This post will talk about how to set up your strategy so you can succeed in the music industry.
What is a music marketing strategy?
A music marketing strategy is one of the most important aspects for musicians to succeed. A plan can range from online marketing, social media marketing, content creation and distribution, offline marketing, advertising, or more.
As an independent musician, you are up against all the major record labels with infinite resources to market their artists. Without a strategy, your competition will always be outspending you and it will be harder to get your music heard and utilize fan engagement.
Why do I need a strategy?
Music marketing is not an option, it is a necessity. Why? In the past decade, the music industry has changed dramatically. If you're in the music business to make money and not just play music then you need to know how to market yourself. The only way that happens is when you have a strategy in place.
What does your strategy consist of? Let's take a look at the basics...
How do I start building my music marketing plan?
Start with a big picture view of what it takes to make a great music artist. Then break down everything into measurable sections that link together in order for them to work as a cohesive unit so you can make the most of your music marketing efforts and get your music heard.
Define your audience
In music marketing, this is often done by separating your listeners into groups with different tastes and demographics. In doing so, artists can better understand the needs of their fan base. They will also be able to create digital marketing campaigns that speak directly to those needs and desires – making it much more likely that they will convert followers into paying customers.
Branding yourself as a music artist
One of the most effective ways artists can brand themselves is by producing content that reflects their style and helps their fan base find related music to download.
Another effective strategy is to leverage social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, SoundCloud, etc. to get your message out there and promote your music to potential fans, as well as their engaged fan base. You can also create music promotion videos or use Instagram or Snapchat for visual and digital marketing content.
Create a realistic budget
Building a music marketing strategy is tough. It's hard to define the strategy, let alone how much it will cost. But with these five steps, you can create your own realistic budget for music marketing.
Types of Marketing Strategies
There are three types of strategies: Soft strategy (e.g. word of mouth), Hard strategy (e.g., radio ads), and Hybrid Strategy(eg online advertising). The type of strategy influences how much money should be spent on each category - Ask yourself what kind of strategy best fits your band/artist?
Word of mouth advertising
Word of mouth advertisement is a strategy that only has to do with marketing music. It relies on getting the name of the artist out to as many people as possible, and it is reliant on personal accounts from a person who saw a concert or heard a song. Without this strategy, musicians would have a difficult time marketing their new music to other people.
Word of mouth advertising can be used in conjunction with other strategies, but it doesn't need them because word of mouth advertisement relies on personal recommendations of the artist's fans to their friends. This strategy will help you reach your goals by getting the name of your artist out there, and it is a strategy that can be done with a limited budget.
Playlist promotion
Spotify playlist promotion is a strategy where artists or record labels ask for one of their songs to be added to Spotify's popular playlists. This strategy is typically used by music marketing companies to help artists gain new listeners and increase their popularity.
Spotify Playlist Promotion is not free, but it does come at a low price. One of the main benefits of the strategy is that it can be done in a few minutes with little effort from the artist. There are relatively few steps involved in strategy and they are quite simple.
The strategy also offers individualized goals which can be tracked through Spotify Analytics. It's possible for artists to have specific goals such as the number of streams or plays that they want to achieve in a day or week.
The strategy is great for artists who are trying to increase their listenership and gain new fans. The strategy has been shown to be beneficial because it can lead to a big jump in Spotify plays as well as increased engagement among the artist's followers. Once an artist gains momentum with this strategy, they will see that their new music becomes more popular, and more and more people will begin to listen.
Social media ads
Social media ads are a great strategy for marketing music because they are affordable, efficient, and can be customized to target specific demographic regions. You can also create different ads with the same budget, which allows for even more optimization. Facebook ads are a great strategy to harness.
Running ads on social channels should be one of the first digital marketing strategies musicians use because they're so affordable and efficient, which allows for more optimization. The audience can also be targeted geographically by interested age groups. Facebook ads in particular prove to be very useful with their ability to create different ad campaigns with a limited budget.
Radio ads
Radio ads are a strategy where the musician utilizes paid ads on regional shows to promote their music. This strategy is affordable, but it does require money. The strategy also relies on the artist being in the geographical region that they're trying to promote themselves in.
If you need help running radio ads or if you want to run them yourself, there are many tools and music promotion services available online that can walk you through each step in the process and help deliver results.
Electronic Press Kit
An electronic press kit, or an EPK, is a strategy that musicians can use to promote their music. The strategy can be sent to potential music fans or venues in order to help them get the most basic information about the artist.
This strategy is best for musicians who are just starting out because it's meant to ensure that people have all of the basic information about the artist, which can help them stay more engaged throughout an EPK.
EPKs are generally designed to include contact information for the artist as well as contact information for their manager or agent, a live-show calendar, and links to purchase tickets. It’s important for musicians to have this strategy so people know they exist. For example, if someone was looking to book a band for an event, they would want information that shows the talent can be professional and organized.
While this strategy isn’t free, it's cost-effective because most independent musicians are able to collect contact information of people who show interest in their music which leads to potential engagements with fans or venues. This strategy is best used by musicians who are just starting out because it's meant to ensure that people have all of the basic information about the artist, which can help them stay more engaged throughout an EPK.
Wrapping Up
Music marketing strategy is important for musicians because it's a way to get your music in front of people who may not otherwise hear about you. There are many strategy options and music marketing companies available to independent artists looking for ways to market themselves to the world. The music promotion strategy you choose will depend on your goals, music genre, location, and target audience.
Putting in the time now can make a huge difference later by increasing your reach and building engaged fans who’ll be excited to hear you have coming next!
