
You could make specific exclusive videos/mp3s and build a relationship over time. Comment on the blog, make friends and build a relationship with readers.
Blogs are basically community hubs. Not quick, but it does work. You could find a blogger like this using google blog search and searching for similar artists.
Hope thats useful.
Shaun “Second Names Are For Wimps” of Independent Music Advice
Other then gaining search engine traffic (Which takes a while to set up), by far the easiest way to get 100 targeted fans to your website daily is by using Twitter.
But I don’t mean signing up for an account and manually adding people, no. That is a long and tedious process, and one that uses up more time than it’s worth.
Instead, I use Twitter automation software to do all the heavy lifting for me. This is a simple set and forget tactic, that automatically adds a bunch of targeted followers with a proven interest in the music industry.
The aim is to get them to see your add, then follow your link back to your website when they see the accompanying message or your latest Tweet.
This has been very effective for not only getting me a ton of followers, but also for driving traffic back to my website and getting people on my mailing list.
While this tactic will slow down as you run out of targeted visitors to add, you can get around a month of quality traffic before your numbers start to drop.
And if you get these people on your mailing list, they will be your followers for a good while to come.
Chris “The Rocket” Rockett of Promote Your Music (Hey…That’s me!)
I have a couple of ideas for you…but I’m disqualified from winning a medal because this is my blog, and I also failed the drugs test 
First off is to create a “collectors edition” of your album with the mp3s, artwork, handwritten lyrics and video if you have one.
Upload this to your site and then email popular websites in your scene saying something like “I want to sponsor you”.
Basically you’re going to offer them all the proceeds from the package in return for putting your music in-front of their audience. The money will go instantly into their account which makes this a very attractive offer.
Being a digital download it will not cost you anything and you’ll now have a bunch of new music buyers on your list who will probably support your music for years to come.
These are bonus fans who you might not have otherwise been able to connect with.
If you’re not that technical just get the target site to set up a simple paypal “buy now” button connected to their account, and use that on your sales page.
Put an email sign up box before your download page to capture the new fans’ details. If you have any questions ask me here.
The second thing is to make friends with popular bands…
I know this sounds simplistic but a little while back I was asked to do three shows in Scotland with my friend who just got signed.
The shows were totally sold out and my music site instantly got a bump up to 500+ hits per day. Pretty cool.
P.S I want to thank all the incredible athletes who are taking part in the Olympics. You guys generously give your time to help put musicians on the right track and the internet is a better place for your ideas. Keep up the good work!
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