Your job is just starting when you walk off the stage!

People go out because they need a release, They need to forget what happened that day or that week. They are looking for something to take their mind off the rough times in their life. You are what they are looking for. You need to never compromise the goal of achieving this every single night. From the moment you enter the venue,  you need to focus on your goals, on creating an experience for everyone. Give the audience an Experience and they will come back for again and again. The days of hiding in the dressing room are over. You need to  be engaging every person you come in contact with.

Part of your job off stage is to acquire people and unite them into a party experience. I guarantee you that if you engage the staff, and the audience and start a relationship, these people will look forward to seeing you again. Furthermore, by achieving this you will actually start to expand your fanbase and in turn make more money. Every member of the band needs to commit themselves to this strategy. No excuses. Not engaging people just makes them think you don’t care or you are full of yourself and you don’t need them as a fan. Guess what? They will leave and never think about your band again. They don’t care if you’re sweaty or tired or you had a rough day. It’s your job to engage your audience. Excuses lead to mediocrity.

Excellence comes with discipline, commitment, strategy and effort. These principles never take the night off. If you think they don’t apply to you or your band, you’ve already allowed failure as an option.  If you do these basic principles of engagement, you will not fail. Think about it, you are attempting to guide an entire group of strangers that the only thing that matters in this moment is having a good time. You want them to become part of your experience, part of your tribe.

A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea. For millions of years, human beings have been part of one tribe or another. A group needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate.” 
                                                                               ― Seth Godin, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

Word of mouth travels fast and is the strongest form of advertising. People will become familiar with your Experience/Party/Tribe. They will persuade newcomers to quickly join the party. You will start to see bigger crowds and a more engaging audience. They will look at you as friends and not just a band that plays music that you enjoy. Those are the people who will drive hours just to see you perform because they enjoy the experience so much.

Your job doesn’t end at the venue either. With social media such as Facebook, twitter, instagram, youtube, etc. You need to continually engage with your fanbase. Check all these social media sites on a regular basis and if someone tags you in a post, you need to respond immediately. If you post are where you are playing that night, you are dropping the ball. Your post should include things like personal facts, funny post work great, anything that brings a fan into your tribe. If you come off as too busy to get back in sufficient time, they will be too busy to buy you CD or come to your show. Every band member should  have a twitter and facebook account and interact with your fanbase constantly. Remember, Record Labels are looking for bands with a large interactive fanbase and they are paying attention to how you interact with your fans. Don’t drop the ball!

Go Interact!