Do you hear that? It’s the sound of people telling you what they want and/or need. Some are expressing their pain points while others are merely stating their likes, their desires, what makes them happy. I like the expression, “God gave you two ears and one mouth. Which do you think He intended you to use more?”
There are people who rush right into things because they think they know what people want (or should want) or there are folks who sit around waiting and wondering. You can picture the latter group sitting and staring and deliberating, yet never taking action to actually find out.
When you wonder why people aren’t responding to what you’re creating, stop to ask yourself how you determined why you felt they needed or would want your song, your podcast, your art, your creation.
In the podcast world, there is someone who is often heard saying, “Compile a list of all the questions you get asked the most, and those will become your podcast episodes. It’s what people are always asking you, so you know they want to find out. Give them that.”
In fact, with my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast I made a survey available for the audience to give me feedback. But I didn’t just create the survey and hope people would find it. I talked about it on the show. I mentioned it in the weekly e-newsletter. And I posted about it on social media. (Pro tip: I even incentivized people to fill it out by saying that there would be a random drawing for a 25-dollar Amazon gift card.)
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This past weekend, two-time NHTE guest Marc-Alan Barnette, a Nashville-based singer, songwriter, guitar player who has written over three thousand songs and is in the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, gave the people what they want – again. He put out a music video for his song, “Bamatized,” responding to people asking him, “When are you going to make a video for that?” He had done the same thing for “Tables and Chairs,” a popular song of his that he often closes his show with. He had enough people asking him for a music video for that song too that he went out and made it happen.
Talk about making it easy on you. Those, my friends, are examples of a “no-brainer.”
Oh, and by the way, the “Bamatized” video had 138 Shares on Facebook in the first 60 hours, which shows you that the people asked Marc-Alan Barnette (NHTE 102 and NHTE 12) for it, got it, and then told others about it. That’s how you get your view counts to keep climbing (quickly).
I’ve also seen a few times on Instagram when Diamond Dixie – a duo act that, like Marc-Alan Barnette, has also been on NHTE twice (Episode 226 and Episode 63) – asked people what they wanted. In their case, the girls would do an Instagram post or a story or both showing merchandise they were considering having created. (Or you can do something a little more abstract but still ask the question.) They accompany it with, “What do you want to see us make available next? (or words to that affect) Comment below.” In the case of an Instagram Story, you can just use the Poll option. Voila, just like that, you know which direction to go in terms of your next merchandise offering rather than picking what YOU like instead of what people told you they like, wanted, and/or would use or wear. (Pro tip: Post a picture of merchandise you already have available as a lead-in to, “What would you want to see as the next new merchandise item…” There just might be folks who’d never seen what you’re showing them, and now you’ve just made a new sale or two from that!)
All that being said, silence speaks volumes. If no one tells you which merchandise they would like to see next, save your money. Be honest with yourself and do a self-audit to see if your career is really at the point where you should be doing merchandise. And let me save you the time. If all you’ve done is released one single, you’re not there yet.
Similarly, if no one has been asking you when you’re going to do a music video for a certain song, you’re going to need to think further about it. Marc-Alan Barnette confided in me that the “Bamatized” music video was, “totally shot with an iPhone.” So, if no one is clamoring for you to get something up on YouTube for one of your songs, don’t be discouraged for fear of putting tons of cash into something no one asked for. Being resourceful will mean you put little to no cash into it, yet the “Bamatized” video shows you that it can still come out looking great.
In the creator world of being a podcaster or a performer and wanting people to listen to our show or our original music, it’s important that we do the same so that we give our audiences what they’ll respond to.
I’d love to share more with you as it relates to your career specifically. Since 2004 I’ve been working with indie artists across the country, providing management, publicity, and related services. Book a private one-on-one online video consultation with me and let’s have a confidential chat about whatever challenges might be keeping you up at night. And be sure to comment on this blog too, either in a post on Facebook or Twitter, or by simply writing to me via email.