There are many “don’ts” that people are unaware of when marketing to certain audiences. This blog focuses on marketing don’ts for musicians trying to promote their band throughout communities. Some individuals over promote, while others do not advertise enough. Be sure to follow these six steps, because if you don’t you may send current and potential fans away from supporting your music.

1. Do not use social media to force sales
Social media networks are intended to connect and build relationships with individuals through possible common interests, etc. These platforms should not be created to force sales on your friends and fans. Make attempts to connect with your fans instead of promoting services and products. Also, do not use Facebook or Twitter as a sales tool; for example, when selling a new T-shirt or album. You should be offering free T-shirts and albums every here and there to show appreciation for your fans.

2. Do not “spam” your friends
First and foremost, everybody hates spam mail. Sending out a mass e-mail occasionally is okay, but constantly sending out blast e-mails to your fans can get very aggravating. You want to your fans to be excited when receiving an e-mail from your band so make sure they are personal, and interesting. Another way individuals can spam is through Facebook events. As an artist, be sure to only promote the events that you will be performing at. The more events you send out to your fans that do not include you, the more likely they will start ignoring your invitations. This could lead an individual to un-like or un-follow your page and you do not want this to happen. People become your friend on social networks to follow you, not to follow other bands and artists that they are not interested in.

3. Do not create lengthy advertisements
It is very important to keep ads simple; lengthy and drawn out advertisements usually are not attention-grabbing to readers. Please, veer far away from creating ads that contain paragraphs and are full of long sentences. Avoid using special words that may confuse readers who are viewing the advertisement. Typically, lengthy and unappealing ads will not attract individuals to continue reading and will draw readers away. Advertisements should always be concise, to the point and attractive when creating promotions for your band. Choose a color and font that your audience will enjoy and can easily read. Whether you are creating an advertisement for an upcoming show, or a new song release, adding images to an ad can really bring it to life and catch potential listener’s interest.

4. Don’t be like everybody else
Bottom line: nobody likes a copycat. There is high competition in the music industry; therefore musicians should be different and unique. What if there was only one song in the world that everyone had to listen to, wouldn’t life get boring quickly? When starting a band, you should aim to be unforgettable and special. Don’t copy an image from another artist, and certainly do not imitate a song from another musician. By being different and developing your own sound, more individuals will become interested and intrigued with your music. The same goes with your “look,” create an eye-catching look so your audience can buzz about you. “Hey, did you see _____’s outfit at the concert? It was awesome!” Lastly, make sure that all advertisements aren’t comparable to other musicians. The last thing you want is someone to mix up your ad with another band due the fact that they were similar in color and phrase.

5. Do not ignore your fans
Responding and paying attention to your fans is extremely vital. Do not, I repeat, do not ignore your fans! Not only can you lose their trust and loyalty, but fans can utilize word-of-mouth marketing by putting a bad word about your band out in the public. If you have Facebook, Twitter, or a Myspace page etc., be sure to respond to all posts and comments. Just think about it: you don’t have an image without fans, and you don’t have fans without creating connections with individuals. Fans are very valuable aspects in the music world and you need to maintain strong relationships with them. By consistently responding to e-mails or social media alerts, this can help build your trust with each fan which is priceless.

6. Don’t forget to produce a marketing plan
Creating a marketing plan tends to be the most overlooked tactic when marketing a band. Many musicians may be focused on producing high quality music instead of generating marketing methods. Marketing plans are important because they set overall goals and help focus on how to achieve specific objectives within a band. One day, sit down with your band and construct a plan covering ideas like: How can we attract and gain more fans? What is our budget? What are some ways to expand our opportunities in the music industry? How can we inspire the public to purchase our music? A marketing plan entails what hopes you have and how to get there, and is something you should absolutely spend time on.

By: Danielle Peterson

About the Author:
Danielle is a Marketing Specialist for Distrophonix LLC. Distrophonix is a company based in Baltimore, MD specializing in music marketing, distribution, Rock Band Encoding, CD pressing, and mastering for musicians worldwide. www.Distrophonix.com

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Tags: Marketing | Social Media