The Warm-up Band

Tweet

Luis and the Wildfires

I love going to concerts. Sometimes I go to hear bands from days gone by, other times, newer bands. Doesn’t matter. I dig it all; Rock ‘n Roll!

Do you ever pay attention to who the warm-up band is going to be? Nah. We don’t give them much attention. And sometimes, we’re blown away; they’re really good; as talented musically as the band they’re opening up for, matter of fact. And so it was with Luis and the Wildfires. 

And, guess what?

They want to be heard.

And, they’re a lot like your small business. They, like you, use several different channels to communicate with you, including:

• In-person (live shows!)
• Recordings (video and audio)
• Website
• Mentions on other websites (perhaps their record label’s site)
• Traditional PR (interviews, news articles)
• Social Media

Whoa. Stop right there! Of course, they are using social networks to reach you, right? Let’s hope they have a presence beyond MySpace at this point. 

Let’s take a look at Luis and the Wildfires Facebook page. They were the opening band at the show I saw last night. Most of the posts are announcements of where they’re playing. Where are the concert photos? The band kicked butt live, but you’d never know from this page. More photos guys! Let us know your names. Tell us a little about YOU. Are you planning any new recordings, for example? The information in the “about” section is sparsely written and there’s hanging information. 

There’s a link to a MySpace account. That's okay, they’re a band and bands are still on MySpace. It’s a great touch point for listening to the music!

No presence on Google+ but there is a guy named Luis Wildfire from Venezuela. Why aren’t they there? It’s a great forum to build an audience that’s far less cluttered than Facebook.

And sadly, they have NO Twitter presence. While their label, Wild Records, does tweet, they have few followers (under 600) and the posts are inviting folks to buy a t-shirt or announcing where various bands are playing.

The big question: Where is the conversation? Why isn’t this band talking to people? Engage us! 16 hours ago (from when I’m writing this) I posted what I thought was a great photo of the band (see upper right of this post). They haven’t responded yet, however, they have made fresh posts during that time. Sigh. Does this make me want to support the band and purchase their music? Nope. Were my expectations too high? I expected a response and was let down. How would you feel?

Just being there on social media is not enough. If Luis and the Wildfires want to be heard, they need to speak up and create a bigger awareness. They need to converse with the fans. Fans tell their friends. More fans come. This practice would be encouraged by simply responding to people. Content is important too! Tell us more about the band and the members! Let us feel like we know you and we’re all one big family sharing our love for rockabilly and early 60’s sounds. 

Luis, your social media efforts should be as loud as your incredible wailing!

And the advice to the band applies to your business as well: Lesser known bands, like smaller companies, can grow through social media. However, it needs to be done in a way that’s beneficial. Luis, you and your band are missing out on potential growth with your lack of engagement. 

The goal is to be the headliner, right?

And how has your business been growing via social media? Are you engaging your fans? Sure, you may very well be “the warm up band” now. Consider it a rehearsal for achieving big success.

On that note, "Let’s Party" with the band (see below)! And if you want to rock 'n' roll with your marketing efforts, visit at the website, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ ...Thanks!