You possibly can create one of the best tracks on the planet, however they gained’t go very far with out good music advertising. That’s true for artists in any respect ranges. If you happen to contemplate the careers of your musical heroes, I’ll wager most of them had been the beneficiaries of excellent music advertising.
If “advertising” sounds intimidating — or like some soulless enterprise exercise — let’s body it as one thing extra thrilling and artistic. As a result of as we kick off a brand new 12 months, you’re going to wish to sharpen your advertising expertise with a view to develop your fanbase in 2024.
Good music advertising is:
- telling part of your music’s story
- in a compelling means
- to the proper viewers
- via the proper medium
- on the proper time
- so your supreme listener will discover, care, and take motion
You probably have a method to observe outcomes and follow-up with audience-members based mostly on the particular actions they’ve taken, all the higher! However I’ll depart extra superior ideas corresponding to optimization and retargeting for one more day.
Be careful for these music advertising pitfalls!
Right now I wish to discover 5 widespread music advertising errors you need to keep away from if you wish to steer your profession in the proper route:
1. Not advertising your music in any respect
What’s the MOST widespread crack in an artist’s advertising basis? Not advertising in any respect.
You would possibly know the sort of artist. They excel at taking part in exhibits, recording tracks, even releasing music. The enjoyable stuff. They could submit a few present in Instagram Tales or create a Fb Occasion. They may put a hyperlink to their newest single on their homepage.
However they’re actually simply checking issues off an inventory. They don’t take further steps to make these actions really feel really particular. They don’t incentivize participation. They don’t join the dots between the specified consequence and the steps it is going to take to get there.
The precise legwork of excellent music advertising begins by discovering the STORY you need inform, after which determining how one can inform that story nicely.
Earlier than you launch a track, announce a present, or drop an album, you need 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 you need to listing 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’ve gotten!
2. Neglecting your target market
One of many largest 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 beloved. By everybody. However that ain’t gonna occur. Every 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 house.
Don’t dilute your music’s influence by anticipating it is going to be all issues to all folks. 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 internet. It is advisable to start with a target market in thoughts which helps you focus your efforts on the proper folks, the proper 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 very 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 means artists attain new listeners in 2024. 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 (“reside” at house, in live performance, or in an attention-grabbing setting)
- Behind-the-scenes whereas recording
- Touring adventures
- Enjoyable details about your songs or lyrics
- Discuss to us instantly (whereas strolling the canine, placing on make-up, and so forth.)
- 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 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, however it ought to NOT look novice. Ensure it has stable 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 means, 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 almost definitely 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 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 form of customized social administration isn’t “scalable,” it isn’t all the time enjoyable, and also you gained’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
Information sounds chilly. Artists are heat, feeling, distinctive, proof against 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 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 it’s good to enhance? How must you pivot in your advertising? What are your choices to get higher outcomes for cheaper prices?
Your intestine instincts are worthwhile, however the information doesn’t (often) lie. Make a behavior of checking your numbers and the story they inform. Observe the surprises. Lean into the successes. Be taught from the failures. Repeat.
Conclusion
Whereas the music trade continues to vary quickly, lots of the widespread music advertising errors above are (sadly) perennial.
So hold them in thoughts this 12 months, and in all of the years forward. All the time attempt for a extra strategic method to your storytelling, concentrating on, content material creation, engagement habits, and evaluation.
Higher music advertising could imply the distinction between obscurity and notoriety in our more and more aggressive and noisy world.
