Here are some key points I get from Thing 18: Frequency is everything from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

It's not enough to drive traffic to your website. It's about making returning visitors out of your audience. Arguably, it is more important to have regularly updated content than it is to have a spiffy looking site (although that can help). We've already touched on the importance of RSS and getting people to subscribe to your content. Here are some tips for keeping your website up to date:

1. Make use of a Content Management System or CMS. Remove any friction between you and updating your site. If it's hard to do, you're less likely to do it consistently. Content Management Systems allow you to easily make changes to your site. Use Joomla, WordPress, or Movable Type (that's what I use).
2. Take some time to think about what you're going to say before you say it. Jot down some interesting topics that come to mind about your field of expertise. Keeping these ideas on hand is going to save you a lot of time later in trying to think up interesting subjects.
3. Take advantage of other content publishers out there. Leverage what they have created to talk about your subject of interest (make sure to credit them). Add a few of your own comments and thoughts on the subject.
4. Talk about current news items. Connect the dots from the news item you mention to the subject you want to talk about.
5. Leverage everything you do and capture it (a photo, a video, a scanned item). Then post it along with a paragraph or two of your thoughts. Keep frequent with your updates. People are going to notice if there is always stuff happening on your site, and will keep them engaged. As result, you look more professional and in-demand.

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

Here are some key points I get from Thing 17: Reward and Incentivise from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

Dubber suggests that there is an alternative for just about every product imaginable on the web, and, people will purchase anything that closely resembles their needs. It is, therefore, constructive to give your audience incentives for coming to you and returning to you.

As a music industry professional, you can't just allow the Hear / Like / Buy process to happen in its own time. It's important to remove any obstacles that may lie in between. No matter how much of a specialty act you are, you're probably not the only group doing it.

Dubber asserts that 30 second or 1 minute lo-fi clips aren't going to cut it. He recommends allowing people to listen to a couple of full songs off of each of your albums.

Furthermore, consider giving people reasons to choose you over the others, and do this on an ongoing basis. This is where gifts, rewards, and incentives come in. Offer a discount on concert tickets, digital media (like wallpapers), ringtones, or anything else you can think of.

Finally, turn your customers and audience into members of your fan club or business. Make them a part of your ongoing creative efforts. Get them involved in the conversation on your website through the use of forums or a commenting system.

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

Here are some key points I get from Thing 16: Accessibility from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

Accessibility has long been a subject of web design. It is a rather important component to building a website that anyone and everyone can view. Not everyone has a high speed connection to the internet, a Core i5 equipped tower, or even the ability to see. Building a website that is friendly to all users is a challenging task, but here are some things Dubber recommends:

1. Avoid landing pages that serve no purpose and have long load times. This would include things like Flash intros (with a 'Skip' button). If you have to add a 'Skip' button, chances are it's not worth slapping on the landing page.
2. Take advantage of sites like the Web Accessibility Initiative. They have a lot of great information pertaining to accessibility, and how to make your website more accessible.
3. Make sure your website is XHTML compliant.
4. Jakob Nielsen's Use It website also has a lot of great information on the subject of accessibility.
5. Check out the CSS Zen Garden for examples of websites that are accessible, but also visually appealing.

Although I don't mean to scare you, accessibility is actually the law (consult your particular country, state, or province's laws for more applicable information), much like it is in the workplace. In UK - Dubber points out - you would be looking at a fine amounting to thousands of pounds.

Additionally, there is a strong link between usability and accessibility. When you endeavor to make your website more accessible, you are also doing a great deal to make it more usable as well.

Dubber also asserts that accessible does not mean "vanilla" (see point 5). You can still create a site that looks great, while maintaining a well thought-out layout. According to Dubber, if your website is accessible and easy to use, it doesn't mean that your audience is going to spend more money. However, if it's not, they simply won't.

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

Here are some key points I get from Thing 15: RSS from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

RSS feeds are quite frankly amazing. It took me a long time to understand why, but now I know. Suppose there's a list of websites you tend to check daily (a lot of people do). You visit each of them, one after another, checking to see if there's anything new. Suppose you could do this in a more time efficient manner. Suppose you could check for the latest updates, all from one convenient location. Suppose you could know if there were any updates at first sight. That is the power of RSS.

Suppose it was possible to collect other streams and have a dynamically updated feed on your blog, and highlight the latest articles from a list of your favorite sites (they do this over at IHR).

Suppose it was possible to create a stream with all of your audio segments, and when people subscribe to your feed, they would automatically get the latest segments (aka podcasting).

Suppose you could monetize such a feed, bring your content to new people, or establish yourself as an expert or opinion leader in your field (you can!).

If I haven't piqued your curiosity, that's because you already know the power of RSS, which stands for Rich Site Summary. It's kind of been a big thing in the last few years.

Perhaps the word 'subscription' has turned you off. Well, the truth of the matter is that subscribing to a feed is absolutely free, much like podcasts. But you knew that already...

All you need to do to get started as a user is use a tool or a service called a Feed Reader or RSS Aggregator. Once you are subscribed to a particular feed, the Reader will automatically check for new updates for you. You will never have to go searching for new content again. You will get a notification in your Reader when new content is available.

Dubber recommends the following Readers: Google Reader, Sage, and Bloglines. There are a variety of others available if you go digging for them.

Once you understand the power of RSS, you begin to realize its true potential. However, the only way to do this - I've found - is to get your feet wet. Find an Aggregator you like, and get started!

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

Here are some key points I get from Thing 14: Permission and personalisation from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

If you are going to target a market, it may as well be a market of people who have given you permission to market to them. Sending spam or unsolicited messages generally isn't going to win you any friends, sales, or credibility. Here are some strategies you can use to improve your communication with your audience:

Firstly, let people opt-in. If you have a newsletter, allow people to put their names and email addresses in a form. Only send it to people who have requested that information. Furthermore, talk to people as though they are the only person reading what you have to say (personalization). I think I've stressed this point to death already, but your message should be relevant, useful, and interesting.

Secondly, personalize your content. Take some time to think about the person you're talking to. Who is your audience? What do they want to know? What would prove useful for them? Long lists of dates of upcoming events - according to Dubber - should be avoided.

Thirdly, take advantage of the power of introduction. If you are trying to get in touch with someone you don't know get someone who does know them to introduce you.

Fourthly, make sure to keep communication succinct. People have gotten good at skimming and scanning through text, but they do tend to pick up on certain key phrases. Break up your text into paragraphs instead of one big whole. Take advantage of subheadings as well. Additionally, tell one story at a time. Don't try to cram dozens of things in a single mail-out.

Finally, keep it simple. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Put yourself in the audience's shoes.

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.