New bands are increasingly turning to corporate patrons to fund their art.

Some revolutions begin with a gunshot, others with mass uprising. One begins with a tiny red toy truck knocking over a row of dominos. It’s the music video for “This Too Shall Pass” by rock group OK Go that I’ve been using on a few of my workshops recently.  I remember when it launched and got over 5m hits in less than 3 days!  It’s now over 19m and still growing.  The video stars a Rube Goldberg–inspired machine that plays music on pop bottles, drops a sledgehammer through a television and ultimately fires paint at the band’s members – it’s not unlike Honda’s famous “Cog” advert made up of spare parts and produced by Nike’s ad agency of choice, Wieden+Kennedy . For all the eye candy, the video’s most arresting image may be the credits, which thank State Farm, an insurance company, for sponsoring the production.

The unconventionally underwritten video debuted just as OK Go left EMI, their label for almost a decade. Both the video and the split garnered buzz, but the chatter was devoid of the usual pessimism that usually accompanies news about the faltering industry. Instead, the band was touted as an example of a new model for the music business. Labels may flounder, but musicians can thrive because of new technology and financing sources.

“The initial purpose of record labels was connecting musicians with people who wanted to listen to their music,” says Damian Kulash, OK Go’s lead singer. “We don’t really need a distribution system anymore — the Internet takes care of that. But lots of bands still need promotion and investment, so there are models emerging for how to get those things without relying on physical record sales as the sole measure of all things musical.”

With U.S. record sales falling by 12.7% in 2009, artists are increasingly looking beyond the labels for money. Charlotte Church, the Welsh chanteuse, recently signed a $3-million deal with a London-based investment fund to finance her next album. Lady Gaga filled the video for her song “Telephone” with product placements for Virgin Mobile, Heartbeats headphones and Polaroid. The video has been viewed online more than 26 million times since its debut last month, suggesting fans don’t mind musicians subsidizing their art with a little commerce. Accepting cash from State Farm helped OK Go make a complex video that took two months, more than $150,000 and a team of engineers to execute. The band’s singer says the company functioned less like corporate sponsors and more like old-fashioned patrons of the arts. “What State Farm wanted out of the relationship was to associate their brand with something that was cool,” says Kulash. “And we made it very clear up front that we weren’t making an advertisement, we were making a music video.”

The band did promise to incorporate the company’s logo into the video and fulfilled the obligation by using a State Farm toy truck to start the clip’s four-minute chain reaction. The placement is so subtle, it would likely elude first-time viewers. But the mere association with OK Go is beneficial to State Farm by helping the company shake off the fuddy-duddy image of its industry. “The young adult market is a very important market for us,” says Todd Fischer, the company’s manager of national sponsorships. “It’s not a place we naturally resonate.”

YouTube recently launched a program to share ad revenue with musicians who post videos on the popular site. Called Musicians Wanted, it is particularly good news for a band like OK Go, which enjoys modest record sales but is massively popular online. (The band’s 2006 video for “Here it Goes Again,” which featured the four band members dancing on treadmills, has been viewed 50 million times.) Prior to splitting with EMI, Kulash published an opinion piece in The New York Times, criticizing the label for limiting online access to the bands’ videos by refusing to permit them to be embedded in outside websites. “Curbing the viral spread of videos isn’t benefiting the company’s bottom line, or the music it’s there to support,” he wrote.

Record labels now struggle to explain their relevance, claiming they remain a crucial source of financing for new artists. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which represents the labels, recently released a report arguing it takes $1 million to break a new act, including money for recording, touring and marketing. But OK Go and other artists prove major labels are not the only source of financing for the aspiring rock ’n’ roll star. “We’ve managed to pay our rent by making cools things and keeping people interested in what we’re doing,” says Kulash. “Everything we make is part of our business model, which is to make cool shit and hope somebody out there is willing to pay you for it.”

25) Change how you answer the phone: Give your staff freedom to experiment with exciting ways to answer the phone. They’ll enjoy it and your customers should too. Just remember that the phone can be the first contact with a business; be aware of answering the phone in such an odd way that it puts callers off

24) Use promotional people: You can hire good promotional temps at very low cost to hand out flyers or otherwise spread the word. Dress them well, make sure they know your business inside out and ensure they are well motivated not to just dump the flyers and bunk off!

23) Cross promote products and services: What else could your customers buy from you? Once they have bought from you once, they are in a relationship with you, and are much more likely to buy something else.

22) Sell gift tokens: Everyone loves picking their own gift; if you sell products to consumers make sure you do this. The best news for you is that £1billion of vouchers are never used.

