Connections: Street Team Leaders, the OG web influencers. (Part 3/3)
When was the last time you heard of street team leaders? It’s been quite awhile for me.
It’s interesting how that term has evolved in this era of social media. We literally went from kids flyering parking lots and passing demos to community boards moderators, which then evolved into full blown marketers, agency owners and even music industry execs.
Bands in those days understood that connecting with one passionate fan could mean connecting with hundreds or thousands of potential fans, which turn into millions of listeners around the world. (Thank you, MySpace.)
Here’s where I realized that being a “local band” wasn’t a thing anymore. At this moment in my life, I understood I had the same access as other groups touring the world. Maybe not the resources, but for sure the potential reach.
Think global, act local.
This term has over a hundred years of context from community planning to business. For me, it simply reinforced the power of having ears around the world from a humble home in Central Florida, thanks to the internet.
See, now that we had distribution on all of the places that could bring revenue (iTunes, PureVolume, Amazon, etc.), we could focus on leveraging our music in any way we could imagine. (Ah, the fancy “content” word arrives.)
We could make videos, send them for movie or TV show consideration, and upload them to internet radio stations around the world. We could use what we had and reinvent it in cool ways to get them in front of different people at different times. (This became the foundation for my content strategy and inbound marketing experience later on in my career.)
With all of this “content,” we were simply trying to connect with more people. What was most interesting was the love we were getting in the United Kingdom. Years later, I found out our music was playing in internet radio stations out there, which ended up getting us sales on our side, as well as higher rankings on Google.
Ultimately, the web attention got us in several compilation CDs, which gave us a couple more years of distribution and attention by simply being in different collections with different purposes. Some were celebrating independent bands, others raising money for nonprofits. We were honored to be part of these music movements, and we understood the positive publicity it would generate.
Going Viral
Today, I understand the meaning of “viral coefficient,” but back then we simply wanted to share our music, ideas and passion with anyone willing to listen. We always wanted to find and develop a tribe of diverse thinkers united by what made them “different” in society.
I also quickly understood that “going viral” wasn’t a thing. Yes, you could strategically place your content in shareable forms, but there was never a guarantee. The easy route is never easy, we (marketers) simply enjoy making rules out of exceptions.
We did, however, find some positive success from all of the attention.
Until this day, this has been one of our biggest accomplishments. In 2008, an ABC Action News Tampa Bay producer, reached out to us to play their Super Bowl pre-party the following February. (The Steelers beat the Cardinals, 27–23, on that evening if you’re wondering about the game.)
On February 1, 2009, my bandmates and I got to play our indie, label-less set on live TV at the Super Bowl XLIII pre-show, across from Raymond James Stadium. Truthfully, thanks to four years of leveraging our music in every way we thought possible. (By the way, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played the halftime show that evening. And, no, we didn’t get tickets.)
Earning Trust With a Keyboard
Social media can be powerful, both for good and evil. And, the reason for this is because of the ability to have two way communications. Or, as I used to say back then, being a real person on the other side of the screen.
What hasn’t changed about this era is the ability of being real. For every catfished, ghosted and played person, there have been thousands of relationships, businesses and heartwarming stories born out of social media environments. (I experienced this first hand in 1998 when my Mom moved to Hawaii from Puerto Rico to marry a man she met playing Diablo online. But, let’s leave that story for another time.)
This brings my story full circle. Because of my scene kid experiences, I was growing into an ad man for changing times. The internet had changed my life as a child, as a teen and as a man.
Here’s what I understood: 1. Earn people’s trust with a keyboard. 2. Be a real and honest person on the other side. 3. Birth relationships from screen to screen. 4. Bring these people together in the real world.
If this sounds familiar is because it’s literally the job of every marketer today. Sometimes it’s hard to believe how something that came so naturally with my passion for music became my career.
As a copywriter, it’s literally your job to earn people’s trust with a keyboard to buy a product. As a strategist, to create a framework for content, ideas and business to succeed. And, as a leader, it’s your job to align everyone who’s willing to follow you with a single North Star, mission, beliefs and/or vision.
I leave you with the one observation that turned me into “the social guy,” a title I’m still trying to shake off today.
Social media is nothing more than visual word of mouth. The marketer’s dream — to influence, fuel and track organic conversations.
There’s nothing special about succeeding in social media, music, marketing, advertising, branding. etc. What is hard is keeping yourself real, focused, positive and passionate. Not falling for titles or paychecks or positions, but focus on being yourself. Your best self.
In the end, the only thing that matters are the regrets you don’t have because of risks to were willing to take. You just have to make sure there’s enough faith and conviction in you to find the value on the other side of the jump.
Thank you for reading this three-part series. The past few years have taught me to be less afraid about sharing my story. My hope is that something in it will help or guide your own story.
Keep seeking.
P.S.: After an eight-year hiatus, we decided to finish what we started as a band. #MusicTherapyThursday is now one of the ways I work on my own mindfulness as I continue making with my best friends.
If you found Part 3 first, please read Part 1 and Part 2 for deeper context. Thank you for reading.
