November is here, which means the Christmas shopping season is officially underway. There may still be a few weeks before Thanksgiving, but that shouldn’t stop you from preparing for what could be the most profitable period for online sales you experience all year. Black Friday happens on November 27, and today we’ve prepared a series of tips to ensure your holiday sales happen without issue. Some will seem obvious, but no point should be overlooked. Every step outlined below will help streamline your business, improve shipping speed, and – if you’re lucky – bring in a few additional customers.
Check your inventory. Twice.
Your goal with holiday sales should be to liquidate as much of the merchandise you have in stock as possible while still making a healthy profit on each product sold. Before you can do this to the best of your abilities you need to know what you have available, and how much of it is in stock. Running out of something during your holiday sale will cause headaches for everyone, and that goes double if you run out of something because you forgot to check your inventory prior to launching your sale. The back and forth required to straighten out orders that cannot be fulfilled may cause you to lose future sales, as well as those you are forced to cancel. Prevent this mess from ever happening and do inventory first. Do it twice, in fact, and ask someone else to check your work.
Promote your entire sale, as well as individual items.
You want people to use your discounts to buy more than they usually would, but often those attempting to promote a store-wide sale forget the impact that promoting key items one at a time can have on consumers. You should still mention store-wide discounts, of course, but you should also make room to highlight individual items. If you’re offering 25% off everything online, you should promote the sale as how it impacts items like shirts or vinyl. Create images for Instagram and other networks that highlight how the discount impacts the cost of single items, that way people can more easily understand what a great deal you are giving them. Likewise, you can use Twitter to promote various items and their price after discounts throughout the holiday weekend.
Speaking of promotion, think about paying for it.
I’m about to say something most artists hate to hear: Paying for promoted posts on Facebook and Twitter can have a positive impact on your reach, as well as your overall sales. It would be wonderful if this were not the case, and that those who could not afford paid promotion on social networks saw their sales work just as well, but years of research has made it clear that is not the case. Thankfully, the cost of entry into paid promotions is low. For as little as five dollars you can have a guaranteed reach to hundreds, if not thousands of people who have previously enjoyed your music enough to give you a Like/Follow online. Whether or not they take advantage of the message being conveyed will depend on how you choose to present yourself, but at least you know your efforts are reaching those who are most likely to jump on them.
Create specific Twitter search streams for particular items you sell.
This one is a bit more time-consuming than other tips, but it can help you bring in a lot of new consumers who may have otherwise not checked your store. There are numerous tools that allow you to create and save Twitter search streams. Find one you like and use it to track people tweeting about shopping/looking for things like ‘new vinyl’ or ‘cool band t-shirts.’ It’s likely these people already have an artist or genre in mind when they send these messages, but you can still reply with links to your store and music. If they don’t respond, oh well. If they do, you’ve got a potential new consumer/fan.
Make the most of SEO
We’ve talked about this before, but keywords are becoming increasingly important when it comes to how people find your content online. Use a tool such as the Google Keyword tool to better understand how your customers are searching, then modify your own store to reflect what you have learned. It is important to know which keywords are mostly used during the holidays, such as ‘sales,’ ‘top gifts,’ ‘cyber Monday,’ and ‘black Friday.’
Make sure everything is working before promoting your sale.
This one may seem obvious, but every year there are a handful of musicians who see their site, or at least parts of their site, crash amidst the sudden upswing in view brought on by the holiday shopping season. Before you push your sale live, make sure every item on your store is properly listed and that every sale is working correctly. If there is a code word needed, make sure you test it out prior to sharing it online.
If you’re anything like me, you probably started the day by recognizing that the start of a new work week had indeed arrived and then immediately began shaking your fists at the sky in anger. Monday is rarely anyone’s favorite day, and from what I have seen firsthand it feels safe to say it’s the one day of the week some people outright hate. I guess to them the arrival of the work week symbolizes the end of their quote/unquote freedom, and as a result they head into the office/factory/restaurant/store with a negative outlook already on their mind. This leads to bad attitudes, which only makes the experience of being at work worse, and for some reason it also seems to make time slow to a crawl. We’re not about that life, and we hope this post can do the same you that the song contained within it did for us.
