Wish to sharpen your music advertising and marketing expertise with a purpose to develop your fanbase?
You possibly can create the very best tracks on the earth 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 think about 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 manner
- to the fitting viewers
- by the fitting medium
- on the proper time
- so your excellent listener will discover, care, and take motion
When you’ve got a solution to monitor outcomes and follow-up with audience-members primarily based on the precise actions they’ve taken, all the higher! However I’ll depart extra superior ideas equivalent to optimization and retargeting for one more day.
As we speak I need to discover 5 frequent music advertising and marketing errors it’s best to keep away from if you wish to steer your profession in the fitting 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 may know this kind of artist. They excel at enjoying reveals, recording tracks, even releasing music. All of the enjoyable stuff. Maybe they put up a few 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 a listing. These artists don’t take further steps to make these actions really feel actually particular. They don’t incentivize participation. What a disgrace!
It is advisable join the dots between the specified end result 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 methods to inform that story nicely.
Earlier than you launch a tune, announce a present, or drop an album, it’s 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 dwell?
- When do they should take motion?
Not every bit of promoting 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 record all of the avenues and instruments you need to inform that story. Phrases, video, footage, emails, texts, and extra. Make use of what you might have!
2. Neglecting your audience
One of many greatest advertising and marketing errors musicians make is failing to outline WHO their diehard viewers actually is: their demographics, preferences, wants, and behaviors.
We would like our music to be liked. By everybody. However that ain’t gonna occur. At any time when Taylor Swift sells out some large metropolis stadium, there are a whole lot of hundreds and even thousands and thousands of people that stayed residence.
Don’t dilute your music’s influence by anticipating will probably be all issues to all individuals. If the web proves something, it’s the ability of leaning into your area of interest. You don’t need to forged too large a internet. It is advisable start with a audience in thoughts which helps you focus your efforts on the fitting individuals, the fitting platforms, and the correct 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 all the things proper now. It’s THE main manner artists attain new listeners in the present day. So it’s exhausting to overstate the significance of a vertical-video technique. I imply, frequent, high-quality video output.
You must create a mixture of movies, together with:
- Efficiency movies (“dwell” at residence, in live performance, or in an fascinating setting)
- Behind-the-scenes whereas recording
- Touring adventures
- Enjoyable info about your songs or lyrics
- Discuss to us straight (whereas strolling the canine, placing on make-up, and so on.)
- Livestreams and AMAs
- Cowl tune snippets
- Gear critiques or tutorials
- Highlights from non-musical elements 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’ll be able to’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. Ensure it has strong sound and lighting.
You possibly can “batch” your content material creation by taking pictures a bunch of movies as soon as a month, or you’ll be able to combine TikTok into your each day life. Both manner, 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 more than likely to be? Within the feedback of your posts!
And but numerous musicians make the error of ignoring the ability of social engagement. They put up 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 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 type of customized social administration isn’t “scalable,” it isn’t at all times enjoyable, and also you received’t instantly see the outcomes. However on condition 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
Information sounds chilly. Artists are heat, feeling, distinctive, resistant to numbers. However we shouldn’t ignore what the info is telling us. Information is the story of how nicely we’re telling our story. How, if, when, and the place our music is connecting.
Information 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 essential 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 business continues to alter quickly, most of the frequent music advertising and marketing errors above are (sadly) perennial.
So hold them in thoughts this yr, and in all of the years forward. All the time attempt for a extra strategic strategy 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.
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