So you’re considering a tour but don’t know what cities to hit. At the same time, you’re selling your newest single like hotcakes online. So how can you capitalize on these sales and translate them into tickets? You can find out where your fans are, and go to them.

As an indie artist, there are a number of tools that will help you connect the dots using the (free) information at your fingertips. Do not overlook the demographics and stats you can get from your online properties when planning your next steps.

Consider the following:

Website: No matter the platform you used to create your website, there are back-end tools that help you track the traffic that comes to your page. Have you noticed an uptick in traffic? If so, have you considered why fans are visiting your page on that given day? Did you post something of interest? Is someone talking about you on another platform and directing traffic your way? Your website stats will give you mounds of info about the who, what, where, when and why of your traffic. Use it to your advantage.

Facebook: If you have a Facebook page, you have access to “insights” that provide you with information about the performance of your page. Everything from how many new “likes” you have to their age range and location by city. If you have 200 fans in Boston, it’s time to play a show there. If you’ve noticed your fans are under the age of 21, consider playing an all ages show.

Twitter: Just listen. You can hear the birds chirping. But what are they saying about you? Twitter is one of the best ways to join the online conversation. If you use apps like HootSuite or TweetDeck, you can search by keyword (like your band name) and find out what fans are Tweeting about you. Engage in the conversation by asking them questions. This can be a great source of information, directly from your fans.

Data and demographics are the best tools you have when planning a tour, your next album release show and even when choosing your next single. A well-informed artist is a more strategic and successful artist.

Tell us what you think! How have you used stats to help plan your career?

Up next: Spotlight on indie band 2/3 Goat, who talk about their analog and digital recording process.

The SongCast Crew