New Day, New Site, New Blog, New Possibilities

It's Monday. The start of a new work week. The sound of an alarm going off too early. The thought of knowing you are going to have some good lunch due to the fact that you went grocery shopping on Sunday.

For me, today, Monday, January 28th, 2008 is a date that embraces change, possibility and, well, a lot more work to do.

You might have noticed some things have changed here at the blog. What you might ask? The domain for starters. I'm back on Blogspot for the time being. Not a huge fan of this but I am having troubles setting up an effective blog page over at the new site. (Open to suggestions) I have also changed this blog to reflect on me and not my company. Therefore the new title is Greg Rollett, a Blog About Music Marketing, Social Media and Millennials. The content won't steer too far from what was being produced here, and will continue on a frequent (hopefully daily) basis.

The biggest news is that we have officially launched RollettMarketing.com. There are still some glitches and some pieces are missing, but with all the client meetings and the office move in date approaching, we had to get it up.

I would love for everyone to go and check it out, tell me what you think about it and what you think needs improvement (i.e. what sucks) and how it functions. My team is filtering through it today and we have found a few glitches with both the text and the images.

As I mentioned above, the move in date for the new office downtown is now Friday, February 15th. Desk shopping at IKEA Orlando was unsuccessful, but we did get some great ideas.

We are looking for funding. I am not going to be shy about it. We are a music marketing firm that would love some start up cash. I have some great ideas for applications and resources that will require funding and a great developer to come into reality. In the meantime, we are here for our clients and the indie music scene and will continue on this track.

We are really excited and really tired. I am back at the 9 to 5 today and tonight head to the 6 to 12. I'm putting it all on the table and say that I am shooting for July 1st to be the day we go full time in the Music Marketing Business.

There's lots to do, lots to learn and (hopefully) lots to earn. The key is to be in tune to the music industry, the social media world and the needs of bands and music industry related businesses. We have a long road ahead of us and like Ryan Healy said this morning, its time to stop planning and start doing. That doing my friends, starts today!

Here's a quick sneak peak of the site:


Oh and I did get The Skateboard Sneakers CD online at Last.FM. The full post will be up tonight.

-Greg Rollett

Office Space

Today was a historic day for Rollett Marketing, Rock For Hunger and Endagon Entertainment. We embarked on a journey through downtown Orlando and checked out an office!

How cool you ask? Very. The office in all of its glorious uncut and poorly edited visuals can be seen in the video below.

What is even more exciting is the prospect of Rollett Marketing grow into a company large enough to need office space. We have been building our client list and preparing for a marketing and sales surge and are now seeing the possibilities of what full time attention can do for our lil ol start-up.

Wish us luck and enjoy this special edition of MTV (er G-Ro's) Cribs (Office building edition).

Click To Play

And it seems like I have been talking about these guys a lot lately, but I did want to show off my new copy of New Day Revolution, the new book from the cool kids at Cool People Care. There's a rumor circulating that these are available in all Barnes and Nobles, so go pick one up!

How Gen-Y Can Use Social Media to their Benefit

Tomorrow I am speaking at the Tampa Bay Workforce Alliance Scholars Event. I am talking to a group of individuals interested in maximizing their social media for the job search. As I began writing the power point I just started writing and writing. This is not a 30 minute speed dating topic. I did manage to break it down and fell confident in what I will be telling this group in Tampa tomorrow.

Gen-Y is at such an advantage than any previous generation before them. We grew up on video games, computers in every home and laptops on every lap in college. We used beepers to get across messages in codes that we created and took that into Instant Messaging and now texting. We have lived with the internet our whole lives and have seen it grow from that annoying dial up sound to the iPhone.

So how does this help job seekers? It doesn’t really, if you don’t know how to properly use it. Myspace is great for friends and teens, but that HTML code in a box doesn’t fly in the corporate world. Nor does most of your profile interests or Flickr pages. What does throwing sheep have to do with being an adult (Facebook tries to tell us that its biggest group of new members are over 30)?

Job seeking today is a billion dollar business. I work right smack in the middle of it. But yet, the best jobs are not found online on the major job boards, or in papers, or on the radio. They are found through word of mouth, through connections, through networking. This is where our advantage comes into play. By being active in social networks, blogging and being active in joining online conversations we can position ourselves for the best positions and career choices available.

