Wish to sharpen your music advertising abilities with a purpose to develop your fanbase?
You’ll be able to create the very best tracks on the planet and distribute that music worldwide, however your songs gained’t go very far with out good music advertising.
Sure, that’s true for artists in any respect ranges, together with superstars like Billie Eilish. When you think about the careers of your musical heroes, I’ll wager most of them have been the beneficiaries of excellent music advertising.
However does “advertising” sounds intimidating? Or possibly like some soulless enterprise exercise? The let’s body it as one thing extra thrilling and artistic.
Good music advertising is:
- telling part of your music’s story
- in a compelling approach
- to the suitable viewers
- by way of the suitable medium
- on the proper time
- so your very best listener will discover, care, and take motion
In case you have a approach to monitor outcomes and follow-up with audience-members primarily based on the particular actions they’ve taken, all the higher! However I’ll go away extra superior ideas comparable to optimization and retargeting for one more day.
Right now I wish to discover 5 widespread music advertising errors it is best to keep away from if you wish to steer your profession in the suitable route:
Be careful for these music advertising pitfalls!
1. Not advertising your music in any respect
What’s the MOST widespread crack in an artist’s advertising basis? It’s not advertising 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 submit 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 extra steps to make these actions really feel actually particular. They don’t incentivize participation. What a disgrace!
It’s essential to join the dots between the specified consequence and the steps it is going to take to get there. As a result of the precise legwork of excellent music advertising begins by discovering the STORY you need inform, after which determining learn how 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, hear, or buy?
- The place do they dwell?
- When do they should take motion?
Not each piece 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 is best to record all of the avenues and instruments it’s important to inform that story. Phrases, video, photos, emails, texts, and extra. Make use of what you might have!
2. Neglecting your target market
One of many greatest advertising 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 cherished. By everybody. However that ain’t gonna occur. Each time Taylor Swift sells out some huge metropolis stadium, there are a whole lot of 1000’s and even thousands and thousands of people that stayed residence.
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 forged too large a internet. It’s essential to start with a target market in thoughts which helps you focus your efforts on the suitable folks, the suitable platforms, and the correct of content material that successfully drives engagement and motion.
Your viewers and your concentrating on can change over time. However at the least start each advertising 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 approach artists attain new listeners right now. So it’s laborious 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 attention-grabbing setting)
- Behind-the-scenes whereas recording
- Touring adventures
- Enjoyable info about your songs or lyrics
- Speak to us straight (whereas strolling the canine, placing on make-up, and many others.)
- Livestreams and AMAs
- Cowl track snippets
- Gear critiques or tutorials
- Highlights from non-musical points 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 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, however it ought to NOT look novice. 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 approach, video content material creation needs to be baked into your ongoing efforts as a musician.
4. Squandering social engagement
Have you learnt 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 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 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 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 at all times enjoyable, and also you gained’t instantly see the outcomes. However provided that it’s a free, easy, and direct approach 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 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 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 progress.
The place do you must enhance? How must you pivot in your advertising? What are your choices to get higher outcomes for cheaper prices?
Your intestine instincts are helpful, 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 trade continues to alter quickly, most of the widespread music advertising errors above are (sadly) perennial.
So hold them in thoughts this yr, and in all of the years forward. All the time try for a extra strategic method to your storytelling, concentrating on, content material creation, engagement habits, and evaluation.
Higher music advertising might imply the distinction between obscurity and notoriety in our more and more aggressive and noisy world.
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