project critical analysis author: sue ward · author: sue ward date: december 11, 2014 (final...
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Project – Critical Analysis
Author: Sue Ward
Date: December 11, 2014 (Final Draft)
Creating a Practical Social Media Strategy for Red Rock Hill
Executive Summary
“We want to play more… our goal is to do some regional tours and there are a lot of
people out there who are really into Americana music. Right now there seems to be a surge in
Americana, folk rock, and alternative country. It’s the perfect time for us to get out there… and
it would be so cool to get people to buy our songs,” says Elise Fillpot, member of Red Rock Hill.
The Iowa City-based band enjoys a steady following in the local area, but would like to expand
its reach and customer base.
Red Rock Hill produces great music. Jay Wetmore, lead vocalist and guitarist, has 30
years of experience writing, recording, and playing live music professionally in various bands in
New York, Utah, and Iowa. Jay founded the band in 2010 as a way to share his favorite music,
both his own and that of other musicians. Jay’s wife, Elise, provides harmony vocals and plays
rhythm guitar. Dave Hanson rounds out the trio with back-up on bass.
The band handles its own social media. Elise created a Facebook page, and posted some
pictures of the band performing. Several audio recordings are available for purchase on a
Broadjam site and a few basic videos of the band performing have been posted to YouTube.
Elise handles bookings personally and uses Facebook and her personal Twitter account to let
followers know when the band will be performing.
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With a cohesive social media strategy, I believe Red Rock Hill can build upon its current
use of social media tools to connect with a broader audience, secure more bookings, and increase
sales of its audio recordings.
Description of the Business
Jay has been writing and playing music since he taught himself how to play the piano at
the age of 5. His early influences were the Allman Brothers, Little Feat, and the Grateful Dead.
Elise grew up listening to Judy Collins, Glenn Campbell, Neil Diamond, and Jim Croce. “Music
has always been a soundtrack for my life,” she says. Their love of music and performing has
brought them in contact with many other talented musicians, including cellist Ruth Ann Riedl
and the band’s current bass guitarist, Dave Hanson.
While Jay Wetmore is the leader of the band, he has not established a legal corporation or
partnership. The business is not privately-owned or publicly-traded, but more of a sole proprietor
entity. Red Rock Hill provides a service, musical entertainment, in partnership with a venue,
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such as a winery. The venue provides the product such as food and beverages, to accompany the
band’s music. This type of partnership works well for both Red Rock Hill and its venues, with
most performances taking place on either Saturday night or Sunday afternoon.
Red Rock Hill is a side business for Jay, Elise, and Dave. Jay founded the band and
serves as its leader, writing songs and creating sets. Elise handles bookings and social media.
They meet at each other’s homes in Iowa City to practice, and they perform at local venues. The
instruments and equipment are all personally owned, and there are no over-head costs other than
standard upkeep of equipment.
The band’s strength is that it plays quality music and its members have a lot of friends.
The venues it chooses provide quality food and a relaxing atmosphere. Standard venues in the
Iowa City area include the Brick Arch winery, pictured below, the Mill restaurant, George’s bar
and restaurant, and Uptown Bill’s. The band provides a unique type of music for the Iowa City
area, in a warm and comfortable setting. With this solid foundation, there is potential to expand.
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Current Social Media and Online Communication Strategy
Red Rock Hill has strong relationships with its regular local venues and books events via
personal phone call. The band uses social media mainly to let their friends know when and where
they will be playing in the area. The band has a website, which links to high-quality audio
recordings for play or purchase. The website houses basic information about the band. A few
videos can be found on YouTube, but the quality could be improved. Elise posts on Facebook or
Twitter when the band has an upcoming event, and has linked to YouTube video in the past.
The band uses social media to notify friends of performances, but does not yet engage or
interact in a way that could build a larger community of followers. Red Rock Hill does not
currently use Instagram, Tumblr, or LinkedIn. Information about the band can be found on the
Internet, but searches must be very specific. Event listings and bios may not be up to date on
some platforms. While Red Rock Hill is out there, a lot of people don’t know it. The following
table shows how the band currently uses social media.
Platform Frequency Content Comments
Website
http://www.redrockhill.net/home
Purpose: Promote the band and provide information about members, music, and events to current and potential venues/fans
Not updated since 2013
21 high-quality audio recordings; 9 for purchase
5 performance photos from 2011-2012
Sections of the site include Home, Songs, Bio, Events, Photos.
Some lyrics are provided.
The Contact page allows the user to submit an e-mail to the group, in a secure way.
Created in 2011
Events were updated through 2013
The bios are complete and give a glimpse to the background and motivations of the band.
There is not much information about the type of music.
Connects to Broadjam site; songs are $0.99.