Being online is about creating your personal brand. My blog allows me to express myself and gain business in the process. If you can find a niche and become an industry player, your options will increase and you will become smarter in the process. It is experience that cannot be undervalued. In writing these articles, I read other blogs, newspapers, magazines, talk to industry folks and get an understanding of the topic.

Now I no longer look for clients, they find me. You can position yourself as much or little as you’d like and all the content that is created is yours. Brad yourself everywhere or just in 1 or 2 places. Find what is hot in your industry and start making connections, start researching and getting acknowledged for the work that you put in.

Job hunting is not what it used to be. By combining the efforts of job boards, social networks, blogging and other social media mediums you can begin to create the brand of you. I guarantee that even if you don’t get your dream job today, you will be well on your way to happiness and security within a niche. I know that I am still coming into my own with blogging, social media and the likes but I grow to love it more with every passing day. I have met some great people, look forward to meeting and talking with many more and will continue to build upon the foundation that I have been laying.

Look for a wrap-up tomorrow from Tampa. Hopefully I got it right and will get them on the right path with their own personal branding and teach them some tricks along the way.

-Greg Rollett

Cool People Do Care – The Next Move

I have been doing a lot of work with not-for-profits in the last few months. Most noticeably with an Orlando start-up, Rock For Hunger. I started as a musician playing their shows over a year ago now and have shifted gears and become the head of their Marketing and Communications as well as the Employment and End Homeless Director.

Through working with Chris at Rock For Hunger, I have started to dream bigger than I ever thought I could. We are now embarking on a new journey; writing a book. We are collecting stories that will paint a picture of the poverty situation in this nation and how Generation-Y, aka the Millennials, can get involved. It gets better with a soundtrack I am producing that will highlight the chapters and bring life to the stories told. To top it off, we plan on taking the show on the road with a book and music tour next fall, going though the South and East coasts playing in coffee shops, book stores, universities, churches and street corners until the words of Rock For Hunger have been thoroughly spread. The goal date: August 2008.

I can’t personally say that I came up with this idea on my own though. The great vision of some stellar Gen-Yers have jumped through this hoop before. I have to take my hat off to the bands that come through Orlando, in their vans eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which ironically enough was the first menu item on Rock For Hunger feedings. Last night saw the Crazy Anglos, an Atlanta based rap-rock band that takes a nomination for hardest working band in the underground. Almost 2 years ago they started hitting the road and have had little more than a week off since. I think that it is finally starting to pay off.

Next up is Drew Petrone. He has been busting his tail at a Sign-A-Rama Start-Up franchise, freelance designing (which needs to be a full time career of his), assisting and volunteering for Rock For Hunger and taking his band, Orlando based Union Made, to the top of the local funk-rock scene. He does all of this with total concern for his clients, colleagues, friends and band mates. Drew has never asked for anything in return.

Last in my list today is the cool kids from the Cool People Care crew. I have been following Sam and Stephen since Sam posted an interview on Rebecca’s Modite blog a few months back. Since then, we have made contact and even featured them as a partner for the Rock For Hunger Festival this past November. These Cool People that care have been passing along a message, that Gen-Y, the entitlement Generation, is ready to help where help is needed. Their mission is simple enough, CoolPeopleCare exists to show you how to change the world in whatever time you have. One minute? Five minutes? An entire day? Whatever you have, we'll help you spend it wisely. Sam and Stephen have come together to write the ever impressive, New Day Revolution, a guide to saving the world in 24 hours. They have taken their passion for the better of the world and made a full time business out of it.

It is the drive of Gen-Yers like this that I come to work everyday inspired. It is why I work the 9-5 hard to get noticed, then go home and put on more hats than the Village People. It is why I have dreams, and why our generation has the hope to do bigger things than any other generation before us. The communication gap is non-existent; you can get in touch with anyone in our generation faster than ever before and more efficiently. Bands can have fans before a record deal and before their busted van stops in front of a whole in the wall bar. And companies can be made with friends who have a passion to make a change in the world. Amen.

