1. Start your own blog and post on a regular basis. Try to end each post with a question and encourage comments. This sort of interaction goes a long way towards establishing a die hard fan base. WordPress and Google’s Blogger are two free blog hosting options.

2. Maximize your Facebook fan page. As of March 30, 2012, all fan pages switched over to the new Timeline format. If you haven’t looked at your page in a while, it’s time to update it and check out all the new tools and features to help drive more people to your music.

3. Use an email sig line — an email signature that is automatically inserted at the end of every email you send — to lead readers to your music. It’s the simplest of things, really, but when you have a music marketing sig line it makes it easier for everyone you’re in contact with to check out your tunes, from the members of your email list to that journalist who received a review copy of your latest CD and would like more info quick. Be sure to include a link to your website and/or social networking pages.

4. Join Pinterest and create a calendar for your gigs and pin boards for your songs and merch. Pinterest is one of the fastest growing websites on the internet, and it’s not just for girls to share pictures of flowers and purses anymore. Get on board.

5. Get a music store widget to put on your website and blog to help people sample and purchase your music more easily. TuneCube has a free version of its widget that lets you put four songs up and get paid instantly when people buy.

6. Keep your website up to date. Ask any music journalist about their pet peeves of covering acts and you will hear complaints about out-of-date websites. It’s a first indicator to journalists that you aren’t
professional and probably unworthy of coverage.

7. Try crowd funding websites for your next project. Kickstarter is the most well-known for musicians, but others exist. This is a good promotional tool, as you and your fans help spread the word through social networking sites and email, which leads to new fans.

8. Read and comment on music blogs often. Use your performing or band name when commenting. The blogosphere is a great platform for networking.

9. Don’t spam or over post. Part of being a smart online promoter is knowing when to give it a rest. Don’t annoy your fans by over posting or sending out too many emails.

10. Send review copies of your tunes to the most prominent music blogs covering the scene in your area, and others that focus on your genre. It doesn’t need to be a big production. Ask fans to take videos of your live shows and link to your website in the video description.