With the advent of music streaming platforms in today’s digital age, record labels have truly taken the brunt of the blow. The drastic change in how and where people listen to music has led many people to question the function of the record label.
With a major decrease in recorded music revenues, one of the key solutions to boosting business is smart marketing.
Here’s how to get the upper hand you need as a record label with tactile marketing in the music industry.
6 Steps to Nail Marketing in the Music Industry
The good old days of marketing a new album release are well and truly over. Online marketing is where it matters most.
Record labels in today’s modern age cannot rely on their big hitters and new musicians for popularity. A keen focus on marketing for the right audience is key.
This means that music marketers need to focus on consistently re-adjusting campaign plans where necessary. I.e. keeping up with the times!
Here are 6 fundamental tips to help you absolutely nail your digital music marketing…
1. Create Catchy, Consistent Branding
Brands, brands, brands everywhere you go! So how do you set yourself apart from the rest in today’s oversaturated world?
The key to branding that truly catches attention is consistency. This means that your branding should be the same across all facets of your business. From corporate communication to the type of artists you sign, the look and feel of your logo, your company mission, and more.
It’s important to sign artists who align with your sound as a record label and who appreciate your aesthetic. Catchy, consistent branding helps to create a lasting brand image that is instantly recognisable and associated with success.
2. Clearly Pin-Point Your Target Audience
Who do you aim to please as a record label? Ultimately, it’s your target audience that determines your overall success. It’s 100% vital to fully understand the demographics of your music market and who’ll be buying the music you produce.
In order to determine this, you’ll need to research and develop statistics about your specific audience.
Through your research, you should be able to create a detailed profile of the typical type of buyer and listener of your music. With this information, you can better understand where they are consuming music and how they are listening to it.
Once you can clearly define the outlets and audience to focus on, you can build a robust content strategy around this.
3. Create a Well-Rounded Profile of Your Customer
As mentioned above, you need to build a detailed profile of your customer in order to best understand them. Only once you’ve recorded their personal preferences can you a real feel for how to entertain them.
Questionnaires are especially helpful when doing research on your targeted demographic. Here are a few questions to include:
- Where do you live (general area), shop and tend to eat out?
- Are you single, married or in a relationship?
- Age and gender
- How often do you buy new music?
- If you don’t buy music, what service do you use to stream music?
- Do you go to live shows, if so, how often?
- Are you a first-time music buyer or a label loyalist?
As a record label, you can either use the in-house expertise of your social team or outsource a research agency to assist with this.
4. Build Your Content Strategy Around Your Audience
As soon as you’ve clearly outlined who your target audience is, you can build a content strategy that is sure to reach them.
Make sure to determine the right social platforms to reach them on i.e. Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. And after that, craft the right kind of content to capture their attention.
In today’s digital age this generally means plenty of images, video, virtual reality, gifs, and catchy copy.
If you have the team and facilities for it, then your content strategy can simply be formulated and created in-house. If not, you may need to consider outside support in the form of an ad agency.
Creating a budget is also incredibly important for a successful marketing strategy. The reality is that one pot for your ”marketing spend” just won’t cut it.
Create a completely separate marketing budget, divided into two categories- one for paid promotions and the other for content marketing.
5. Find Promotional Partners to Boost Your Strategy
Once your content strategy and budget have been signed off, now it’s time to look at promotional partners for a little boost.
Broadening your network can ultimately help deliver your message to a wider range of your target audience. Leverage the social media following of your popular bands or musicians as a form of organic business promotion.
Allow key followers exclusive access to content or an opportunity to interact with the band for added exposure through social media. Partner up with local venues and retailers who can also offer a promotional boost for both your business and the band or musician.
Venue promotions offer plenty of opportunity for cross-promotion too. Here you can set up an onsite giveaway and mobile marketing campaigns to attract a bigger audience.
6. Create a Detailed Content Calendar and Stick To It
Also known as an editorial calendar, this is extremely important in ensuring you create the right content and share it consistently.
As with most things in business, consistency is the key to success when it comes to online marketing. A well-planned out and executed content calendar guarantees this success.
Make sure to include key events taking place throughout the year where you can piggyback off their popularity through social media.
Assign a team of staff members to manage this content schedule. These employees should be well-experienced in social media management and able to think on their feet!
Experts in Music Promotion
If you’re looking for an added boost for your marketing in the music industry, then Promo.ly is your go-to for music promotion!
We pride ourselves on offering a state-of-the-art platform for music promotion. With us, you can mail your contacts, combat music piracy, track your exposure, and more.
Interested in learning more about Promo.ly? Check out our special features here.