The Future of MP3 Downloads. Food For Thought Major Labels.

Tonight I had the pleasure of being interview by Mark Jigarjian, a Media Production major at Rollins College in Winter Park. The talks ranged from the general Myspace Marketing of bands, to viral videos on YouTube to how social media and technology has changed the game and leveled the playing field to anyone with music as a passion.

The interview will air early next week after they talk to a few more people in the industry, and edit the piece down from all my ramblings.

One point that I came up with towards the end of the interview was that of merging media distribution. I brought up the point of Blip.tv distributing my videos with one click to my Myspace Blog, Myspace Bulleting, Facebook application, Twitter account and Blogger Blog.

I then motioned that MP3’s can and should be distributed in the same way. When you upload a song, why couldn’t it be virtually sent out to Myspace, Facebook pages, SnoCaP, iTunes, Amazon, Pandora, CD Baby and the countless number of indie sites offering music downloads and streaming capability?

I then took it a step further and said that it would possibly take the power of the major labels to make such a deal or process happen. With their resources and power, the majors could make it possible for musicians to aggregate their downloadable music through a bevy of platforms with a single upload. And they could even take a cut of the sales. How about that major labels?

I call this the G-Ro Music Aggregation Theory. Put it in the books.

-g-ro

Dreams and Dremaing Big

With goal setting past me at this point, seeing that I don’t keep them very well I have moved on to making sure I at the very least attempt my dreams. Keeping up with my personal life lately has been a roller coaster that even my wife cannot figure out. One day I am saving the world with Rock For Hunger, another I am leading a revolt for job seekers and Gen-Y. Tomorrow I am running a Marketing Company that has serious dollar implications involved. Then comes the studio work and the music. Oh and did I mention that I also pull a 9-5 to survive?

Wearing so many hats, it is hard to keep focus and determine what hat to wear at one given time. I was even called an over-promiser and under-deliver this week. Damn. In taking a look back now, maybe I have, maybe I haven’t. In certain aspects, yes I have under produced. This being in my own personal company and my musical aspirations. I think that I have over-performed in pulling weight in Rock For Hunger and the 9-5.

So to get back to dreams. What do I want to accomplish when push comes to shove? Where is all this hard work taking me to? Am I happy with where it is going?

I’m pretty happy. Great wife and family. Bills paid, no more debt. Good (not great) 9-5. What is missing? I think what is missing is that fire, that desire to push harder everyday to get what it is that I want out of life in the end. That is to be happy, travel and have quality time for myself and my family.

Chris and I have decided this week that we are going to start realizing our dreams. We have committed to a new project that will encompass our lives in the coming months and hopefully years to come. Details on the project won’t be revealed until this weekend when we make it official. I can say that it involves all the ingredients that are encompassed in my dreams. Travel, family and changing the world.

It takes a lot to change your mentality from the traditional 9-5, dinner, tv and sleep to pursuing something that you believe in so much that you are willing to sacrifice and make a commitment to something that is bigger than you and will have a great impact on your future, your career, the lives of others and your life in general. And hey, if it has to do with Gen-Y entitlement and me wanting to be the boss of my life, then so be it. I am ready to accept the responsibility of my life in my own hands.

Dreams. This is the power of life. Dreams make for marketing plans, big studio movies, comeback albums, open social, new job opportunities, new homes and other endeavors. It’s time for you to dream, get that new idea and make it happen. Even if it means going out of your comfort zone.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

-g-ro

Jay-Z, Viral Marketing and Local Bands

This is part 2 from Wednesday’s post on Jay-Z and his newest release, American Gangster. After thinking about what Jay did in efforts to market his release with that of the movie of the same name I thought about how local and indie bands could jump on this promotional strategy.

1.Use local events as selling points. Quick example: Release a short EP loosely based around the Florida Music Festival and use Axis Magazine to ride the coattails of this festival. Everytime someone searches for FMF, use some creative search marketing to get your new album to rank high in the Search Engines. Create a new Myspace page with keywords in the title and URL, create short commercials on YouTube, have Craigslist postings selling the CD and even asking for volunteers to help sell it or pass it out at the Festival. Create events for its release on every platform there is. Then, once you have dominated the search rankings, you will leave Axis no other choice but to throw an article your way about the album, its marketing, hopefully your showcase in the festival and even an album review. Now you are getting the exposure of playing in a great festival, the press that goes with the mad being distributed to everyone in attendance, and everyone online who wants more info on the festival.

