Social media is flooded with ‘hacks’ and ‘quick fixes’, and this is no different for the music promotion corners of the online space. In a fast-paced world, many musicians and artists feel pressured to not only achieve high levels of success, but to achieve this quickly.
High scale success, be it performing in arenas or achieving millions of streams, is frequently presented as the ultimate goal. There is nothing wrong if this is your long-term goal, but success can manifest in multiple different ways – there is no one ‘correct’ way of defining what success looks like. In last week’s blog post, “Music Promotion: Managing The Workload“, the importance of short- and long term goal setting was discussed with emphasis on setting realistic steps to take towards achieving these goals. What is achievable for you will be determined by your own schedule and available resources.
Online Ads
As previously mentioned, a holistic approach to marketing your music is essential. Marketing strategies and PR, for example, serve different purposes and covering all bases will assist further in meeting your goals. Online ads can be a part of an effective strategy when implemented carefully. Paid ads have been presented online as a replacement tool for PR, however this is a misconception as each serves a separate purpose. A key point to note with paid ads is that they are not a quick fix. Can they assist in boosting your visibility across social media platforms – yes, absolutely. Ads cannot, however, build a strong dedicate fan base from the ground up. This is why genuine networking, both with potential audiences and industry professionals, is so important.
Getting the fundamentals right lays the groundwork for additional (paid) strategies to be actioned effectively. Ensure that, fundamentally, your music – your product – is of a high quality. Make sure that all of your social media channels are updated with correct biographical information, links, as well as high quality visuals. And, take the time to fully understand *who* your target audience is and begin networking (either online and/or in-person). There is no point spending time and money on online ads while the groundwork is not set in place. Pushing an unappealing product or using low-quality images will not entice viewers of the ad to interact with it. Furthermore, a smaller but more invested fan base, a genuine community, will be most beneficial to your success rather than having a fanbase comprised of passive observers who may not stick around.
Scam Awareness
Many bands and artists are receiving scam messages in their DMs and oddly worded emails from individuals and companies claiming to be music marketers, A&R’s, PR agents or social media managers etc. Some emails may be genuine; usually, scam messages can be determined from their ‘to good to be true’ claims or promises. It can be tempting for some bands to follow up with these messages with the hope of attaining success. However, they can lead to costing you valuable time and money that would be better invested elsewhere. Below are some tips for staying vigilant:
- Impersonalized messages – scam messages often contain generic content. Brand collabs and industry professionals such as A&Rs will usually contact you via your band/ business email. They won’t ask you to ‘apply’ for a slot, nor will they ask you for money up front without a contract. If you do progress to the stage of receiving a contract, ensure to have it checked over by a legal professional.
- Unrealistic promises – these are often relating to marketing and streaming pitching services. Third party pitching services are best avoided, read more on this here. Buying any form of streams or followers, at a minimum, violates terms of service across most platforms and may result in your profiles being removed.
- Sole solution – Following the point above, the communications may claim they are all you need to garner success instead of acknowledging the multi-faceted nature of music promotion.
Find further information on spotting scam communications here, “Best Practices: Scam Awareness“.
Consistency is Key
Effective music promotion strategies require time. It is an investment of resources and energy, but consistency is the most impactful means of growing your audience organically. Having spent the time creating your music, carefully consider which promotional methods and services are best for you. Every band and artist will have slightly different goals and not all strategies will necessarily align with those goals. Paid advertising has its place in the promotional toolkit, but it’s crucial that the groundwork is being carried out prior to investing in them. Online adverts do not replace the need for authentic networking, but they can assist in pushing your new release or news into the realm of potential new fans. Stay vigilant online and make sure to look into any services thoroughly before you hire them.
If you haven’t read the previous articles in this series, or require a refresher, find the links below:
- “Taking Your Music To The Next Level“
- “Putting Your Best Foot Forward“
- “Making Connections: Part I“
- “Making Connections: Part II“
- “Music Promotion: Managing The Workload“
If you are interested in our hybrid marketing and PR services, find more information available HERE. For any C Squared inquiries please get in touch with Cori (corinne@csquared.info) or Curtis (curtis@csquared.info) to discuss how we can help.