I want to talk about networking your way to a successful DJ career. Success is a broad term, but it is really the definition you give it, meaning what is a successful outcome to you? Growing your DJ brand really comes down to building a loyal following, which I like to call a tribe; others call them raving fans etc. I want to point out in this article where people go wrong when trying to connect with others and what you can do to build rapport and the right relationships with people to grow your loyal tribe of followers online.

Why some DJ’s, Producers and people struggle to network

Technology always changes, but most people’s approach to building connections doesn't, especially online. I am always getting bombarded with an Instagram or Facebook message, saying, “Hi my name is …… can you check out my new track on Soundcloud or like my Facebook page” etc. I am sure you get that too. You don’t have to be a DJ to receive what I like to call spam in your inbox. There nothing more insulting than being sold too straight on the first attempt. So why do people do it? Well, my only conclusion is poor education on selling and networking. They simply don’t know what they don’t know.

In the beginning of my DJ career, I was guilty of this too. You create a great DJ mix or one of your latest productions as an artist, and all you want to do is show it off due to excitement. We all want instant gratification and a pat on the back for our hard work. The harsh reality is, most people simply just don’t care. That is very simple yet difficult for some take in. Why? Because you just haven't given people the time of day to get to know them, show interest in them, and add value in their lives. There are steps to build relationships, a strategy to adopt to get people to care about what you offer.

Rapport always comes before a relationship is built. People must like you first and share commonality. Rapport means a close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups concerned understand each other's feelings or ideas and communicate well. Communication is a big problem in our world. Just because we can message someone easier or talk to them in a Facebook group or Forum does not mean we can communicate well. These social media tools make it more accessible and instant to reach people on a global scale. So, what process can a DJ, music producer/artist, or a person follow to build relationships?

A strategy to build a loyal tribe of followers

I will identify where most people get it wrong and how you can get it right.

Here are the steps to building a tribe:

First Step Attention: You must get people’s attention, and in this day and age, most people have the attention span of a goldfish. Just look at all the ridiculous entertainment and memes you see on Facebook to get attention. Entertainment is more important to people than education in the world today, unfortunately. Whatever you have to do to get attention, do it, as long as it’s legal, moral, and ethical. You could offer something for free, which would be more in the education sector, or you could put up another meme or music video, where someone is making fun of an old person dancing. I’ll leave that up to you.

Second Step Become Known: When people see you more than twice on social media, you become known to them. I know him or her or them, as they think to themselves or say to their friends.

Third Step They Like You: People like you when you either have something in common with one another or you can improve the quality of each other’s lives in an exchange or interaction. It could be something as simple as making someone laugh or giving away free content, like your music, or some educational content to add value to them.

Fourth Step Trust: When trust is built, you have found a raving fan, a loyal follower, and a buyer of what you offer. People buy products off the people they like, know, and trust. It’s not about the product; it’s about the person, the story, the relating to one another over time that will get you to this stage.

Not enough people like or trust you

In my personal experience, I see the majority of people, especially DJ’s and Producers, fall into the category of becoming known or getting attention, they get frustrated because the likes don’t come often and as easily as they would like. This comes down to a few things. One, lack of knowledge on this process. Two, it takes a lot of consistent work and patience over time in which we fall victim to wanting instant gratification. Three, we give up because we think silly thoughts that we aren't good enough or might never be popular in our own work or industry. So, we get discouraged, we doubt ourselves, and rarely put the work we need to break through that brick wall that stops our own success.

If you fall into any of these categories I have mentioned, never mind. It’s normal. I always get these silly thoughts that come into my mind. I am far from making a massive impact like I want to, but I am on the right path moving forward each day, so that’s what you need to understand in your own ventures and industry. People will tell you your industry is tough to make a living or a difference, whether that’s the music industry, personal growth, or health space. I am just naming names, but it doesn’t matter. It’s hard work to grow a loyal following.

Have you given people enough value for them to care?

We are coming into what I like to call a value based driven economy, especially in the online space. For a DJ/Producer, it’s important to realise that, unless your music is brilliant to those that are into your genre sub-genre, you will have a difficult time expanding your network of fans.

So, what do you do?

As this goes for many people in various industries, not just DJs, it’s important to see how you can differentiate yourself from others. How can you add more value to get people to like and trust you? I will talk in terms of what a DJ can do for this article. Instead of being a DJ and Producer that gives music to people, why not start your own online business part time? Everyone is their own business, anyway, just few people realise this. Can you teach people how to overcome obstacles or limitations that stop them from progressing further at their goals?

This is how you become valuable in your field. People get paid to solve other people’s problems or sell a service. At first, you put yourself out there, getting attention, becoming known, then give away free content, valuable information, or entertainment in videos and blogs. Forever building that likability and trust with your audience. Share your story from woe to win, have the courage to put yourself out there, and make a difference by inspiring people to take action and help them achieve their goals.

This is how you can generate the raving fans that will always support you at your DJ gigs or buy from you, and even better, become lifelong friends.

What I leant from reaching out to random people

It is common to stay in our own social groups and continue to be around the same people all the time, but it's uncommon to contact random people on your Facebook page and just say hi, taking the time out and getting to know them. What I learnt when I was involved in network marketing was how to contact people the right way, and take interest in others, building a lot of new friendships I still have to this day. It was a massive learning step for me, because I never really contacted people in the past. I would always stay closed off.

To share common ground with people, you have to be genuinely interested in them and what they do. When you are into music and DJing, you automatically think they will like it too, not the case. People only care about their own interests first. You have to get them to share that with you for them to be interested in what you offer or say. When you only share one common ground with a person, it’s hard to go further than that conversation. You want to develop more ground with them as long as you can find your own interest within the topic. It’s not about faking it; it’s about being genuine in communication to build rapport.

After my experiences of getting to know new people online, I got more people interested in what I was about with my music. They wanted to come to my DJ gigs and listen to my music. They would like every Facebook post I put up and would follow what I had to say. It was a big learning lesson for me, because it opened my eyes to growing a new network of people that followed me. And this is so simple but overlooked. That’s why I write what I feel is a very important post for all DJs, Music Producers, Artists, and people out there that struggle to build networks and connect with the right target audience.

Fish in the right pond

Another factor to building the right network of contacts, followers, and friendships is going where all the action is. You want to join groups on Facebook or websites like Reddit, Steemit, and DJ website forums to connect with the like-minded. You can’t grow a DJ following just people on your own personal Facebook page, nor can you always put your music in the same place. I will talk about that in another blog when I get into more of a way to market your music to get more plays, likes etc. Your target audience is critical to grow as a DJ, and your career depends on raving fans. Some have said you need 1000 raving fans to make a living off your music.

That means you need these thousand people to buy $100 worth of your product to make $100,000 a year. For further proof of this, check out this video and article below.

Video: https://youtu.be/Wlg3808gDic

Article: http://kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-fans/

Here are great book recommendations that will also help you

How to win friends and influence people - By Dale Carnegie

Jab, Jab, Jab Right Hook - Gary Vaynerchuck

Tribes - Seth Godin