2.Use holidays to your advantage. Create events around holidays and make them an event instead of just another show. Halloween is obviously easy as costume parties are great. Make it memorable so the casual bar hopper remembers your band and what you did on that holiday. Having an Easter Bunny mascot hanging out chocolates with your band’s name on the wrapper, Special Green CD’s on St Patty’s Day, having a retirement group do a dance video of one of your songs to promote on YouTube for Veteran’s Day. Get creative and create something with a lasting impression.

3.Incorporate local business. Writing a song about a favorite hang out, bar, restaurant or store can get the establishment involved in the promotion of your band. The local store may play the song on loop all day and sell your CD’s at the counter. Give away free stickers, buttons, CD’s; give away their stickers, coupons or promo material at your shows. Not only will customers be exposed to your music but you are creating free advertising for the business and may just convert some employees into fans and better yet street team/salespeople for your music.

4. Use the movie effect. Rappers have used these to generate interest in mixtapes for years. Try having parodies of titles, goofy bonus songs and even viral videos that compliment the latest blockbuster movie.

5. Controversy sells. When a new law is passed, many people research it online. Having a song, video, concept that goes along with this law will get your ban extra exposure and may even make you an authority on the law in question.

There are countless other ways to cross promote your product with that of other products. The key is to react fast. With a movie release you can find the release date, weeks if not months in advance. You want your product’s marketing to launch before or at the same time as the product you are trying to promote off of. Being ahead of the curve gets the early adopters to site you as an authority on the subject and can get press involved if they find your work good and buzzworthy. Be fast, be creative and be heard.

If your band wants to get heard louder, faster and with more impact, email me to schedule a consultation.

-g-ro

Lunch With Joel

Today I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with online recruiting guru, Joel Cheesman, founder of Cheezhed. I reached out to grab a quick bite while he was in town for the Recruiting 2007 Conference and Expo. Lucky for me this meant an escape from the office for a few to rack the brain of someone who gets SEO in the recruitment field. Highlights form the talk included:

Use localized video-This will be a great addition to both RollettMarketing.com and the Orlando JobSpot. Thinking of doing a weekly show for both websites.

Leverage off the power of large domains like YouTube and Myspace. I always knew this but it makes a little more sense now.

Long tail is huge. If 2 people that need jobs are searching for “customer service part time near airport” and cannot find a job that suits them, I have failed as an SEO expert that is writing job descriptions. This is data that your webmaster needs to supply, even if you have to use a stick to beat it out of them.

Rethink Podcasting. I have been opposed to podcasting ever since I heard the word. Even with my recording background, the thought of someone listening to me talk on their iPod just didn’t sound enticing. What the hell, I can record the hell outta some music, so why not give it a shot.

Facebook Apps are useless for job seekers. There is still that wall up between job seekers and their social networks. All apps have failed and show no signs of innovation, viral capability and focus. Plus, no one markets them on their own sites. Imagine if Career Builder had links on their homepage? But they don’t and their app sunk to the bottom of the barrel.

Employers need to smarten up. Sell your positions. As a job poster I can only do so much to spruce up your crappy driving position. Make it sound enticing. If when you are posting a job online and think the job sucks, what will the job seekers think?

Their needs to be some responsibility on the part of the employer. If all you want is numbers in the door, so be it. But if you really want to grow your company, have a better bottom line and maybe get that Christmas bonus, start taking some pride in how and who you hire.

I’m done for the day. Joel it was awesome finally meeting you. I hope that we gave you some insight into the localization of job boards and the power that can be obtained from not having to always get the red tape from corporate. Anywho, its time to Rock For Hunger. Hunger Banquet tonight at UCF!!