I love quotes. People may be incredibly flawed creatures, but every now and then one of us says something so profound that it echoes throughout time as a lesson everyone needs to hear. Sometimes these comments are funny, but more often than not they are simply heartfelt sentiments on existence itself, and it never ceases to amaze me how something uttered by someone who died ten, twenty, or even a hundred years ago can still be applied to life today.
Recently, the phrase that has stuck with me like a pop song I cannot shake is one that proclaims “life is for the living.” A number of famous people have uttered this phrase throughout time, but I think the example that bests connects with all existence is the one shared by the late great Langston Hughes. “Life is for the living,” he wrote in a poem. “Death is for the dead. Let life be like music. And death a note unsaid.”
You can take what you want from that saying, as everyone should, but for me it’s a reminder that our time on this planet is far too brief for anyone to hesitate over whether or not to act on something they feel compelled to do. We all have a little voice inside our mind that tells us what to do next, and every so often that voice suggests something so unusual and/or surprisingly that we cannot help hesitating for a moment or more. Maybe you feel you should quit your job and travel the world, or maybe something is telling you that one or more of your personal relationships are dragging you down. Whatever the case, life throws us curveballs, and it’s on us to make a decision about how we will react. Our guts demands action, and more often than not it provides a solution, but whether or not we listen to our own intuition is another ordeal altogether. Some do, but most do not, or at least not often enough to drastically improve the quality of their lives.
This brings me to a band known as Kindling. Hailing from Easthampton, Massachusetts with a sound that is drenched in fuzzy guitars and pop sensibilities Kindling are a one of a kind band creating some of the best indie rock found on the planet today. Their existence is the result of two friends coming together on a whim, and it’s because of their willingness to see where life might lead that they’ve been able to establish themselves as a need to know band in America’s incredibly crowded underground music scene. I’m not saying they’re the next Billboard chart-topping group, but then again they almost certainly could be if they cards of life fall in their favor. They write good songs, perform admirably, and work everyday to refine their craft. They clearly would like to be bigger than they are now, and in time they will almost certainly get there, but for now they seem content being able to create and tour as they please.
Kindling began when Stephen Pierce asked Gretchen Williams to contribute to a fuzz pop song that he had written and recorded over the preceding hour. The pair hit it off right away, and the next day they met to record a different song. The same thing happened the next day, and the next day, and the next day. Before long, the friends had almost inadvertently formed a band, and once they realized the power of their creative collaborations they began to take their efforts far more seriously. When this happened, the world started to take notice, and it wasn’t long before the music industry at large wanted to know more about the duo from Easthampton that was taking the online music community by storm. No Idea Records came calling soon after, and the rest, as they say, is history.
This week, Kindling will release their No Idea debut, Galaxies. The album is rich with dense indie rock conveyed through reverb, fuzz, and a wall-of-sound style approach to volume that would make Phil Spector squeal with joy. More importantly, the album serves as a reminder of the possibilities that come with taking a chance on life. It would have been incredibly easy for Gretchen to tell Stephen she was too busy to record when he came asking for her help, but instead she took a chance on recording something that could have gone nowhere except Stephen’s hard drive. By doing so, Gretchen placed herself and Stephen on a new path in life that lead both of them to national critical acclaim, a record deal, and many more hours of time spent making music. I highly doubt she expected any of that to come out of obliging Stephen’s request, but I also doubt she would want to live any other way at this point. Taking a chance gave Gretchen and Stephen a chance to do something very few are ever even offered, and based on the material they deliver on Galaxies it seems clear they’re not taking this opportunity for granted.
I want to challenge all of you reading this to take a chance in your life this week. Don’t put yourself or others in physical danger, but take a chance on something you’ve been debating forever and simply live your life. You might fall flat on your face, but you might discover a path to new opportunities you might not have otherwise experienced. Whatever the case, at least you will have listened to yourself and done something because it’s what you really wanted to do. You would be surprised to know how many people never take steps like that in their life. Many people don’t understand the point of trying something new when the life they have is keeping them content, but that is only because fear has made them shy away from the possibility of positive change. Please don’t live your life like that. Our time on this planet is too short to be scared, so crank up Kindling’s new album and do that thing you’ve been wanting to do. Trust me.
