Amazon's 14-Pilot Experiment Blazes a New Path in VOD Marketing

How many Hollywood movies and big studio TV shows have you seen and been tempted to yawn at? You recognized the plot within the first five minutes, you could tell what would happen before it did, or worse, you could dictate an entire plot based solely on the trailer.

Hollywood and big studios' risk-averse culture, though once justified, has now become irreverently obvious, and while people still eat what they feed them, they're starting to look elsewhere for their entertainment thanks to video-on-demand (VOD) services like Hulu and Netflix offering original series content.

On Friday, April 20, 2013, Amazon Instant Streaming locked arms with Hulu and Netflix to shift moviegoers from big theaters to home theaters and mobile devices with original content of its own.

Participant Media's New Cable Network 'Pivot' Affects Your Entertainment Career -- Here's How

Participant Media's cable network pivot, which launches August 1, 2013, aims to spark a tide of global activism, and even aims to revolutionize cable network versatility.

It's aimed at the coveted millenials (18-34 years old) and wants to inspire groundbreaking social change through them. They're the perfect market since they're immersed in entertainment culture and will soon enter the entertainment business themselves.

"We wanted to design a next-generation channel for the next generation of consumers and leaders," said pivot President Evan Shapiro, former head of AMC Networks' Sundance and IFC channels.

What does all that have to do with you? Well, consider the prospect: a new wave of conscientious youth armed with tools to be more expressive than any preceding generation and fired with the impetus to be socially responsible.

That promises the potential for more online videos, indie films and music to be produced. Perhaps thought-provoking material will actually return to the mainstream (gasp!).

Furthermore, pivot is a nascent cable network, which is an opportunity you should jump on now. Why?

Yearning for Customer Loyalty? Here's How to Get It

"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." - Dr. John C. Maxwell

You hear about customers shelling out ridiculous money for a brand or company and wonder why when they can purchase the same thing for cheaper. You see people lining up for hours on end for the latest product a popular brand is launching (like the iPhone 5, or the new Jordans, for example) and, again, wonder why.

As an entrepreneur, they make your eyes turn green for a split second, don't they? (Don't be shy -- you can admit it.) You want the die-hard customer loyalty these companies have. Well, the good news is it is possible for you and your business.

Top Conferences Series: 10 Entertainment Industry Cons You’ll Want to Attend

Any entrepreneur worth his salt will tell you that attending conferences is one of the most effective ways to find clients and make new connections. However, with so many conferences out there, your head is probably spinning trying to pick one to attend.

No worries – I’ve done some of the hunting for you and distilled the 10 essential entertainment industry cons you want to attend to rub elbows with the best in the business. 

By the way, you may notice some of the more popular cons aren’t listed here, but that’s because this is a series. I’ll be giving you the lists of niche cons in later posts, okay? So definitely stick around for them.

For now, let’s get down to the industry cons.

29 Business Networking Sites You'll Need to Grow Your Business

In case you’re growing bored of the “big three” social networks (Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn), take comfort in knowing that there are plenty of other networking sites that can help you and your business succeed. 

While the big three are indeed important, it’s sometimes more refreshing to enter uncharted territory and find fellow entrepreneurs, and even widen your prospect or audience net.

If you’re a freelancer or entrepreneur hungry for more clients or more knowledge (or both), print this list out and visit these business network sites. They're the success boost you’re looking for.

Got Strangers in Your LinkedIn Network? Here’s the Simplest Way to Leverage Those Connections

Have you ever accepted LinkedIn invites from total strangers based on mutual connections (2nd or 3rd degree)? Do you have an “all invites accepted” policy, perhaps?

Well here’s a high five to you for your entrepreneurial spirit. (Seriously. My hand’s up.)

However, what do you do with all those extra connections once you have them? Do they just sit and stagnate on your Connections list? Do they stay strangers?

If you’re guilty of that sin (raises hand), I present you with the easiest solution ever. You may smack your forehead for this, it’s so uncomplicated.

Why You Should Think Twice Before Making a Manifesto for Your Blog

Manifesto. That word sounds so mighty, doesn’t it? It summons romanticized images of pumped fists and feral, sweaty grimaces of perseverance, much like the Gatorade, Olympics, or U.S. Marines commercials.

I personally picture a low-angle shot of a towering man in pristine military uniform staring down at the camera in a ready stance with fists at his sides and a massive U.S. flag undulating behind him. Manifesto.

But as sexy as all of that looks, the word is dying, and quickly.

Here’s why. 

Killing the Vanilla (or 15 Useful Things You May Not Know About Me)

Image (c) Mellissa Thomas, 2010.

Imagine reading a blog that provides you great value, but no insight about the author. You wouldn’t feel connected at all, would you? 

Sure, you’d bookmark it and revisit once in a while for new posts, but ultimately it would be a dry experience for you because you’re not emotionally invested in any way. You probably wouldn’t even recommend it to anyone you know.

Well, we writers sometimes come across as “shielded” on our blogs for two key reasons. 