-g-ro

Jumping on the I Hate Prince Bandwagon

Who does this guy think he is? Just because he has sold a go-gillion records, made un-makable amounts on money and can change his name from Price to a symbol back to Prince again, doesn’t meant hat he has the rights to take on fans for liking his music so much that they actually not only buy the CD, but they dance to it, listen to it in their cars, get tattoos and make stickers of the famed symbol and embrace one of the planet’s most recognizable rock stars.

Where does this guy get off? He is not only taking on YouTube and Pirate Bay but now fan sites that cite his lyrics and host pictures. God, if I had one fan site where people loved my music so much they would make pretty banners, signs and quote my lyrics, I would be a happy camper.

(Just in: Price has announced plans to “reclaim the internet,” oh boy!)

According to Rueters.com, the sites have vowed to unite under the banner "Prince Fans United" and take the matter to court if necessary.

"We strongly believe that such actions are in violation of ... freedom of speech and should not be allowed," said a statement from the three sites -- www.housequake.com, www.princefams.com and www.prince.org.

As of right now he is not suing any of the sites and has not gone through with his YouTube threats. This doesn’t mean that his image is cleared by any means. Just by reaching out to destroy loyal fans, he may impact the future buying power of the Price army.

Whereas now most bands coming up in the scene rely on YouTube, Myspace, Absolute Punk and other community style followings to catch a break and create a fan base, larger artists are shying away and looking down on anyone that is trying to “steal” their precious copyrighted music. Now I’m not saying that it is ok for fans to steal music from artists, I am saying that without fans and their allegiance to the music and the artists, there would be no fast cars and rock stars.

So this is a cry to all you major label artists;

1) You can’t stop the internet so stop trying.

2) Major labels are losing badly and you are part of the cause. Take charge of your own career and stop relying on suites who can’t comprehend the power of the new media and what it can do

3) Embrace change –first there were records, then 8 tracks, then tapes and cd’s. It’s time to give way to the MP3 and its been here already for 7 or so years (old Napster is at least that old). Jump on the party ship, it will be boatloads of fun and

4) Embrace the fans who care so much about your music. There has never been a better time to communicate with your fans. Create a blog, respond to messages, create videologs, whatever just be a voice for your band. Look what it has done for Fall Out Boy, Gym Class Heroes and any other Myspace Gen band.

Have fun with this one folks!

Create Magazine Kick Off Party This Friday -Rockin 4 Hunger

Create Magazine and Rock For Hunger are bringing you the official Rock For Hunger Fest II Kick-Off Party and Award Ceremony this Friday at Backbooth in Downtown Orlando. We will be giving out the 1st annual Rock For Hunger Awards that include:

Band of the Year
Future Stars of Rock For Hunger
Hustler of the Year
Ambassador of the Year

Look for live performances from:
Caveman Theory
Union Made
Sugarfree

This is going to be a giant meet and greet for all bands, media, press, volunteers and the general public before the magic of Saturday happens.

See you there. I will be presenting some of the awards and will be speaking on behalf of Rock For Hunger, Rollett Marketing and the Orlando Employment Guide.

SnoCap Waives Annual Fee

Indie artists who are using SnoCap on their Myspace profiles no longer have to worry about being charged the $30 annual fee that was initially waived at the start of the first year. This is great for artists to continue their relationship with SnoCap and new ones having less doubts about signing up. I actually like SnoCap, as you can set your own prices and add tracks instantly right out of the studio.

SnoCap has gained quite the following for non iTunes ready indie bands and even some bigger acts and major label side projects. The ease of use and immediacy makes it a worthwhile app for all unsigned bands to use.

I personally have not benefited from great sales, my iTunes checks still come more frequently, but when I release new music in the coming new year, I expect to sell almost exclusively on the digital front and expect SnoCap to catch a majority of my sales.

Cartfly is also a great one for bands. All Rollett Marketing artists are encouraged to set up accounts with these groups and utilize the power of mp3's and digital shopping carts to drive sales and fan base.

-G-Ro

Optimizing my Social Network Participation

I was an addict. Morning, lunch, night and every 15 minutes throughout the day I was checking Myspace. Getting updates, reading bulletins, friend requesting anyone that looked cool or might like my music was my daily regimen. I loved it. I still even have a soft spot for it. But what happened?

SPAM.

