Need to sharpen your music advertising and marketing expertise with the intention to develop your fanbase?
You may create the most effective tracks on this planet and distribute that music worldwide, however your songs received’t go very far with out good music advertising and marketing.
Sure, that’s true for artists in any respect ranges, together with superstars like Billie Eilish. If you happen to take into account the careers of your musical heroes, I’ll guess most of them have been the beneficiaries of fine music advertising and marketing.
However does “advertising and marketing” sounds intimidating? Or perhaps like some soulless enterprise exercise? The let’s body it as one thing extra thrilling and artistic.
Good music advertising and marketing is:
- telling part of your music’s story
- in a compelling method
- to the appropriate viewers
- via the appropriate medium
- on the proper time
- so your superb listener will discover, care, and take motion
If in case you have a method to monitor outcomes and follow-up with audience-members based mostly on the precise actions they’ve taken, all the higher! However I’ll depart extra superior ideas reminiscent of optimization and retargeting for an additional day.
Right this moment I wish to discover 5 frequent music advertising and marketing errors it is best to keep away from if you wish to steer your profession in the appropriate route:
Be careful for these music advertising and marketing pitfalls!
1. Not advertising and marketing your music in any respect
What’s the MOST frequent crack in an artist’s advertising and marketing basis? It’s not advertising and marketing in any respect.
You would possibly know the sort of artist. They excel at taking part in reveals, recording tracks, even releasing music. All of the enjoyable stuff. Maybe they submit a couple of present in Instagram Tales or create a Fb Occasion. Or they may put a hyperlink to their newest single on their homepage.
However they’re actually simply checking issues off an inventory. These artists don’t take extra steps to make these actions really feel really particular. They don’t incentivize participation. What a disgrace!
You could join the dots between the specified consequence and the steps it can take to get there. As a result of the precise legwork of fine music advertising and marketing begins by discovering the STORY you need inform, after which determining the right way to inform that story effectively.
Earlier than you launch a tune, announce a present, or drop an album, it is best to reply these questions:
- What’s distinctive about my tune, occasion, or profession?
- Who’s it for?
- Why ought to they care?
- How will somebody really feel as soon as they attend, hear, or buy?
- The place do they stay?
- When do they should take motion?
Not every bit of promoting content material you create has to handle ALL of the above. However YOU ought to know the entire story earlier than you start telling it.
Then it is best to record all of the avenues and instruments you need to inform that story. Phrases, video, photos, emails, texts, and extra. Make use of what you have got!
2. Neglecting your target market
One of many largest advertising and marketing errors musicians make is failing to outline WHO their diehard viewers actually is: their demographics, preferences, wants, and behaviors.
We wish our music to be cherished. By everybody. However that ain’t gonna occur. Each time Taylor Swift sells out some massive metropolis stadium, there are a whole bunch of 1000’s and even thousands and thousands of people that stayed dwelling.
Don’t dilute your music’s impression by anticipating it is going to be all issues to all individuals. If the web proves something, it’s the facility of leaning into your area of interest. You don’t wish to forged too huge a web. You could start with a target market in thoughts which helps you focus your efforts on the appropriate individuals, the appropriate platforms, and the proper of content material that successfully drives engagement and motion.
Your viewers and your concentrating on can change over time. However no less than start each advertising and marketing effort with a particular viewers in thoughts.
3. Not creating sufficient video content material
TikTok, Reels, Shorts. Social video is every thing proper now. It’s THE main method artists attain new listeners as we speak. So it’s laborious to overstate the significance of a vertical-video technique. I imply, frequent, high-quality video output.
It’s best to create a mixture of movies, together with:
- Efficiency movies (“stay” at dwelling, in live performance, or in an fascinating setting)
- Behind-the-scenes whereas recording
- Touring adventures
- Enjoyable details about your songs or lyrics
- Speak to us instantly (whereas strolling the canine, placing on make-up, and so forth.)
- Livestreams and AMAs
- Cowl tune snippets
- Gear opinions or tutorials
- Highlights from non-musical features of your life
- Occasional memes, skits, or developments (so long as it pertains to YOUR artistry or pursuits)
The best way that social platforms work now, viral moments have an more and more shorter shelf-life. So you may’t lean on just a few good movies for too lengthy. They’ll go stale.
As for high quality, social video can seem informal, nevertheless it ought to NOT look newbie. Be certain it has stable sound and lighting.
You may “batch” your content material creation by capturing a bunch of movies as soon as a month, or you may combine TikTok into your every day life. Both method, video content material creation ought to be baked into your ongoing efforts as a musician.
4. Squandering social engagement
Have you learnt the place your lifelong followers are probably to be? Within the feedback of your posts!
And but numerous musicians make the error of ignoring the facility of social engagement. They submit content material as if social is a one-to-many distribution channel. They don’t encourage additional dialogue, ask questions, or invite participation. Or they DO — however then fail to reply to these feedback. Both as a result of they’re too busy, too disorganized, or worse, they consider it as a job that’s beneath them.
These are your followers, your advocates, your clients. A coronary heart or a thumbs-up is the least you are able to do. Now think about how endeared you’d be in case your favourite artist put aside time to have a small however precise human dialog with you within the feedback part.
This form of customized social administration isn’t “scalable,” it isn’t all the time enjoyable, and also you received’t instantly see the outcomes. However provided that it’s a free, easy, and direct method to deepen your reference to individuals who’ve already responded to your content material, I would argue there’s no higher use of your time.
Write ‘em again!
5. Ignoring the info
Knowledge sounds chilly. Artists are heat, feeling, distinctive, resistant to numbers. However we shouldn’t ignore what the info is telling us. Knowledge is the story of how effectively we’re telling our story. How, if, when, and the place our music is connecting.
Knowledge doesn’t promise to current a fairly image. However it may be a goldmine for musicians. In all these analytics dashboards, advert units, and insights, you’ll discover the keys to your profession progress.
The place do it’s good to enhance? How must you pivot in your advertising and marketing? What are your choices to get higher outcomes for cheaper prices?
Your intestine instincts are priceless, however the information doesn’t (often) lie. Make a behavior of checking your numbers and the story they inform. Comply with the surprises. Lean into the successes. Be taught from the failures. Repeat.
Conclusion
Whereas the music trade continues to vary quickly, most of the frequent music advertising and marketing errors above are (sadly) perennial.
So maintain them in thoughts this yr, and in all of the years forward. At all times attempt for a extra strategic method to your storytelling, concentrating on, content material creation, engagement habits, and evaluation.
Higher music advertising and marketing could imply the distinction between obscurity and notoriety in our more and more aggressive and noisy world.
Need assist reaching new followers? Try our Alternatives as we speak!