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Platform Frequency Content Comments
Broadjam (audio)
http://www.broadjam.com/redrockhill
Purpose: Share audio with the Internet world, available for purchase
0-1 monthly 21 high-quality audio recordings; 9 for purchase
5 performance videos from 2011-2012
19 connections, mainly to other bands
Ability to “Like” or “Share” a song on Facebook
20-30 comments posted “over 30 days ago”
Created in 2011
People may not know a about this site
Not user friendly
iTunes (audio)
Purpose: Share audio with the Internet world, available for purchase
0 None Not on this platform
YouTube (video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqKkqs0n5bc
Purpose: Share video with the Internet world
All videos posted on July 26, 2014
3 video recordings
Videos filmed at “Uptown Bill’s” in Iowa City.
Posted 2014
To find videos, must search “Red Rock Hill and Iowa City”
Videos not high quality
https://www.facebook.com/#!/RedRockHill
Purpose: Share news with family and friends
0-2 times monthly
Posts upcoming events only.
10 performance photos from 2011-2012
No links to audio or performance video
Created in 2012
No link to website or Broadjam
@EliseFillpot
Purpose: Real-time personal and business networking
0-2 times monthly
Same schedule as Facebook, along with personal tweets
Shorter versions of Facebook messages
Profile links to band’s website
Some tweets link to Facebook page
Some tweets link to YouTube video
Created in 2012
Some tweets do not include the band’s name
Not using hashtag with band’s name #redrockhill
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Platform Frequency Content Comments
Purpose: Share snapshots of everyday life
0 None Not on this platform
Tumblr
Purpose: Build community with like-minded individuals
0 None Not on this platform
Purpose: Share professional information such as skills and experience, in order to network
0 None Not on this platform
Evaluation
In order to evaluate Red Rock Hill, I reviewed the recent literature, including class
readings, related to popular music and social media strategy. I then interviewed the band
members personally to learn more about their experiences, motivations, and goals. I looked at the
current use of each platform and culled the literature to identify areas for improvement. I kept the
member’s busy schedules in mind to come up with ideas that are practical and easy to
implement. I searched the Internet for sites created by bands with music similar to Red Rock
Hill. I looked at what seemed to be working, in order to identify recommendations.
Red Rock Hill is a very engaging band, just not online. They have a website with photos
and professional audio, but the content is not fresh and up to date. They have video but it could
be higher quality and readily available to a broader audience. They post, but they don’t interact
and engage with their followers. They’re on Facebook and Twitter, but their brand is not tagged.
Basically, they’re in the room but they’re standing in the corner. I’d like to see them get more
involved in an authentic and thoughtful way.
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Recommendations
While Red Rock Hill has a presence on various social media platforms, I believe there are
several opportunities to grow the brand and increase followers, bookings, and sales. The
following list outlines the key opportunities:
Create a schedule for posting regularly, on various platforms. Focus on a few key
platforms and post new photos and video when possible. The audience will become
more engaged with a consistent flow of information. (Bourne, 2014)
Keep the ratio of content to sales at 5:1 meaning five posts that have nothing to do with
performances or audio sales for every one post that is sales related. Let people know
what inspires the band. Link to other people (musicians, family, friends, etc.), places
(Wyoming, Colorado, etc.) or things (causes, etc.); and ask what inspires the band’s
followers. Be sincerely focused on connecting with and helping others. (Bourne, 2015)
Use the band’s website as the center for content. Leverage up-to-date information about
events, professional photographs, audio, and video. Use a blog for interesting and useful
information about Red Rock Hill, folk rock music, favorite venues, etc. Social media is
important, but mainly to distribute links back to your website. (Lieberman, 2013)
Use social media to tell stories and engage. What happened at practice tonight? What
ideas do you have for a new song? Comment on others’ messages/stories. Be funny,
personable, and genuine. (Handley and Chapman, 2011)
Stand out and be different. Look at what your competitors are doing and do the opposite.
Try something new or take a stand. It’s not about fitting in and being safe, it’s about
standing out and being different. (Handley and Chapman, 2011)
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Create a Twitter account dedicated to Red Rock Hill. Twitter is currently seen as having
the most potential for increasing sales growth. Use Twitter to connect, engage, advertise,
and advocate. (Barnes and Lescault, 2014)
Create a LinkedIn account to display a professional profile and network with others in
the industry. LinkedIn is not a direct fan building tool, but it is a powerful relationship
building platform, and a necessary social media channel. (Leger, 2012)
Consider using a Kickstarter or other crowdfunding campaign to generate funds needed
to create a CD, which could be sold at performances. (Cool, 2014)
Consider using an Apple-approved aggregator, such as TuneCore, to post songs on
iTunes. Fees are low, and you’ll keep about 70% of the profit. (Ehrlick, 2011)
The following table provides more detail related to these recommendations:
Platform Frequency Content Comments
Website
http://www.redrockhill.net/home
Purpose: Promote the band and provide information about members, music, and events to current and potential venues/fans
1-2 monthly (blog post and event updates)
Keep existing bios, add Dave.
