Promotional strategies for marketing music have shifted and being able to adapt to new methods is key for continuing growth. A holistic approach is best. This includes traditional PR campaigns alongside strategic marketing plans that are designed with your specific needs in mind. However, note that not all strategies will work for all bands.
Most bands and artists are seeing their promotional workload increase, and it is important to consider the best means of managing this as a band. Whether you are hiring a PR agent to manage your campaign or a marketing professional to help design the best route forward, there is a level of commitment required to increase the likelihood of success.
From a PR perspective, there are a number of factors that can impact your campaign’s results and your agent will make their best effort to gather as many results as possible. It is imperative that all tasks needed from you as an artist/ band are carried out efficiently, and in advance of the campaign where required. This includes, but is not limited to, having all of your high quality assets ready to go in advance, providing a schedule of your availability for interviews, and effectively running your social media profiles throughout a campaign (and beyond).
Marketing work requires a larger proportion of time and effort upfront in order to cover the groundwork needed. For example, before a tailored plan can be drawn up, there must be a clear understanding of *who* your target audience is and *what* your goals are – what does success looks like to you specifically? If these aspects are not fully thought through a marketing plan may not assist in achieving your goals if it leads to targeting the wrong audience or aims to meet a different set of success criteria.
As mentioned above, not every strategy will work for every artist. Furthermore, a particular method may work for a period of time and then become less impactful as needs or external factors change. At this point, time may need to be spent revisiting and reorientating your promotional activities. In this situation it is important to not become disheartened but rather consider it as an opportunity to experiment with something new. Keep a watchful eye on other bands and artists who are similar in genre, fan base, and or audience reach, for inspiration on new trends and techniques to implement.
In the modern age, music promotion requires a significant investment of time, energy and commitment, and this includes with assistance from industry professionals. Steady and consistent efforts are necessary to achieve a long-term invested fan base who will be willing to stick around on your career journey. Take the time to understand your goals as an artist and the workload required to achieve them, this will assist in making the best decisions for effective growth.
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.