We’ll explore in detail the key tactics for improving your band’s marketing and by implementing these strategies, your band can amplify its reach, cultivate a dedicated fan base, and ultimately thrive on the music scene.
1. Cultivate a strong band image
As a band, one of the most important things you can do is cultivate a strong band image that resonates with your fans. If you look at the most successful bands, they all had or have a distinctive look and vibe that contributed to their enduring appeal as well as their cultural impact: the Beatles, Queen, Daft Punk, the Spice Girls, Bay City Rollers, Pink Floyd, BTS… (Take a look below at the Beatles’ music video for their hit Strawberry Fields Forever – you can clearly see that they are all members of the same group thanks to their aesthetic and that there is a strong sense of cohesion between them).
People really romanticize band life and it’s not just about the music, it’s about the whole unit.
With this in mind, don’t underestimate the power of a strong, distinctive band look as it’s not just musically that things have to be harmonious. As an aspiring band, you need to appear as a strong and cohesive unit so take the time to shape your identity and develop a carefully crafted image that can help you stand out in today’s crowded music landscape, attract new followers, sell your merchandise and leave a lasting impression on audiences.
2. Build a community around your music
As a band, it’s actually easier for you to build a community around your music because you’re already a unit. There is something called the « group effect » which refers in part to the sense of community, camaraderie, and belonging that individuals experience when they are part of a band or musical group. People see that and they want to be part of it as well.
The band, as a whole, needs to have a strong online presence through networks and social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok and ideally, all members of the band should be active on these platforms, sharing snippets of their creative or songwriting process, teasers for new songs or a new album and even funny moments from the band’s life on tour and in the studio. Fans always like to see behind-the-scenes footage, and this is especially true when it comes to bands, as listeners want to witness a good relationship between the members.
It’s really important to stay on top of your social media channels and interact regularly with your followers and listeners by replying to comments and messages. To take it a step further, you could also create a website to promote your band, just make sure your band’s website is search engine friendly and optimized and use relevant keywords in your content and metadata to improve your online visibility and increase website traffic.
3. Distribute your music wisely
Music distribution, when done properly, can be a great marketing hack. When distributing your music on streaming services, think about Soundcloud, Apple Music, and Spotify playlists that are all about music discovery and feature similar music to your band. There are playlists that feature only bands or even indie bands, hip-hop bands, rap bands … so bear this in mind and, once you’ve selected the playlists that you think would suit your band, submit your music for consideration, as being featured on them is great publicity and will increase visibility as well as help you reach new listeners.
Once you’ve put your music online, reach out to music blogs, music podcasts, and online magazines that usually feature bands similar to yours and ask to be featured for the chance to promote your music. You can even try to get your music on the radio as this will be huge in helping your band gain credibility.
4. Don’t dismiss influencers or bloggers… but be careful
There’s no denying that influencers know a lot about branding and how to promote something, whether it’s a product or service… or even a music band.
When developing your marketing campaign, teaming up with influencers from the music industry or related niches could be a very strategic move to reach a wider audience and gain exposure to new fans and potentially new customers. And they might even share with you a few marketing tips!
One of the ways influencers can help you as a band is with merchandising. By sending your band’s merchandise to a range of influential people who have a large following, you can increase your sales of CDs, T-shirts, limited-edition merchandise, and even album sales. And you can benefit from greater visibility at the same time!
However, as we saw earlier, being in a band is all about being a cohesive unit, so you need to approach influencer marketing strategically and ensure that partnerships are aligned with your band’s identity and values. Don’t forget that what matters most as a group is your authenticity, so you need to keep that in mind when looking for influencers or bloggers to work with.
Want to contact influencers and bloggers? ⬇️
5. Always create high-quality content
It goes without saying that your priority should always be to create quality content.
Whether it’s the music itself, the video content, or the band’s official images… creating high-quality content is probably the best marketing trick there is. Now, this can be quite a big budget to start with, so you may have to do it gradually, but it’s worth investing in high-quality content, as it can really make your band stand out from the crowd.
Now, you don’t want to spend money unnecessarily or waste precious time and energy, which is why it’s important to use Google Analytics. You need to take your fans and listeners into consideration and think about what they’d most like to see and by analyzing data from streaming platforms and social media insights, you can better understand your audience and track the effectiveness of your marketing efforts, and this could really help you to stand out in the competitive music industry.
6. Don’t forget to perform live as a band
We’ve now covered a lot of online marketing techniques. But life doesn’t just happen online and neither does marketing. With that in mind, aim to perform regularly at local venues, festivals, and events to connect with fans in person, as live shows and touring can generate buzz and word-of-mouth promotion for your band. Another good idea would be to partner with local businesses like cafes, clothing shops, or record shops to organize gigs or signings and cross-promote each other, as this can help you reach new audiences in your community.
And don’t forget to share behind-the-scenes footage of your concerts on your social media channels, because fans love to see it!
Conclusion
There are many ways to promote your music and build your fanbase as a band, such as social media marketing, influencer partnerships, content marketing, and even email marketing – all of which can help you reach potential customers and develop your music career.
But don’t forget that being part of a band means experiencing a sense of belonging to something greater than the sum of its parts. And as a band, you should approach your marketing campaign with exactly the same objective in mind. Don’t just focus on the music, involve your fans in the life of your band and cultivate a safe and happy environment where people can feel close to you and enjoy your music.
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