Selling what you do: Make it easy for your audience to find you

So... we all know jazz is a niche market.  I was reminded of this yesterday at a Board of Public Works meeting for approval of an upcoming jazz festival we're putting on through Jazz from Bloomington.  One of the board members said, "It sounds good to me, and I don't even like jazz."  (The meeting went well, and the festival was approved)


I recently read a blog comparing Wynton Marsalis and Kenny G, two of the most polarizing figures in the jazz world.  One thing they both have in common is they value connecting with an audience.  Specifically talking about Wynton, whether you like his stuff or not, there's no doubt he sells his own personal brand.  He writes books, has a very strong web presence with a website, social media and mailing lists that update subscribers.  Granted, he probably has the funds to hire someone to maintain this web presence, but still it is a great example of how to sell what you do.  Especially when what you do hasn't been popular music in 70 years.


Now, take a look at my teacher, Corey Christiansen.  Here's his website, Facebook, his albums, a list of his published books and if you search Youtube you can see and hear him play.  You can find out, without ever meeting or seeing him live, that 1) he's a killer guitarist and 2) he's a cool dude.  As a prospective student, you can even get an idea of his teaching style by picking up a few books by him.  Corey makes it easy for a potential customer, like me, to learn about him.  His web presence is a huge reason why I decided to come to IU.  I knew, with a simple Google search, what I would be paying the big bucks for.  His superior web presence gave me confidence that I was investing in a worthwhile education.  


Now, the inspiration behind this post comes from a certain Indiana jazz club that has a poor web presence.  Some local clubs do a great job like Cafe Django or the Jazz Kitchen. Another one, and I'll leave this particular one unnamed, has a few problems with it's web presence and marketing.

1.  Out of date calendar.  How is anyone outside of your inner circle supposed to know what's going on if it's not up there?  Over a month ago, I emailed them this:

Hi [person at jazz club],

My name is Neil Ferris, and I'm the jazz intern for WFIU in Bloomington.  Every week we put together a calendar of local jazz to read on the air, and we'd like to include events at [your club].  I looked at the website calendar, but I wanted to check if you had any other jazz related events going on throughout the week in June.

Thanks!

  
I never heard back.  Maybe there weren't any other events (even though I suspect there are in fact more things that I would put on the radio if I knew about them).  Why would you turn down free advertising directed at your niche market?


2.  This:

Nope, that's not blank space.  It's just black text on a black background.  Doh!


3.  No pictures!  Did you notice the appealing graphics, photos and color schemes on Wynton and Corey's websites?  Check out the local Cafe Django's website, and look at the photos and layout.  It makes it look like a cool place to check out.  Even better, check out Small's jazz club in NYC.  You can pay to watch a streaming live feed.  Can you imagine what a young Miles Davis would have been doing if that technology existed in the early 40's?  Small's is taking the pictures thing one step further- it allows you to join the club even when geography doesn't permit.  Boosh.

To be fair, there are some (user-uploaded) photos on this unnamed club's Facebook page.  But no calendar.  I still don't know who's playing there, except for one date that I found out about from a friend who is playing there.  My friend, in effect, is doing a better job of selling the club than the owners.  Here's an interesting perspective on this phenomena, and I think perceptive club owners would take some notes. 


Now, all these criticisms are simply about the web presence.  I've never been to this club, but I'm sure it's a very awesome place.  It's so awesome, I bet, that more people should know about it.  People like me for example, a nearby jazz musician and fan who would be a very easy customer to reach.


As jazz musicians, we can't afford (literally) to be exclusive.  Make it easy for people to come out and enjoy your work.  Don't complain about jazz being unpopular if your web presence sucks.  Get out there, tell your story in a compelling way, and sell what you do.  And go practice.