I’m an independent musician myself, and I know how hard it is to be the songwriter, recording engineer (if you’re a DIY audio buff), and also be the promoter. There are many tools available for us nowadays like Facebook, ReverbNation, SoundCloud, etc., but these do not get searched organically. You still need to already have a following before you can take advantage of these tools. So for local bands trying to grow their fan base, it is really important to know how to promote your music in a targeted manner.

Here’s the key: Start Locally!

I know it’s possible to be an overnight sensation nowadays, but the reality is, you’re better off working on a good foundation than hope you’re the next Bieber. It’s much easier to dominate the world if you have your hometown standing behind you. With that in mind, you can use the following suggestions that will help your name get heard by the local peeps.

How To Promote Your Music by Blogging

Assuming you have your own domain name and not just using a free blogging site, start blogging about your on-goings. With proper keyword targeting, you should be able to find out what people are searching about in your area, and hopefully leverage that to bring traffic to your site. One keyword (or phrase) example is “rock musicians.” The more articles you write using your targeted keywords, the more chance your targeted fans will find you. So what can you blog about?

• Blog About Your Projects

• It could be your new music, your upcoming gig, or anything cool that recently happened to you. Make sure to implement your keywords in whatever you write.

• Blog About Venues in Your Area

• Local bands can leverage this one, because they can tailor their keywords to contain their location (ie: “Atlanta music venues”). Write something about where you played last time. Again, with proper use of keywords, people will find your article when they’re searching for a good venue to go to. Also, send that blog link to the venue’s owner, and start enjoying free traffic to your site!

• Write Product Reviews

• Did you discover a very cheap microphone that sounds like a million bucks on your new record? Do a review of it, and you might be surprised at how many people are searching for this information. Include a sample of the recording, and hope they like it and become a fan.

How To Promote Your Music through YouTube Videos

• Make Music Videos

• This one is a given, but a lot of artists don’t know how to utilize it properly. Make sure to optimize your video title, tags, and meta description with proper keywords. Have you noticed how Google displays videos first at the top of search results page before other sites?

• Make Videos About your Personal Life

• Did you watch an awesome concert last weekend and shook hands with a celebrity? Blog about it! Fans will follow when they see that you’re a real person just like them.

• Make a Tutorial Video

• Just like product reviews, potential fans are always searching for information through videos. And if you have a knack for teaching, why not show them a trick or two on the guitar?

Provide Something for FREE!

This one is very important, which is why I saved it for last. To attract potential fans (or anyone for that matter) to go to your site, give them something of value. Don’t just sell them your music. Let them feel that you genuinely want them to enjoy what you have to offer, and selling your music is only second. This, my friends, should be in your “How To Promote Your Music 101″ textbook. Offer them free downloads, or instructional eBook, or exclusive footage of your shows. Use your imagination. Once they start trusting you, they will reward you with their loyalty. They will buy your next album. They will share you to their friends and claim that they have discovered you! Gain enough of these loyal fans, and you might begin to not be considered as one of the local bands anymore.

If you want to see these ideas at work, check out my blog here: http://www.chuckninja.com