21) Do something unexpected: How amazing would it be if your supplier rang to say they had dropped their prices by 10 per cent, for no reason. Or the owner rings to say thanks for your continued business. In the internet age, business can be so anonymous, that even picking up the phone now and again can be seen as unexpected.

20) Send out a press release: A bootstrap marketing essential. A press release with a good story suggestion could get you valuable free publicity in your target media. That in turn will boost your reputation and could even generate sales leads.

19) Join organisations: Get involved with local networking and business groups, trade organisations, and even consider joining your local Round Table.

18) Sell on your invoice: If you sell to small businesses, it could be the decision maker who deals with the paperwork. Why not get a rubber stamp made up with a marketing message, and stamp every invoice? Your stamp could even be as simple as “thanks for your business, we look forward to payment”.

17) Issue a catalogue: A classic way to reach people who are interested in browsing your products. To keep costs low, print colour pages from your website, or look at professional digital printing, which can give you small quantities of catalogues at a high quality.

16) Pick up the litter: Or clean the windows of the local charity shop. Or donate something to the Scouts. Get your business involved in the community. And use company clothing plus press releases to ensure everyone knows you’re doing it.

15) Use case studies: Just like testimonials, case studies demonstrate expertise and happy customers. Well-written case studies are also ideal ways to position your people as experts in dealing with specific kinds of clients or solving certain types of problems – perfect to promote your most profitable work.

14) Do some fun guerrilla marketing: Leave sandcastles on the pavements with little flags promoting your summer sale. Or beam your logo onto the council building at night. Just be careful not to go too far.

13) Write to your local paper: Small newspapers often struggle for decent letters. Get in the habit of buying the local paper regularly, and write to the editor about issues you genuinely feel passionate about. If they are problems your business can fix – perfect.

12) Focus on how your staff represent your company: People will judge your business on the people within. Use mystery shoppers to work out what the experience is like. Incidentally, a member of your family can’t be a mystery shopper. They are too close to the business even if they don’t work in it.

11) Do what the others can’t or won’t: Analyse your competitors and pick the things you think customers demand but no-one delivers. They will probably be hard to execute, but should be worthwhile (and it’s because they’re hard that no-one does them). Talk to customers to find out what they really want.

10) Take a holiday: If you work on your business 18 hours a day, 6 days a week, 50 weeks a year, you will burn out. And you’ll stop thinking subjectively about the business. Incidentally, if you can’t take a holiday, you need to understand The E-Myth.

9) Do a publicity stunt: Do something to attract attention both from the public and the media. It should be related to your business in some way.

Use online business forums: If you sell through your website, online business forums can be a powerful way to build reputation and drive traffic. Put at least an hour a week aside to read posts and reply with relevant comments. Be wary of spending more time on forums than working on your business.

7) Text message your customers: How cool would it be to get a text from your dentist reminding you about your dental appointment that afternoon? It’s so easy and cheap to text customers, every business should be doing it. Use automated SMS systems to make it easy. Remember to give customers an easy to opt out of further text messages.

6) Reduce rates for repeat business: Buy more, pay less. Make sure customers understand that simple rule and keep repeating it. They will respond to it.

5) Have a spring clean: Clear your desk, premises, website, anything. A spring clean gets rid of the clutter and brings a new freshness. Customers will notice.

4) Support a cause: This is known as cause-related marketing, and is a powerful way to get your business noticed through its support for a relevant charity or organisation. Pick your cause carefully, commit to it in the long-term (better still form a partnership with them), and shout about everything you do to help it.

3) Tell your story: Even big companies benefit from the stories of their founders. Look at Richard Branson and Alan Sugar – they personify the companies that have made them very wealthy. Don’t be afraid to build your company around you; people like buying from people.

2) Pick up the phone: The phone is the cheapest marketing tool you have. Don’t waste it on cold calling. Use it to phone leads or contacts, rather than just email them. In a world swamped with electronic communication, this is a great way to stand out.

1) Never lose your enthusiasm: The most important thing you can do to stand out it… something. Businesses that do something regularly tend to perform better than those that do something brilliant now and again.

In the spirit of Global Entrepreneurship Week, I thought I’d share a list of bootstrap marketing ideas to inspire you if you are thinking of starting or building a business.  Apparently 50% of the population would love to work for themselves, but only 5.8% ever take that step towards being a business owner.  Perhaps these tips will help to give you some ideas and inspiration to get you going.

Your new business will live or die by its sales. You can have the best product or service in the world, but if someone won’t give you money for it, it’s worthless.

And to drive your sales you need good marketing. You need to find a way to attract people’s attention to your business and its products, and help them make a conscious decision to purchase from you.

