I've actually touched on this topic quite a bit. In my opinion, widgets are great promotional tools when used properly, but really shouldn't be used to sell. Let's stick to Internet Marketing 101 and use the widget to entice consumers to visit your sales page! Make it interesting enough that they may want to buy if they click through and receive full details on what they are purchasing.
Suzanne Lainson
· 3 months ago
It's a lot simpler to keep your buying to as few places as possible. If you already have accounts at iTunes and/or Amazon, are you really going to want to buy digital tracks from multiple sites?
And if you are buying physical objects, you can usually save on shipping if you buy from a central location rather than multiple sites.
As for putting a band's widget on my own site, well
(1) I don't have a personal website where I can add widgets for bands I like. (2) I can be a fan/friend of bands on Facebook, MySpace, etc. without adding a widget to my own pages. (3) I am fans of too many bands to add widgets for all of them. So how am I going to narrow it down to just one band?
If I am using a widget as a form of affiliate marketing and I get a piece of everything sale I drive to a band, then maybe I would have an incentive, but otherwise, probably not.
alexjacobi
· 3 months ago
I think affiliate marketing is the best incentive for adding a widget. As well as supporting a band a fan really likes. While putting a widget on a website is as simple as embedding a youtube video, it can be done by many
ryanve
· 3 months ago
I agree 100%. Music widgets act to accelerate discovery but aren't the place for transactions.
The Daily Reviewer
· 3 months ago
Hi!
Congratulations! Your readers have submitted and voted for your blog at The Daily Reviewer. We compiled an exclusive list of the Top 100 music Blogs, and we are glad to let you know that your blog was included! You can see it at http://thedailyreviewer.com/top/music/6
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When it comes to converting fans to paid transactions I believe it comes down reaching fans where they have the intention of purchasing music. I recently read an article by a brilliant entrepreneur Chris Dixon that has just recently brought this concept into light for me. Check it out --> http://www.cdixon.org/?p=1179 its about online advertising but I think it applies well to the discussion about Widgets effectiveness as a sales platform.
Andrew Goodrich
· 2 months ago
I think you are right on, Matt - thanks for sharing that article
Mike King
· 2 months ago
Hey Andrew,
Cool piece, but to be fair, there is a whole lot more to Topspin than just widgets. I've had an opportunity to take a pretty close look at the software over the past few months for the Berklee course I am writing on online music marketing using Topspin. Certainly the widget campaign played a part in Byrne/Eno's success (2 million streams from the widgets, which were embedded on over 100 sites), but I think more importantly Byrne/Eno leveraged their widget campaign with many of the other tools available in Topspin (analytics, email, bundling, etc) to create a highly integrated and targeted campaign.
In regards to the poll, I'm not surprised either that 81% have not purchased from a widget. As you suggest, I think the main benefit of widgets is to capture engagement and funnel it to a landing page where either a sale or email sign up can occur.
Building your community and engaging your fans (via a product offering they want) is a big part of the way forward. Byrne not only used the tools in Topspin to sell Everything That Happens Will Happen Today in several iterations, but he also leveraged the tools to build up his digital touchpoints (particularly email), which will be instrumental in the promotion of his next release(s).
Keep up the great work!
Mike
Andrew Goodrich
· 2 months ago
Thanks for your insights, Mike --
I didn't mean to dismiss the rest of the Topspin package - my intention (though I could've/should've been clearer) was to say exactly your point here --
All Comments
And if you are buying physical objects, you can usually save on shipping if you buy from a central location rather than multiple sites.
As for putting a band's widget on my own site, well
(1) I don't have a personal website where I can add widgets for bands I like.
(2) I can be a fan/friend of bands on Facebook, MySpace, etc. without adding a widget to my own pages.
(3) I am fans of too many bands to add widgets for all of them. So how am I going to narrow it down to just one band?
If I am using a widget as a form of affiliate marketing and I get a piece of everything sale I drive to a band, then maybe I would have an incentive, but otherwise, probably not.
Congratulations! Your readers have submitted and voted for your blog at The Daily Reviewer. We compiled an exclusive list of the Top 100 music Blogs, and we are glad to let you know that your blog was included! You can see it at http://thedailyreviewer.com/top/music/6
You can claim your Top 100 Blogs Award here : http://thedailyreviewer.com/pages/badges/music
P.S. This is a one-time notice to let you know your blog was included in one of our Top 100 Blog categories. You might get notices if you are listed in two or more categories.
P.P.S. If for some reason you want your blog removed from our list, just send an email to angelina@thedailyreviewer.com with the subject line "REMOVE" and the link to your blog in the body of the message.
Cheers!
Angelina Mizaki
Selection Committee President
The Daily Reviewer
http://thedailyreviewer.com
Cool piece, but to be fair, there is a whole lot more to Topspin than just widgets. I've had an opportunity to take a pretty close look at the software over the past few months for the Berklee course I am writing on online music marketing using Topspin. Certainly the widget campaign played a part in Byrne/Eno's success (2 million streams from the widgets, which were embedded on over 100 sites), but I think more importantly Byrne/Eno leveraged their widget campaign with many of the other tools available in Topspin (analytics, email, bundling, etc) to create a highly integrated and targeted campaign.
In regards to the poll, I'm not surprised either that 81% have not purchased from a widget. As you suggest, I think the main benefit of widgets is to capture engagement and funnel it to a landing page where either a sale or email sign up can occur.
Building your community and engaging your fans (via a product offering they want) is a big part of the way forward. Byrne not only used the tools in Topspin to sell Everything That Happens Will Happen Today in several iterations, but he also leveraged the tools to build up his digital touchpoints (particularly email), which will be instrumental in the promotion of his next release(s).
Keep up the great work!
Mike
I didn't mean to dismiss the rest of the Topspin package - my intention (though I could've/should've been clearer) was to say exactly your point here --