The internet has fundamentally altered the way in which artists market their music, giving them a chance to reach fans and grow their base in way not previously possible. With so many opportunities, however, there may be some key marketing strategies you’ve been missing out on.
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Guest post by Alara Saygi of the Repost Network
It isn’t recent news that the internet has changed the music industry for good. Technologies like file sharing, social media streaming, and eCommerce are allowing artists to cover more ground and increase their fan base. The downside of this is artists are challenged with the task of taking advantage of the trends and technologies and choosing the best ways to give themselves publicity. One thing about Repost Network being a technology company is that we were built to be able to cater to the ever changing music consumption and distribution technologies.
Here’s what we noticed as the most important common indicators that you need to rethink how you get publicity.
You don’t know your audience
Knowing your fans is key to success:
- Take some time to think about your ‘ideal fan’: the fan who is engaging, can be a word-of-mouth type of fan, and will bring you revenue at the end of the day.
- Understand where your fans exist and which platforms they engage with online.
- Your decision to conquer these platforms in the world wide web should be based on the general picture of your unique fanbase.
- Once you have an idea, you can push your music to these platforms instantaneously through the Repost dashboard with the simple click of a button.
Your aren’t giving your fans enough access
- Giving your fans access to more than just your music releases can create greater buzz and excitement around your music.
- Thinking about new promotional content for your upcoming release and distributing it on social media has the potential to make or break your next release.
- Using stories to tease your fans with short-lived video clips and behind the scenes action will create a fusion of entertaining and powerful content for your fanbase.
- Giving your fans greater access into your life will have them appreciate your process just as they do the final piece and invest themselves into your music through your identity more.
You aren’t building a brand
- Music has moved beyond solely audio entertainment; it has become the center to an artists identity, which is supplemented with other content. This is where social media is imperative, it’s an important tool to build your brand as an artist and keep your fans curious and informed.
- Video content, specifically through YouTube, has a high potential for greater reach and is a great way to monetize (repost network) through their Ad offerings. Additionally, research has proven that audiences tend to have higher reactions to video content, so be sure to increase the amount of compelling video content on your social media platforms.
You don’t have a website
- While social media might seem like the best way to reach your fans, it doesn’t hurt to build a website. Your website should be the main way you collect your fans emails and build greater intimacy by giving them an all encompassing more personalized experience. You can also provide links to playlists and platforms that Repost has got you on.
- With tools like Wix and Squarespace, creating a website is super easy and user friendly and you can get as creative as you like or use the predesigned templates. You can also sell your music direct to fans, sell merchandise, and promote your performances by integrating other platforms, such as SongKick, on your website.
You aren’t catching your big fish
- Engaging with your audience on and off the stage is the your biggest bet in terms of building a loyal fan base. Find any opportunity to get emails and engage with fans through personalized interactions on email.
- You won’t be limited to social media algorithms, that limit your ability to reach your audience without having to pay.
- Although social media interactions seem more relevant than email interactions, email marketing has been shown to be as much as 40 times more effective than Facebook and Twitter combined.
Believe it or not, there is such thing as bad publicity in music.
Photo by Gian Cescon on Unsplash