This is a list of my top go-to tools that I constantly use that DO SOMETHING to help grow my music business. Some of them are big, some of them are small – but they get me where I want to go, time and time again.
1. CANVA.COM
A free social graphics maker. This toolis amazing!! Even if you are terrible at graphics (and really, I do believe you should hire a professional!), but you need a new Facebook banner or Instagram photo in a pinch and make it look like a pro did it…. This is your tool. They even have tutorials to help you get better at doing graphics. I use this multiple times per week, depending on what I’m doing in social media.
2. ADOBE SPARK
Really awesome video clip maker you can use for social media. You can do a slide show, images, or video with your own music, and upload to Facebook and other social platforms. It’s one of those tools you can definitely lose several hours playing around and having fun with!
3. POST PLANNER
One of the cheapest and easiest-to-use social media schedulers. It also helps you find new content to post, including popular articles, quotes, and images. It’s around $10 at the basic level. Pretty great!
4. FACEBOOK LIVE
NOTHING – and I mean NOTHING – will get you more reach and engagement like posting a live streaming video on Facebook. Don’t have a following yet? Don’t have fans? USE THIS free tool and sing or play live!! Make sure you go live on a professional page, and not your personal profile — then ask people if they liked what they heard to share or tag a friend…. Incredibly powerful.
5. FACEBOOK PAGES APP
This is really an essential free app I use multiple times per day to manage my Facebook page. You probably know I preach against using your personal profile for you music as it doesn’t benefit you whatsoever. This pages app helps you manage, post, and go live right on your page, as well as answer any incoming messages from fans. A must-have!
6. FACEBOOK POLLS
A really fun tool I use from time to time to ask my fans questions or get feedback on something, especially if I have decisions to make. I recently polled my fans on what kinds of items they’d like to see in my merch shop! I had hundreds and hundreds of responses. And it made my life so much easier when it came time to decide what to add next!
7. EVERNOTE
What would I do without this app in my life?? The number of notes I have is astonishing. I write everything this thing. From to-do lists, vacation details, to jumbled song lyrics, planning out my next album launch, and image clips from around the web I want to come back to. I use both the full version on all my computers, and of course I have it synced with the mobile app on my phone. I also use this daily!
8. DROPBOX
What musician can live without Drop- box? I keep ALL my important files in my Dropbox! I also try to stay extreme- ly organized by having a master folder for one thing, and then sub-folders, and then numbered sub-folders, so they appear in order.
For example:
So you can see, it’s good to have a system when you’re trying to find things! I have many folders that look like this, including for Photos, Social Media images, Videos, and more.
9. MAILCHIMP
Email is an asset, and Mailchimp is by far the easiest Customer Relations Management tool to use on earth. If you don’t have an email list, you’re missing out on SO MUCH as a musician or artist. This is how I maintain relationships with my fans and make a large portion of my music sales.
10. GETEMOJI.COM
My go-to resource for emojis when I’m writing fan emails, campaigns, or writing high-converting Facebook ads. I can copy/paste any emoji I want that makes sense and enhances my message.
XOX, Leah
For in-depth strategies on how to launch and market an album online, please see this introductory workshop to Leah’s full Online Musician program:
