The Internet is a whole lot more than just social media but for many musicians, there is only one way to the top – by forging an online presence on free social media platform. What happened to building a personal website? In a world where first impressions are key, running a fresh, well designed website is a standard for you as a musician. With fans waiting for you to dazzle them and competitions flying around, social media just isn’t enough to promote yourself and your journey anymore. A website separates you from the rest; it not only helps you engage new fans and connect with old ones but also allows your followers to get to grips with who you are. Creating and using your own website is an important part of promotion for any musician. Here are six reasons why you need to have a website.
1. Professionalism:
Having your own website makes you look super professional and serious about your career – there is no better way to increase your credibility and get people hitting play. A website is a place for you to keep basic information about yourself (name, genre e.t.c), and much more. Essentially, it is a one-stop shop for others to know who you are and if they are interested in contacting you. Having a website with all these information on it shows others that you are serious about your music.
2. Virtual Resume:
A website helps you keep a list of past shows as well as future ones. This along with your contact information turns your website into a virtual resume. This is an important tool for connecting with other musicians, professionals and corporate organizations. Having a link that takes viewers to clips of your past shows is a good way of helping your fans relieve the good times as well as helping organizations and others see where you are coming from.
3. Bookings:
Having all of your information in one place is a much easier way of getting booked for shows. You can share your music, your style, and your contact information with event promoters, owners of restaurants, venues and others in a way that makes it easy for them to book you. It just takes sending one link (to your website) and opportunities will open up. Don’t forget, a website also provides another avenue for you to control sales of tickets to your shows.
4. Multimedia:
You can create links, post videos, music, and pictures, and much more on your website. The ability to incorporate many different kinds of media all in one place is important for providing a way for viewers to quickly and easily get a feel for your band. You can also keep an archive of your freestyles, studio sessions(video) and interviews as invaluable content for your work.
5. All Social Media Accounts:
This is another important tool for fans and viewers. By visiting your website, a user can access all of your social media accounts, making this an easy way to spread your social media apps and websites. Having all of these links in one place helps your fans to connect with you and can lead to stronger relationships.
6. Minimised Budget:
There are many different website generators available for free. A couple popular ones include WordPress, Wix and Squarespace. WordPress offers some awesome free templates meaning all you need to spend money on is your domain name and your website hosting. WordPress also offers detailed website insights along with Google Analytics – the perfect way to keep an eye on your traffic and improve your site all the time
In conclusion, running a website allows you to invest in yourself, create great contents, use your social media accounts to direct traffic to your website and get people coming back for more. It will take time and effort, but it will be worth it when you find yourself giving away your website link to fans, professionals, and other musicians and then apart from endorsement deals, corporate organizations also start to pay for adverts on your page if you are open to it.
References : Symphonic.com, Spinnup.com