I was part of the problem. At the peak of my band’s popularity on Myspace, we were using FriendAdded religiously. We had a schedule. I had Tuesdays and Fridays and was responsible for friending 500 people, with a tag along 500 emails with a bland introduction of our band that I’m sure no one read. It also contained a link to buy our CD (which people did actually buy!).

The band broke up. That Myspace page is useless. All the hard work is gone. I still have my personal page though and most of my better connections are there. The problem with that page? SPAM! No bragging rights here but 3,000 friends on a personal page is absurd. All the bulletins are promoting products or are some form of a survey that no one really cares about.

So I moved on. Still conduct my business on Myspace. My calendar, contacts, venues, studios, marketing companies, radio personalities, bands, and some close friends hang out there relatively often. I book clients through that page still. I sell my beats and studio time through Myspace. So, no, it is not a complete waste. It is just not helping me network any further. I a no longer building relationships, personal relationships, through Myspace any longer.

Enter Facebook. I never believed the hype. I still do not see the $15 billion dollars being put to amazing use but it does things better and more efficiently than Myspace or any other social network that is currently at market.

First thing is that I can actually find my friends, colleagues, and people that I want to network with. I type in their name. Wow, revolutionary. Second, is the news feeds. I no longer need to visit every person’s slow loading page to see what they are up to. I have it all on my home page. Wow, revolutionary.

I can go on and on, but you have Facebook so you know its boring features. Next is Twitter. You ca read all my thoughts on it at my Twitter love tale. For this I will say that as soon as my peeps jump on the Twitter trail the world will be a better place. Pick and choose who you want to follow (stalk) and get their info, instantly. Better yet, a business can send me updates before the paper comes out or the emails get read. A conference can send tweets on room changes, panel speakers, and parking arrangements as they happen. Restaurants can throw out their daily specials. Job boards can post their new positions before they go live on their site. Shipping companies can notify of your package information. News is breaking on Twitter before RSS feeds.

This now brings me to Flock. Read about it on Mashable last week. Now it’s on. A little bar that runs on the sidebar that updates my Twitter feeds, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr. Wow, revolutionary. Move over Firefox. Has a built in RSS Reader. Siyanara Google. A media bar to see any of my pics and insert them into my blog postings in less time than it takes to Tivo the new iTouch commercial.

What this means is less time for wasting around the social network sphere and more time working, getting the information you need right now, before it breaks and faster than you could at any point in human history(or maybe actually and physically networking and building with the people you have stalked during your social networking).

Who cares about Google? Who cares about Viacom and Newscorp? I can receive any information that I want, on my own time from the people that I want to hear it from. And in turn, I can tell the world what I know, how I feel about it and join the conversation about it online on my own time.

But what do I know. I’m just a punk musician that stumbled into this world and ran with it. Oh and be sure to add me as a friend on Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/grobreakn). I will appreciate the company and will gladly ignore all of your survey bulletins and vote for me crap.

-G-Ro

AD2 Orlando Presents the Future of Advertising Tonight

I will be heading out in a few to Downtown Orlando for AD2 Orlando's Future of Advertising Event. Here's the details:

Five industry visionaries host a discussion as panelists on "The Future of Advertising." Each will bring their own insight into the mediums and messaging technology that advertising professionals will use in the future.

Featuring:

• Forest Young of PUSH - Guerrilla Marketing
• Ryan Frazier of Comcast - Outdoor Marketing
• Marcelle Turner of Mindcomet - B2B and Using User Feedback in Email
• Erik Hersman of Mindcomet - Social Media and Blogging
• Wagner Bucci dos Santos of Beloved Marketing - Experiential Marketing

When: Wednesday, October 17, from 6 – 8 pm
Where: Citrus Restaurant (821 North Orange Avenue in downtown Orlando)

Hope to see some familiar faces there, including Katrina Priore of Create Magazine! I will hopefully be covering the event live as it happens (WiFi permitting) and if not look for a wrap up tonight.

Have a good one Orlando!

Why is your business not Facebooking or Myspacing again? Just Wondering!

Today is a busy day at the Rollett Marketing offices. First off, I do have to confess that I finally gave into the Holy Grail and bought an iBook. And let me tell you I couldn’t be happier! Way overdo if I say so myself.