Keep events and media up to date
Keep audio, link to video
Add a blog
Add a logo
Use keywords such as Iowa City, Red Rock Hill, folk rock, etc. for SEO optimization
Keep social connect buttons at the top to Facebook and Twitter.
Say, Thanks for visiting, please “Like us on Facebook” and “Follow us on Twitter.”
Send an e-mail to all of your contacts asking them to Like and Follow you.
Collect e-mail addresses at gigs.
Print business cards with logo and links to your social media sites.
Display url at performances
Subscribe to industry blogs for examples
Consider moving the format to WordPress, for more flexibility.
Run searches on Google and Twitter to test SEO
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Platform Frequency Content Comments
Use a pitch letter to explain the benefits, provide specifics, and create deadlines to potential new vendors; link to website and recent audio and video.
A “Kickstarter” or other type of crowdfunding campaign could raise funds to create a CD for purchase.
Broadjam (audio)
http://www.broadjam.com/redrockhill
Purpose: Share audio with the Internet world, available for purchase
0 0 Close this site
iTunes (audio)
Purpose: Share audio with the Internet world, available for purchase
As new songs are released for audio and/or purchase
21 existing audio recordings; 9+ songs for purchase
Move existing audio to iTunes, that’s where the customers and their accounts are already
YouTube (video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqKkqs0n5bc
Purpose: Share video with the Internet world
1+ monthly Record at every gig if possible; post.
Suggest higher-quality video from a variety of venues
What about a video that tells a story? Enlist a film production student
https://www.facebook.com/#!/RedRockHill
Purpose: Share news with family and friends
1-2 weekly Post recent photos
Comments and interactions with others; engage with followers; keep the conversation going
Follow other musicians and venue owners to encourage them to follow you
Consider adding the ability to approve posts before they can appear on your site
Recommend posting Fridays or Saturdays
Embed links to website and specific blog, audio, or video
Remember to be funny, personable, and genuine
Promote enjoyment (for example: enjoy a night with friends and folk rock music)
Consider “boosting” posts to reach a wider and potentially more targeted audience.
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Platform Frequency Content Comments
@EliseFillpot
Purpose: Real-time personal and business networking
1-2 weekly Post recent photos
Comments and interactions with others; engage with followers; keep the conversation going
Follow other musicians and venue owners to encourage them to follow you
Tag tweets #redrockhill
Recommend posting Fridays or Saturdays
Create an account dedicated to Red Rock Hill
Use Advanced Search capability to target potential followers
Embed links to website and specific blog, audio, or video
Think about using a Twitter website clicks campaign
Purpose: Share snapshots of everyday life
0 0 Do not add this platform at this time.
Tumblr
Purpose: Build community with like-minded individuals
0 0 After making other changes, consider adding this site for a Red Rock Hill “community”
Purpose: Share professional information such as skills and experience, in order to network
1 monthly Place keywords in the headline.
Include current work experience, with keywords in the title.
Include past work experience.
Summarize skills and capabilities
Link to website, video, audio, etc.
Create a profile specifically for Red Rock Hill.
Think about what is your niche, who are you trying to attract, what are they looking for, how would they type that in; use keywords with specific city, type of music, winery, etc.
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Conclusion
Red Rock Hill is well positioned to take their social media presence to the next level in a
way that is simple yet strengthens their brand and increases their sales. The key to improving
their strategy is to interact with followers in a personable and relatable way. The first step is to
upgrade their website with up-to-date photos and video, and add a blog. A focus on keywords
will help the band increase their search engine optimization (SEO). The band could drop the
Broadjam site which provides much of the same information as their website.
The next step is to engage and there is a lot of potential in updating Facebook while
adding Twitter, LinkedIn, and possibly Tumblr, to their repertoire. The goal is to build a larger
community of followers who know and love Red Rock Hill. And the method is to keep the
conversation simple and understated, yet interesting and useful. And while the band is interacting
with its audience it can provide appropriate links to purchase songs or connect elsewhere,
without seeming self-absorbed or pushy.
Jay told me that he wants people to be able to look at their website or Facebook page and
truly understand what Red Rock Hill is all about. Jay and Elise spent much of their 20s and 30s
traveling through Colorado and Wyoming, and their music is inspired by the countryside and the
open road. “At a glance, we’d like to really draw people in and give them a feel for our music
and who we are… we love the challenge of performing and connecting with the audience in a
way that tells our story.” Through an interactive and relevant social media presence, I believe
Red Rock Hill can achieve this vision.
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