Music Marketing: 5 Tips That
Every Musician Needs To Know
Most artists learn early on that the world doesn’t owe them anything. You’re not an essential business or a necessity in people’s lives. You can’t market yourself as such.
However, as a musician, you have something going for you that other businesses don’t. While people don’t need music, they are incredibly passionate about it. As you develop brand awareness and start reaching wider audiences, the people who like your music will connect with your brand on an emotional level.
In this way, musician marketing can be more effective than marketing for essential businesses like law firms and real estate agencies. People need them, but they don’t love them.
That being said, you still need to put in some leg work to get your band noticed. Keep reading for our top five tips for marketing yourself as a musician.
Build a Website
First, you need to treat your band (even if it’s just you) like a business. Create a user-friendly website to serve as your digital storefront. This is where people will go to learn more about you, find out about live performances, and buy your merchandise.
The website needs to be professionally built. It must load fast and be easy to navigate. Furthermore, it must be optimized for mobile devices, as nearly 81% of Americans use smartphones.
Promote Your Music on Social Media
Social media is one of the best tools for marketing for musicians. Platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook are great places to promote your music. Create a business page and ask your personal friends to follow it.
From there, post engaging content and encourage your followers to like, comment, and share your posts on their profiles. This will increase your sphere of influence. You can also use paid social media ads to reach target audiences you wouldn’t otherwise have access to.
Create a Blog on Your Website
Learning how to market yourself as a musician means taking time to understand the way the internet works. For example, search engines rely on SEO coding to find content when users type in keywords. One way you can boost your SEO ranking for things like “local musicians” is by creating a blog on your website.
Fill the blog full of topical and articles. Talk about your music career and inspiration but also provide valuable information like tips and advice for playing instruments, singing, etc. SEO is musician marketing 101.
Affiliate with Local Businesses
To get noticed around town, your musician marketing strategy should include performing live gigs at bars, restaurants, and other local hotspots. Affiliate with these types of local businesses and be willing to work for little pay as you build notoriety.
Remember, the goal is to promote your music. People can’t fall in love with your style if they never hear it.
Consider Influencer Marketing
Finally, think about reaching out to social media influencers who have a lot of credibility among their followers. If you can get them to promote your music, you could get your music in front of thousands of new people.
Influencers charge differently based on who they are, what they’re promoting, how they’re promoting it, and how many followers that have. However, if you find an influencer who appreciates your music, they may even be willing to do it for free.
Do You Have What it Takes?
Musician marketing can be difficult. The best thing you can do is determine who your target audience is and put all of your efforts into getting your music in front of them. However, remember that all businesses come with unique struggles. Embrace the process and never give up on your goals. Give each marketing strategy time to work but know when to switch tactics.
