Need to sharpen your music advertising and marketing abilities with a purpose to develop your fanbase?
You’ll be able to 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. Should you take into account the careers of your musical heroes, I’ll guess most of them had 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 precise viewers
- by the precise medium
- on the proper time
- so your preferrred listener will discover, care, and take motion
When you have a solution to observe 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 similar to optimization and retargeting for one more day.
At this time I wish to discover 5 widespread music advertising and marketing errors it’s best to keep away from if you wish to steer your profession in the precise route:
Be careful for these music advertising and marketing pitfalls!
1. Not advertising and marketing your music in any respect
What’s the MOST widespread crack in an artist’s advertising and marketing basis? It’s not advertising and marketing in any respect.
You may know this kind of artist. They excel at taking part in exhibits, 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 further 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 outcome and the steps it’s going to 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 find out how to inform that story nicely.
Earlier than you launch a track, announce a present, or drop an album, it’s best to reply these questions:
- What’s distinctive about my track, 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 reside?
- When do they should take motion?
Not each piece of selling content material you create has to deal with ALL of the above. However YOU ought to know the entire story earlier than you start telling it.
Then it’s best to listing all of the avenues and instruments you need to inform that story. Phrases, video, photos, emails, texts, and extra. Make use of what you’ve!
2. Neglecting your audience
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 liked. By everybody. However that ain’t gonna occur. At any time when Taylor Swift sells out some massive metropolis stadium, there are a whole lot of hundreds and even tens of millions of people that stayed dwelling.
Don’t dilute your music’s impression by anticipating it will likely be all issues to all folks. If the web proves something, it’s the ability of leaning into your area of interest. You don’t wish to solid too broad a internet. You could start with a audience in thoughts which helps you focus your efforts on the precise folks, the precise platforms, and the proper of content material that successfully drives engagement and motion.
Your viewers and your focusing on can change over time. However at the least start each advertising and marketing effort with a selected viewers in thoughts.
3. Not creating sufficient video content material
TikTok, Reels, Shorts. Social video is every little thing proper now. It’s THE main method artists attain new listeners immediately. So it’s onerous to overstate the significance of a vertical-video technique. I imply, frequent, high-quality video output.
It is best to create a mixture of movies, together with:
- Efficiency movies (“reside” at dwelling, in live performance, or in an fascinating setting)
- Behind-the-scenes whereas recording
- Touring adventures
- Enjoyable details about your songs or lyrics
- Discuss to us immediately (whereas strolling the canine, placing on make-up, and many others.)
- Livestreams and AMAs
- Cowl track snippets
- Gear evaluations 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 way in which that social platforms work now, viral moments have an more and more shorter shelf-life. So you may’t lean on a number of good movies for too lengthy. They’ll go stale.
As for high quality, social video can seem informal, however it ought to NOT look newbie. Make sure it has strong sound and lighting.
You’ll be able to “batch” your content material creation by capturing a bunch of movies as soon as a month, or you may combine TikTok into your each day life. Both method, video content material creation must be baked into your ongoing efforts as a musician.
4. Squandering social engagement
Are you aware the place your lifelong followers are almost definitely to be? Within the feedback of your posts!
And but numerous musicians make the error of ignoring the ability 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 answer these feedback. Both as a result of they’re too busy, too disorganized, or worse, they consider it as a process that’s beneath them.
These are your followers, your advocates, your prospects. 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 kind 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 solution 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, proof against numbers. However we shouldn’t ignore what the info is telling us. Knowledge is the story of how nicely we’re telling our story. How, if, when, and the place our music is connecting.
Knowledge doesn’t promise to current a reasonably 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 development.
The place do that you must 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 useful, however the information doesn’t (normally) 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 business continues to alter quickly, most of the widespread music advertising and marketing errors above are (sadly) perennial.
So hold them in thoughts this 12 months, and in all of the years forward. At all times attempt for a extra strategic method to your storytelling, focusing 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.
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