If you’re on a budget, that can be tough. It’s possible to spend a small fortune on marketing.

The alternative is to bootstrap it. This means marketing your new business on a very small budget. It’s about using creativity rather than cash to shout about what you’re doing.

Bootstrapping has practically become a culture, as a way to build and market a business without risking a huge amount of cash. There are websites and free books dedicated to it.

Here are 25 free bootstrap marketing ideas from Bytestart, with another 25 to follow in the second part of this article.

50) Give your knowledge away: The stuff you “just know” in your business is potentially valuable information to others. With the exception of trade secrets specific to your company, freely give knowledge away. Write articles on your website or approach content sites such as Bytestart. Tell people exactly how you will help their business and don’t be afraid to reveal tools of the trade. Only a handful will steal that knowledge and try to do it themselves, and they’ll never do it as well as you. Education marketing is powerful.

49) Run topical themes: Steal this idea from retail outlets. Have themes that hook into events that are happening and how people feel about them. In winter, give free hot chocolate away. In summer, build a beach in your office. Watch out for event movies and cash in on their marketing spend. Try to relate themes to your business.

48) Offer a discount card: These are the cheapest way to reward your existing customers for their loyalty, as you only give free product away to your very best customers. When they buy your product five or six times, they get the next one free. What a great way to say thank you. Copy big companies; Café Nero and McDonalds have stamps and tokens when you buy coffee, to encourage you to drink there regularly. Remember to ensure your tokens aren’t easily forged, and that your loyalty card stamp is locked away every day!

47) Have outstanding customer service: Nothing attracts customers more than positive word of mouth from other customers. Customer service is your biggest weapon against rivals, especially those run by big corporations. Make it a central part of your business. If it’s important you are seen to answer the phone quickly, promise to do it within three rings or your service is free. You’ll soon make that a priority when you start losing money!

46) Launch a competition: It’s cheap for you to give your services or products away, so do it regularly. Plug the competition on your website. Or better still, contact the relevant media that talks to your potential customer base and ask if they’d be interested in a giveaway. Be aware many media outlets have a minimum competition stock value.

45) Stuff your website with new content: Glossing over all of the complicated Search Engine Optimisation guidelines, Google broadly rewards websites that consistently do two things: keep the content up-to-date, and add new content regularly. You don’t need lots of specialist knowledge about search engine marketing. Just keep adding new pages with fresh content. Make a commitment to adding one new page a week and you will be surprised by how much extra traffic you get after a few months.

44) Blog: If you can’t think of articles to write for your website, why not blog. It’s a simple way to get relevant content onto your site. A good blog can help to brand you and your business as experts in the field. Much of the most popular blogging technology, such as Blogger or WordPress is free.

43) Use the back of business cards: Ever found a business card given to you a few months before, which says “Bob Smith, director, Bob Smith Associates”.. and wondered what Bob Smith does? Use the empty space on the back of your business card to list your services or position your business. It’s cheap and will attract clients.

42) Use your stationary: Same with your letterheads and compliments slips – use them to get your marketing message across. And get your message on the envelopes too.

41) Get on YouTube: The video website gets a huge amount of traffic… and best of all, it’s easy and free to get on! Getting noticed on YouTube is often more about creative ideas and executing them well than just spending money. Don’t forget to put the video on your own website.

40) Invest in credibility: If there are accreditation schemes or professional qualifications for your industry, spend the money on them. They might not be cheap but as a long-term investment, can help to make sure your business is the automatic choice for years to come.

39) Get them sold on hold: If you put callers on hold, make sure they are listening to a sales message rather than Beethoven’s Fifth.

38) Give away unusual freebies: Pens with your logo are boring and forgettable. Thanks to powerful digital printing techniques, there are literally thousands of things that your logo can go on. Would potential clients better remember an underwear company that gave them an edible gingerbread man with tiny pants to remove and keep? Maybe, maybe not, but it’s different and people will talk about it.

37) Seek and use testimonials: People feel more confident reading about other customers who have had a good experience.

36) Give a guarantee: If you truly believe in your product or service, guarantee it. Offer money back if they’re not 100% satisfied. Yes, a few people will abuse your guarantee, but you’ll attract more business in the first place.

35) Get friendly with local radio DJs: Send them free stuff. Ring in to take part in their competitions. Text replies to their on-air questions. Be nice to them but not sycophantic, and you will get on-air mentions.

34) Answerphone message: If someone calls in after hours, your answerphone message is a chance to sell. Instead of “we’re not here, leave a message”, how about “we’re so exhausted from giving great customer service we need a little sleep. Leave your number and we’ll call you back at 9.05am exactly.”

