Fuck the idea that “no one visits websites anymore.” People visit websites everyday – to buy records, read interviews and articles, watch videos (on YouTube, a website).
But you can’t just “have a website” and expect traffic.
That’s why all these sites are posting on socials everyday trying to get you to click to their website! It’s work, and it works. But those sites have something to sell. What about you? How do you “promote” without being “spammy?”
Copy what other sites do!
Halloween is coming up. You’re about to see a bunch of “JOE FROM CRAZY DEATHMETAL BAND LISTS HIS FAVE HORROR FILMS.”
Yeah. You can do that, too. A billion other sites already do. Replace “band” with whatever, and “horror film” and you have 7383 post ideas.
“But that’s so much extra work.”
Look, this is “content” you’re probably already posting on socials. Take what you’re uploading to social sites for “the likes,” and save some for your own website. Get people to your site with the stuff you’re already posting on socials.
Even if you just “riff” on stuff, current events, happenings, upcoming TV shows, whatever – make that your thing. Do your Twitter rants, then copy and paste them on your site. People can find that from search results (yes, people still search). More people, more fans.
Then at a certain point it’s math: drive X people to your site, maybe sell Y amount of things. You (thankfully) don’t have to sell ads. You might only need to get 20 people to your site to sell one record, or print, or zine.
All because just posting “buy my thing” gets old. And a million other bands are already doing just that.
Tell your story, post more photos, give behind the scenes looks on your own website. Don’t leave it up to random media outlets to do it for you and sell ads against.
You don’t need to plaster your site with BUY NOW links. But get enough people on the site, you’ll make a sale or two.