James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records. Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.
A lot has been written about the supposed dire state of the music industry, but truth be told there are a number of successful and growing companies, including record labels, that are thriving in 2015. In this column we bring together every job opening we can find from the companies responsible for building the future of the business and present them to you, our reader, in hopes of aiding you on your journey to join the global music industry professional family.
Each week we scour the internet for the latest and greatest job postings throughout the music industry. You can help us better serve our community by sending any job openings you find or have to james@haulix.com. Be sure to include the name of the company hiring, a detailed description of the position being offered, a desired start date, contact information, and any additional supplemental information you feel may be needed.
Job summary: The Assistant Marketing Manager is a strategic and tactical leader in planning and managing marketing activities for frontlist and backlist books, including market positioning, consumer messaging, budgeting, campaign project management, and ROI analysis for each campaign. In partnership with authors, editors, vendors, retail sales and other team members, the marketing manager uses integrated digital and traditional marketing methods to ensure the highest possible unit shipments and revenue for assigned book campaigns.
Job summary: The main job is picking acts that will be successful and then working with the act to find the right producers and writers. The process is very much a nurturing one to ensure the band or solo artist impacts at the right time with the right material. Besides scouting for new artist the a&r manager also manages the current roster of artist. Duties include booking performances for artist, updating social media for artist,booking tv appearances and publicity for artist, booking recording studios for artist and much more.
Job summary: This position is responsible for assisting with budget management in Universal Music Group’s finance system (Uniport) and processing marketing department-related invoices. The position also assists with other departmental support, including booking travel, routing vendor contracts, and assisting VP of Marketing with phones, calendar and expenses. Some administrative support of publicity and radio staff.
Job summary: The Events Coordinator will manage the detailed logistics and planning of MAD and MPCS events. The Events Coordinator will oversee the staff hired to assist with events. The Events Coordinator will provide customer service for guests of and visitors to the Roselle Center for the Arts and the Amy E. DuPont Music Building.
Job summary: This position reports to the CEO, partners and V.P. of Development, the marketing department is focused on providing strong marketing campaigns. The marketing manager will manage the development and execution of marketing and sales campaigns with brand partners and retail outlets. Marketing Manager is also responsible for overseeing all aspects of marketing for assigned artist and for coordinating the efforts of the label to ensure the consistency of imaging between artist and their music. Sales and marketing will involve all facets of MIH Entertainment, LLC physical, digital and mobile products. The marketing manager will be responsible for creating, managing and executing third party sponsorships and promotions involving MIH Entertainment, LLC labels and studios. One of the primary goals is to develop and create revenue-driving opportunities and promotions between third party companies, promoting MIH Entertainment, LLC music/video content at physical, digital and mobile retailers. Involved in this position is the ability to make cold calls to new corporate partners as well as agencies interested in cross promotions/sponsorships with entertainment. Additionally, will manage local physical and digital music accounts, and be the company’s onsite point person in California to handle any miscellaneous duties that require handholding or personal delivery in the marketplace, including covering visibility and artist performances.
Job summary: Sony Corporation of America (SCA) is seeking a Marketing/Executive Assistant to join the Life Electronics (LE) group and Sony Biotechnology in the San Jose, CA office. Reporting to the Senior Vice President, who has a dual role as CEO of Sony Biotechnology, the Marketing/Executive Assistant will be responsible for taking initiative in delivering full administrative support to the SVP/CEO and will also provide additional team support on an as needed basis.
Job summary: Do you love art and nightlife? ArtJamz – America’s original public art studio and lounge – is looking for smart creatives to join our growing team. The events & marketing coordinator helps support both our private events business as well as our ongoing marketing efforts. This is an awesome opportunity to join a leading concept in the fast-growing paint and sip industry.
Job summary: The FADER is looking for a dynamic and strategic Project Manager. This is an opportunity for someone to make his or her mark in a successful and fast growing environment. Day to day responsibilities will include overseeing The FADER clients, executing branded events and content programs, coordinating activities between multiple internal departments, financial reporting and maintaining the overall health of client/agency relationships. Position will report to The FADER Marketing Director.