33) Set up a referral programme: If your suppliers and clients are happy to give you work, why not formally thank them for it. There’s nothing better than getting a £50 voucher as a thank you for referring a new client.

32) Campaign to change something: What’s annoying people in your marketplace? Start an awareness campaign. If your business is part of the solution, even better.

31) Dress differently: If you have a very relaxed office, why not have a dress up Friday. If you run a retail outlet, get your team to wear themed costumes. This fits in well with suggestion number 49.

30) Do a talk: Seek out the networking groups where your potential customers meet, join them, and offer to do a free talk at some point. It may take some time to get a slot, but you will effectively brand yourself as an expert. Don’t be too worried about being a polished speaker; concentrate on great content

29) Network everywhere: Wherever potential customers or referrers meet, be there. Good networking is about farming contacts not hunting out deals… don’t expect results on day one. You need to work at it and be seen regularly.

28) Write a white paper: Sounds dull, but it’s a great way of stating your expertise. Put white papers on your website and make it easy for people to download them to read at their leisure.

27) Increase prices: Increasing prices will help your customers perceive you as a premium provider. Yes you may lose a little business, but you will make more profit from a slightly smaller customer base. And many businesses find that it is the lower value clients that are the most hassle.

26) Start a newsletter: Use a regular email newsletter to keep in touch with your existing clients (and upsell or cross sell to them), plus as a way to keep your business front of mind with potential customers. Printed newsletters are more likely to get past gatekeepers such as PA’s and reach the bosses of big companies.

Article written those amazing fellows at ByteStart.co.uk

Before you quit your day job to devote your time to becoming a successful small business owner, there are 10 important laws you need to become intimately familiar with as you begin your journey down the road to becoming a successful business owner. Ignore them at your peril because each comes with a sting in its tail for those who, intentionally or due to ignorance, abuse them.

1. Copyright – Everything you write will affect your business, but if your words are plagiarised, it can also affect your credibility and your purse. Copyright infringement is serious business, and if you use words that belong to another, the original owner can come down on you with copyright laws soundly on their side.

2. Patent – Patent laws are in place to protect your brilliant ideas, as well as the brilliant ideas of others. Lack of attention to detail can leave your intellectual property unprotected, while lack of research can leave you open to lawsuits.

3. Employment – Part of the drive to setting out on your own usually comes from wanting to be the boss. Employment law can be a minefield that pushes some small business owners to opt for contractors and freelancers, as opposed to permanent staff. However, understanding employment law will help you to properly manage staff and ensure that you are protected as the employer.

4. Financial – Financial laws, such as the legislation regarding Capital Gains Tax, can seem daunting when you first become a business owner. The sale of assets and other covered activities requires a special kind of attention, which is one reason to choose an excellent accountant who will provide the necessary advice.

5. Contract – Contract laws cover the agreements you have with suppliers and purchasers, as well as the contracts you have with those who work for you or with you. It is essential that anyone planning to become an entrepreneur has a good handle on this particular set of laws; otherwise, you could leave your organisation open to all manner of unnecessary risks.

6. Health and Safety – An intimate knowledge of these regulations will guide you through exactly what you should and should not do to cover yourself in the event of an accident in your workplace. We’ve all seen those adverts on the TV for law firms that will help you to bring down an employer who has allowed you to have a “slip or a trip that was not your fault”. Don’t let your company become a financial victim of such an incident.

7. Distance Selling – Selling online is a huge business and is the primary reason why many choose to start your own business. Before you make your first online sale, it is imperative that you know your customers’ rights in regards to online purchases. Without an understanding of return policies, cooling off periods, and privacy you could get in all kinds of trouble.

8. Advertising – Regardless of what you may believe about the honesty of advertising in this country, there are specific laws that govern what you can and cannot say when advertising your product or service, and there are bodies that police them.

9. Property – Many entrepreneurs overlook the need to be familiar with property laws. However, not knowing them could leave you looking for a new office space or finding yourself liable for massive, unexpected payments.

10. Murphy’s – Just when you thought you might know all you need to know about the laws that will affect your business after you start up a business, there is always this last one to consider. Murphy’s Law runs rampant throughout the business world and anything that could go wrong, most likely will. This means that above all, you need to be prepared for anything.

Fully understanding these must-know laws will assist you in ensuring a successful journey to become an entrepreneur. Even if you employ accountants and solicitors to keep you informed, it is essential that you understand the ins and outs of these legal areas. You can never be too prepared when it comes to taking on the big, bad world of commerce, so take the time to ensure you always have these laws on your side.

About the Author

This article was written by Bill Morrow, Founder of Angels Den

Get a coffee while you read and promise yourself you’ll find good answers for each question…