Getting into the Marketing world today I really wanted to point out some information about the Myspace generation. First of all when I say Myspace generation, I mean the Millennial Generation (i.e. Generation-Y) and it is not solely confined to Myspace. This encompasses the whole social networking, Web 2.0, widget and application world. I think that 'Myspace Generation' is a fitting categorization for the largest class to enter colleges this fall. With university education getting back in motion yesterday here in Orlando (Go Knights!) I needed to share some valuable information with you.

First, if you are not marketing to this generation, you are clueless in your business approach (unless you are selling prune juice or V8). Secondly, if you are not focusing at least 25% of your efforts where we hang out, then you are even more lost. Where do we hang out, what do we do? You don’t need to move far from where you are right now! The computer encompasses more of our time than anything else and needs to be your key focus to hit this demographic.

Look at this:
- 93 percent of students report that they own a cell phone
- 58 percent of students own an MP3 player
- 27 percent of co-eds cite choosing to stay in touch with friends via social networking site over face-to-face communication or over phone
- 54 percent of college students (ages 18-30) visit a social network in a typical day
- 66 percent of students are learning about brands, products and services from their friends

You want numbers for Facebook and Myspace! Well here you go!
-Myspace bought by Rupert Murdoch for some $580 million
-YouTube bought by Google for just under $1 billion
-Facebook just turned down Yahoo $1 billion offer

Myspace boasts 60 million active users
Facebook boasts 27 million active users

Even more disturbing is that over 3.5% of every American (or 7.5 million people) with a mobile phone has visited Myspace, Facebook or another social networking site on that mobile device.

If this post hasn’t convinced you to get off your ass and get moving on social networks, then I don’t know what will. Everyone knows that us Millennial kids have the attention span of a 2-year old, so if you wait too long you are going to miss out on the biggest marketing opportunity of your lifetime!

This isn’t to say that you need to spend the big bucks to get on the home page of Myspace, they won’t even write you a reply if your budget is less than $50,000, but it is to say that you need to effectively market your product on a profile and spread the word. Don’t chase cool, blend in and let cool find you, even if you are prune juice or V8! 

For more information on how Rollett Marketing can help get your feet wet in Social Networks please email greg@rollettmarketing.com or grollett@tmail.com for instant access.

Greg’s new book “Myspace Band Fund” will be available worldwide in October. Check back for more information and to get special bonuses from our pre-sales!

If you are feeling generous, please make a donation to Rock For Hunger.

Hip-Hop 4 Hunger Hits Orlando August 2nd at the AKA Lounge with The AB's, X-144 and SPS, Greyscalemusic, Caveman Theory and Minstrel's Company

Join Endagon Entertainment, Rock for Hunger and G-Ro as they present the biggest hip-hop event to hit Orlando this year! Hip-Hop 4 Hunger is a charity concert that will benefit the 2nd Harvest Food Bank and the Monday night feedings at the Post Office in Downtown Orlando. The goal of this event is to provide awareness and access to our community.

Hip-Hop4 Hunger will take place August 2nd at AkA Lounge on Pine Street in Downtown Orlando, Florida.

This event will draw upwards of 300 socially aware urban cultured individuals that want to play a part in our community. We interest these people with music and a message. If you would like to sponsor this event please contact Rock For Hunger.

The line-up for this event is as follows:

9pm Doors and Rock for Hunger Slide Show and Video
930 pm-Minstrels Company hits the stage
10:20-Caveman Theory
11:00-X-144 and SPS
12-Headliners the AB's (formerly known as Asamov) rock AKA Lounge
1:15-Greyscalemusic closes the night out

In between sets and bands you will be treated to the best in local and indie hip-hop with DJ's Dolo and SPS with your host G-Ro from Rollett Marketing and Rock For Hunger. There will be prizes, giveaways and live tapings for knowledge of our community, poverty and your awareness.

You can buy advance tickets by clicking the flyer below for only $7.00. All bands also have tickets available for you! Please help support a great cause and let's sell out the AKA Lounge for a great music and an even greater cause!

-g-ro