In the world of music marketing, everyone starts as a rookie, and the temptation to blend in is strong. Many artists fall into the trap of mimicking others, hoping to avoid looking inexperienced. However, this approach often leads to money-sucking strategies that drain resources without yielding results. If you're an artist looking to make your mark and stand out from the crowd, it's crucial to understand the pitfalls of conventional wisdom. In this blog post, we'll explore how to achieve success with your music and marketing strategies by avoiding common money-sucking mistakes and leveraging your unique strengths. Whether you're just starting or looking to refine your approach, tune in for insights that could transform your music career and keep more money in your pocket.
Running ads before organic content is created
Running ads before creating organic content doesn't foster reciprocity. When people see an ad, they don't think, "What does this person have for me?" Instead, they wonder, "What is this person trying to sell me?" In contrast, organic content prompts viewers to consider what value you're offering. By creating ads before organic content, you're focusing solely on selling, which doesn't give people a chance to learn about you. This approach fails to support your call-to-action, as potential customers haven't been given enough information to engage meaningfully. As an artist, you need to provide more details about yourself so that people can make an informed decision to purchase or stream.
Playing to your weaknesses - because everybody else is doing it.
The worst thing you can do in music marketing is to imitate everyone else. As an individual, you have unique strengths and weaknesses. When you simply copy what others are doing, you're not leveraging your strengths—instead, you're downplaying your strong points and emphasizing your weaknesses. Focus on your strengths and identify which platforms will best showcase them. By doing this, you'll stand out from the crowd of artists who are all using the same marketing strategies.
Creating Awareness without enlightenment
Creating curiosity without enlightenment is the number one way to make all your marketing efforts falter. This approach leads to potential supporters and fans only seeing and loving your music, but then not knowing what to do next. They're unsure whether to follow you or stick around because, very quickly, any new supporter or fan will tire of music alone. They'll move on to someone else who can keep them entertained while providing enlightenment. People need someone to be their champion—a relatable figure they can connect with.
Unclear on your music’s transformation element
When creating curiosity with your music videos—whether they're full-length, single-shot, or micro videos showcasing your talent—it's crucial to imply a transformation that supporters or fans will experience when they consume your music. Without this transformational element embedded in the content, fans won't understand why your music is worth their time. This implied transformation is key to making your content more engaging and meaningful to your audience.
Neglecting access points
When new record labels and artists begin marketing, they tend to rely solely on their social media platforms and actual accounts. However, they often neglect what I call "access points"—ways to reach the marketplace beyond your own social media account that can be more powerful than the account itself. This includes leveraging influencers, email lists of influencers, media outlets, or media outlets with social media pages. These access points to audiences, both within and outside the platform, will allow you to expand your message much faster than using your social media account alone.
If it works for everyone else, why can’t I do it?
I'm not saying you can't do it. However, you need to find what works for you based on what works for everyone else. This way, you can play to your strengths and not your weaknesses.
I see artist running ads all the time?
This is very true. However, what they're not telling you—and probably will never tell you—is that shortly after running ads, they look at how much money they've actually lost. Then they stop running the ad and go right back to creating content. In many cases, independent artists cannot sustain themselves by running ads. They often take roughly a 90 to 95% loss on the money spent, not making any return at all.
All I have is my social media account?
This may be true when you're starting out, but shortly after putting up a few pieces of content that express your talent and who you are, you'll want to start finding those access points more than relying on ads. These access points can provide much more organic, word-of-mouth exposure—which will ultimately give you far more reach than ads alone.
Here’s what you can do
Focus on organic content and begin to tell your story. Imply how people should feel when listening to your music through visuals in your talent-based content. Develop relationships with more access points into the marketplace you're choosing to target, and start playing to your strengths.
Tools for independence.
If you're a music creative or executive looking to build your label or publishing company in 60 days or less, with a step-by-step fool proof process, Grab the 60 Day record label course and get it done today! You gain the ability to get real funding, prevent yourself from getting screwed contractually, and keep the middle man out of your pockets. Click the link below to get started right now! If you’re skeptical grab the free guide, "10 Ways to Increase Your Record Labels Profits," a free split sheet comes with the download!
If you improve these parts of your marketing
You'll see a dramatic turnaround in your results. This success will, in turn, provide the motivation to keep moving forward. As you implement these improved marketing strategies, you'll notice increased engagement from your audience, better reception of your music, and potentially higher streaming numbers or sales. This positive feedback loop will fuel your confidence and inspire you to continue refining your approach.
If you neglect these parts of your marketing
You'll begin to spend more time, effort, and money to achieve the desired results in your music career. This inefficiency can hinder your progress and drain your resources. Moreover, it may lead to frustration and burnout as you struggle to gain traction in a competitive industry. Without effective marketing strategies, you might find yourself working harder but seeing diminishing returns, potentially missing out on valuable opportunities to connect with your audience and grow your fanbase.
The Transformation
By implementing these strategies to avoid common pitfalls, you'll market your music more effectively and become the standout artist and record label you aspired to be before watching this video.
Comments