Job summary: We’re looking for a motivated, creative and analytical Email Marketing Manager to run the day-to-day operations of Goldstar’s email channel. The Email Marketing Manager’s focus is on the planning, execution and analysis of daily email promotions to 5 million members in 26 major U.S. metros, using our in-house email platform.
Job summary: The Programming & Special Accounts Manager reports to the Director of Programming, assists with all programming responsibilities and helps support live concerts on performance nights when necessary at the discretion of the Programming Director. In addition, this person will operate as the point person for a specific corporate sponsorship account and a number of off-site programming & cultural initiatives and provide support to other departments when required.
Job summary: UEG is an artist management company who represents rock, country, and pop artists at an international level. We have offices scattered across the nation, with our main office being located in Austin, TX. UEG has been a flourishing, boutique company managing artists of all types for the past 20+ years. We are looking for a new intern for our Austin office to oversee some of the day to day aspects of artist management, with a special emphasis on media management.
Job summary: Under the direction of the Marketing and Communications Director, assist in the writing, design, production, and distribution of marketing and communications tools and materials in accordance with editorial and graphics standards. Assist in implementation of organization’s engagement strategy on web, social media, and mobile platforms.
Job summary: The primary responsibility of this position is to manage and coordinate 95.9 The Fish Digital and New Media assets, including our in-house support and externally branded websites, digital initiatives, Facebook/Twitter/Instagram, mobile app, special sales and promotional projects, digital newsletters, listener clubs and programs and other projects within the scope of this position. Daily activities might include regular website maintenance, digital and traditional content creation, newsletter production, usage statistical analysis, ratios, click-through analytics and other empirical data, banner ad creation, custom landing pages, scheduling of audio and video streaming pre-rolls, interfacing, and supporting and collaborating with other digital content coordinators.
Job summary: Execute PR & Social Media plans in close collaboration with the team at Allen & Heath HQ in the UK. Generate compelling stories which connect users with the brand; then disseminate the content through media, social media and case studies for the web site and email distribution.
Job summary: Counterpoint Press is seeking a Publicist with at least 1-2 years of publicity experience, preferably with a trade book publisher focusing on high quality fiction and nonfiction. The ideal candidate will have exceptional written and verbal communication skills, a proven ability to juggle projects and duties, demonstrated organizational skills along with creativity and a passion for books and reading. Applicants must have a BA in English Communications, or a related field, as well as some relevant internship or working experience. Candidates must have impeccable attention to detail, the ability to be proactive and problem-solve, and a communication style that instills confidence in authors, editors, and agents.
Job summary: Established classical music public relations firm seeks colleague with ability to communicate with press and classical music performers. Imagination and ability to interest journalists in our clients are a must and work well in a friendly, small non-corporate environment. Looking for a self-starter with genuine love of classical music, computer knowledge, and strong verbal and writing skills. Classical music background, press contacts, and previous PR experience desirable. Responsibilities include: writing press releases, artist biographies, pitch letters, social media postings and newsletter items; placing stories with local, national, and international print and electronic media; coordinating interviews with clients and journalists, efforts and strategies with outside publicity and management firms as well as artists. Salary, benefits and position commensurate with experience. Applications without cover letters will not be considered.
Job summary: This vital, customer-focused position strives to serve our valuable customer base with knowledgeable and timely communication, efficient data entry and aggressive follow-up/issue resolution. This position is centered on taking customer orders over the phone.
Publicist (Nacional Records / Cookman International – Los Angeles, CA)
Job summary: The candidate will play a key role on all Nacional releases and Cookman projects, taking responsibility for the publicity and promo activities of our Artists and outreaches. They will report directly to the head of the company and collaborate closely within the team.
Job summary: To provide artistic, musical and administrative leadership for the Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra. Recruits and trains performers. Plans and conducts rehearsals and performances. Responsible for associated administrative duties.
Job summary: As part of Sony Music’s digital marketing team, the Digital Marketing Specialist will promote artists and grow online communities for Sony Music artists using a combination of internal and partnered resources including websites, social networks, wireless services and other digital tools.