For one, humans are mean creatures sometimes, so it takes cojones to expose ourselves; and once we publish something online, it’s there permanently – stored on a server somewhere for future blackmail use – so we tread very carefully.

Sometimes our second block is our content: when we’re talking about something stiff like ROI metrics, it’s probably not a good idea to inject our guacamole preference. Wrong conversation.

So just as we turn on and off certain parts of ourselves in live interactions according to context, we do it online as well. My only hope is that I haven’t come across as vanilla to you so far because of it, and if that is the case, I’m breaking out the Rocky Road today. 

Your 10 Most Hair-Grabbing (or Scalp-Scraping) Entrepreneur Pet Peeves and How to Conquer Them [Slideshow]

As an entrepreneur, you’ve accumulated some sharp pet peeves – with clients, with family and friends’ misconceptions about your work (or the perceived absence thereof), and even with yourself, but there’s good news: you can conquer them.

This week's slideshow features your ten most common pet peeves, and how you can overcome them all. 

The Fundamentals of a Killer Internet Marketing Strategy, Part 3

The Final Four Key Steps to Creating a Killer Internet Marketing Strategy

Certified Internet marketer and music business blogger Ronald Grant returns this week for the conclusion of his Internet marketing strategy series for new and growing entrepreneurs.

He covered the first four steps in Part 2 last week. Have you been taking notes so far? If not, be sure to read Part 1 and Part 2 to find out what you missed.

Community is more vital than ever…build it as best you can!

Social networking has infiltrated just about everything we do, and in terms of the music and entertainment industries, it’s probably one of the greatest phenomena to happen in a long time (if not the greatest.)

Why?

The Fundamentals of a Killer Internet Marketing Strategy, Part 2

The First Four Key Steps to Creating a Killer Internet Marketing Strategy

Certified Internet marketer and music business blogger Ronald Grant returns this week, continuing his guest article on Internet marketing strategy fundamentals for new and growing entrepreneurs.

In Part 1 last week, he discussed the key to any Internet marketing strategy: knowing your purpose and keeping the business in mind.

Ronald gets down to brass tacks here. Take very careful notes.

You ready for this? Good. Here are the first four tips that will point you in the right direction.

The Fundamentals of a Killer Internet Marketing Strategy, Part 1

Today's guest post is Part 1 of a 3-part series on online promotion by Certified Internet marketer and music business blogger Ronald Grant of Muzik Issues Today and The Music Business Revisionist. Prepare to take some notes.

These days, online marketing and promotion are a must if you want your company to go anywhere of value, especially in music and entertainment business.

So let's take your inventory.

The Benefits of Buffer Entrepreneurs Are Missing Out On [Slideshow]

Have you been seeing these little guys (left and below right) around on people's blogs lately and wondering what in the world they are? 

Well, let the Geek introduce you. Awesome person, this is Buffer. Buffer, meet awesome person.

What you're looking at is the new crown jewel of Twitter's over 1 million apps. 

Buffer (aka BufferApp) is a social sharing scheduling tool that posts the content you want to share with your audience for you at different times throughout the day based on Twitter's peak times. 

You input the times you want the posts to be sent out, and Buffer obediently posts them at those times.  

According to social media blogger Kristi Hines (aka Kikolani)'s analysis, the app includes analytics about each tweet (including number of clicks, potential retweets, retweets, and number of favorites).

Entertainment entrepreneurs can't afford not to use this thing. In my opinion, it's actually a more imperative social media marketing tool for 'treps to jump on than even Pinterest.

Where do I find the temerity to make a statement like that?

The answer is in the slideshow.

Go on, get to know Buffer a little better.

Marketing Expert Danny Iny's Engagement Book Shows You 10 Effective Steps to Building Your Audience

Everyone’s looking to be heard, and almost the same amount of people offer a way to help you do it – through books/ebooks, free reports, blogs, webinars, videos, and so on.

Here’s the rub: most of them are saying the same thing. 

Marketing Consultant and super-blogger Danny Iny’s recent release Engagement From Scratch: How Super-Community Builders Create a Loyal Audience and How You Can Do the Same! patently proves this.

The book is a compendium of how-to articles and essays from all the top-tier bloggers and entrepreneurs on the Internet right now on how to build a loyal community around your brand, blog, or service, including:

·      Brian Clark (founder, Copyblogger.com)

·      Danny Brown (founder, For Bloggers By Bloggers)

·      Guy Kawasaki (founder, Alltop.com)

·     Mark Schaefer (marketing consultant and founder, BusinessesGrow.com)

·      Sean Platt (freelance writer, prolific author, ghostwriter, and founder, TheDigitalWriter.net)

·      Corbett Barr (founder, ExpertEnough.com and ThinkTraffic.net) 

·      Derek Halpern (founder, DIYThemes.com)

And though their individual experiences differ, their basic framework for success is the same.

Note: this book targets writers, but these laws apply to any business and marketing strategy, so don’t feel alienated if you’re not a writer.

It took me a couple days to read the 234-page guide (not counting the first four pages of praise), so before you bounce between sites and blogs, I’ll give you the pros’ basic framework for success right here…in half the time.