Wish to sharpen your music advertising and marketing abilities so as to develop your fanbase?
You’ll be able to create the perfect 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. When you contemplate the careers of your musical heroes, I’ll wager 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 manner
- to the appropriate viewers
- via the appropriate medium
- on the proper time
- so your ideally suited listener will discover, care, and take motion
When you’ve got a strategy to monitor outcomes and follow-up with audience-members primarily based on the precise actions they’ve taken, all the higher! However I’ll go away extra superior ideas resembling optimization and retargeting for an additional day.
At this time 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 any such artist. They excel at taking part in reveals, recording tracks, even releasing music. All of the enjoyable stuff. Maybe they publish 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 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!
It is advisable to join the dots between the specified end result and the steps it’ll 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 easy methods to inform that story nicely.
Earlier than you launch a track, announce a present, or drop an album, it is 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, pay attention, or buy?
- The place do they stay?
- When do they should take motion?
Not every bit 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 is best to record all of the avenues and instruments it’s a must to inform that story. Phrases, video, photos, emails, texts, and extra. Make use of what you’ve!
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 beloved. By everybody. However that ain’t gonna occur. At any time when Taylor Swift sells out some huge metropolis stadium, there are tons of of hundreds and even tens of millions of people that stayed dwelling.
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 facility of leaning into your area of interest. You don’t wish to solid too extensive a web. It is advisable to start with a target market in thoughts which helps you focus your efforts on the appropriate individuals, the appropriate platforms, and the correct of content material that successfully drives engagement and motion.
Your viewers and your focusing on can change over time. However a minimum of 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 all the things proper now. It’s THE main manner artists attain new listeners at present. 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 (“stay” at dwelling, in live performance, or in an fascinating setting)
- Behind-the-scenes whereas recording
- Touring adventures
- Enjoyable information about your songs or lyrics
- Speak to us straight (whereas strolling the canine, placing on make-up, and so forth.)
- Livestreams and AMAs
- Cowl track snippets
- Gear critiques or tutorials
- Highlights from non-musical elements of your life
- Occasional memes, skits, or traits (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’ll be able to’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 beginner. Ensure it has stable 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’ll be able to combine TikTok into your each day life. Both manner, 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 most certainly to be? Within the feedback of your posts!
And but numerous musicians make the error of ignoring the facility of social engagement. They publish 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 kind of customized social administration isn’t “scalable,” it isn’t at all times enjoyable, and also you received’t instantly see the outcomes. However provided that it’s a free, easy, and direct strategy to deepen your reference to individuals who’ve already responded to your content material, I’d argue there’s no higher use of your time.
Write ‘em again!
5. Ignoring the information
Knowledge sounds chilly. Artists are heat, feeling, distinctive, proof against numbers. However we shouldn’t ignore what the information 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 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 development.
The place do you want 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 useful, however the knowledge doesn’t (often) lie. Make a behavior of checking your numbers and the story they inform. Comply with the surprises. Lean into the successes. Study from the failures. Repeat.
Conclusion
Whereas the music business continues to vary quickly, lots 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 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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