Job summary: The successful candidate needs to have at least one year professional work experience in a media related field and a strong working knowledge of social media, videography, graphic design and photography. Candidate must have the ability to work well with all departments and maintain a positive attitude in an often hectic work environment. The position requires a self-motivated, hard worker who understands that sometimes work must be done outside of normal business hours. The position includes the coordination of content from our radio station websites to the public, assisting in our social networking campaigns, production of short video segments, gathering measurement data, and helping to maintain quality among our six web properties.
Job summary: We are looking for a Brand and Creative Coordinator that will play a critical role in supporting the supporting the global brand and creative team, organizing and coordinating team- and project-related operations and processes. This team develops strategy, creative tools, content, and experiences that drive Spotify’s creative and communication agenda with various audiences, including fans, consumers, artists, creators, labels, business partners, and more. Programs the team leads include brand identity and guidelines, on-platform advertising, marketing programs in paid/earned/owned channels, large-scale experiential programs like Spotify House at SXSW, and more. Above all, your work will impact the way the world experiences music.
Job summary: Represent three iHeartMedia Las Vegas brands, KPLV-FM, KSNE-FM and KWNR-FM at remotes and appearances. Serve as the ambassador between the radio station and the listeners. Work among a team that will include promotions, programming and sales. This is a part-time position/that will be no more than 20 hours a week. Weekend and night heavy. The managers for the iHeartMedia Promotions Team request a two week written notice for any time off requested. Major holidays and “black out” periods must be approved by the department’s supervisor.
Job summary: The Associate Marketing Director is responsible for planning, supervising, administering and evaluating programs that meet or exceed attendance and ticket revenue goals for orchestra events and maximizing the visibility of the orchestra in the community. The Associate Marketing Director will plan and manage all marketing activities, including but not limited to: public relations; advertising; season subscription and renewal campaigns; all ticket revenue and audience research.
Job summary: An Artist Manager works on behalf of groups or artists to promote the artists’ careers and run their business affairs. Their job is to secure the best work for their clients, for the best fee.The job may include: negotiating contracts and fees, finding and booking events and venues that match the artist’s career strategy, advising on career decisions, publicity and promotion, helping them on career decisions such as which record producer to work with, or which songs to perform, and managing media relations on their behalf.The Artist Manager’s work is very competitive and can be intense and sometimes stressful with long hours. Artist Managers are frequently required to attend their artists’ performances in the evening or over weekends.Most Artist Managers advance by building a strong reputation for good client services, and attracting more top performers onto their books.
Job summary: Responsibilities include reviewing video and other materials to determine clearance and related issues; conducting research to evaluate the status of copyrighted and trademarked materials and products, invasion of privacy, defamation and rights of publicity, and other legal issues. Negotiate licenses and releases for uses of copyrighted or trademarked materials such as film clips, artwork, photos, music, and ensure each license properly addresses essential terms and protections. Prepare correspondence advising staff on status of clearance issues; administratively support department as required.
Job summary: Rogers & Cowan has an exciting opportunity for a senior level Account Director in our rapidly expanding Entertainment Marketing Department. Ideal candidates will have 8+ years of public relations experience working with Entertainment Marketing brands. This dynamic group works across various categories of lifestyle marketing including television, luxury brands, celebrity personalities, entertainment attractions, non-profit foundations and global media events.
Job summary: An Artist Manager works on behalf of groups or artists to promote the artists’ careers and run their business affairs. Their job is to secure the best work for their clients, for the best fee.The job may include: negotiating contracts and fees, finding and booking events and venues that match the artist’s career strategy, advising on career decisions, publicity and promotion, helping them on career decisions such as which record producer to work with, or which songs to perform, and managing media relations on their behalf.The Artist Manager’s work is very competitive and can be intense and sometimes stressful with long hours. Artist Managers are frequently required to attend their artists’ performances in the evening or over weekends.Most Artist Managers advance by building a strong reputation for good client services, and attracting more top performers onto their books.
Job summary: The Marketing Manager is responsible for the execution of all advertising and promotion-related events regarding print music for Word Entertainment. The Marketing Manager will effectively, efficiently and economically communicate information about all Word Music products to core customers base and beyond, while helping generate sales for those products. The Marketing Manager will be responsible for the complete product set up for the print marketing department, and other administrative duties as needed.
