Make Yourself a Star With Social Media

hop aboard the social media bandwagon with Renzie Baluyut.

In a recent post on Mashable, Stan Shroeder gives us "P. Diddy: To Be a True Star, You Must Also Be a Facebook Star".

In case you just emerged from a time capsule, or crawled out of a cave after several years of hibernation, let me fill you in on P. Diddy.

P. Diddy (also known as Diddy, Puff Daddy, Puffy or by his real name Sean Combs), is one of the world's most successful R&B/HipHop artists- having seen action in the industry as a recording executive, performer, producer, writer, arranger, clothing designer, and even as a Broadway actor.

Now, Diddy has built up a massive empire that includes record labels, talent management, fashion lines, movie production and even restaurants.

Diddy's latest venture is a new American Idol-esque talent competition on MTV called Starmaker. But besides the usual judges, theme nights and viewership votes, Diddy will be putting more emphasis on social media and social networking tools, just like Facebook.

According to Diddy:

“Before, it was just at live shows, now you have to be able to do a great live show, you have to be able to do a great online interview, you need to have a great Facebook page, you have to have a great television performance.”

Very well said, Diddy. The sad fact is that many artists, record labels, and even the record industry itself have been underutilizing social media and social networking.

Now is a great time for any band, anywhere to use an array of free tools online- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blogger, Wordpress, etc. to promote anything from a brand new single, to a bunch of live performance venues, or just about any branding effort imaginable.

All this social media made available to anyone with an internet connection has leveled the playing field. You don't need a team of publicists anymore- just a genuine desire to share your artistic vision and your music, a few loyal fans to champion your cause, and regular, periodic updates, blog entries and other things fans can share and enjoy.

The same holds true with just about any business. A band, or a record label, or a concert, is just like any small business venture- whether a quaint little coffee shop or a laundry service at the corner. Social media is the way to go. It's essential marketing for a brave new world.

Cheers, everyone.