1) MAILING LIST MISUSE

Sending emails to their mailing list only or mainly when they want to sell something or get people to a gig or other event.

Here’s the bottom line on this – and I can’t stress this enough – your email list is your most valuable asset. It’s long been observed that the size of your mailing list and the number of mailings to it majorly determines your income.

What too many don’t know is that in the current marketplace the nurturing of the list is now the key factor that realizes that income. And that doing 1) above badly misuses and dramatically weakens the potential value of that list.

Nurturing the list means using the list to freely and continuously give valuable and useful information to build trust, respect and affinity.

People on a list that is well-cared for and backed by an honest intention to help the survival of those on it will be much more responsive to what you have to offer, when you do on occasion also offer something for sale.

A list that is misused and the trust violated by only asking people to buy something or go to an event will dry up and eventually your emails won’t even be opened.

2) NO REWARD-DRIVEN OPT-IN BOX

On many sites you’ll see a box that says something like, “Join Our Mailing List”. The immediate question asked by visitors is, “Why?”

One of the most important things that your web site should do is get more people to opt-in to your emailing list – but you have to give them a truly compelling reason to do so!

This could be a free MP3 or video of an unreleased track, an eBook of extremely useful information or anything that you feel would be considered really valuable by your public. If you don’t know what that would be – ask them.

Give them a really good reason to give you their email address and they will gladly do so. And you’ll grow your future potential income.

3) WRONG WEBSITE STRUCTURE

When a new person comes to a musician’s web site, do they want to read all the bio info or news or gig info for this band that they’ve never heard? No! They actually – and those with egos will need to forgive me – don’t give a darn about any of that.

What they’re looking for is that desirable emotional reaction that they get when they listen to music that they like.

But what do most bands do? They have a vanity home page saying, “Look at us, we’re the greatest (fill in the blank)”. And where do they have their music? Buried on the 4th or 5th tab over almost as an afterthought – exactly where the bios should be!

If you can win them over with your music, then they may begin to develop an interest in you personally, but until that moment, you need to focus on providing them with the emotional experience that they’re looking for.

A good musician’s or band’s site should have a strong compelling headline and a short, also compelling, introduction designed to get them to listen immediately to your music which should be available right there at the top of the home page – ideally in “sampler” format (30 seconds each of your best 6 songs one blending into the next).

Right next to your music player should be your opt-in email box with your irresistible reward for them giving you their email address.

4) NOT USING KEYWORDS CORRECTLY

I covered this one extensively in my last few articles at my blog so won’t repeat the info here. There are more mistakes that people make online, but those above are some major ones. In the next article I will cover insider ways to use Twitter and Facebook successfully.

What about you? What mistakes have you seen being made on-line?