If you’re a small, independent artist, then you already know you need to be more than just a musician to find enough success on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music to generate a real income.
You also need to be your own manager and your own marketer (unless, of course, you can already afford to pay someone else to do those jobs for you).
But if you can’t, it’s a good thing you’re here because we’re going to tell you everything you should know when building an effective music marketing strategy from the ground up.
This guide isn’t going to give you rules that are set in stone. Instead, we’ll give you a general overview of the steps you should follow, allowing you to figure out what works best for you.
Are you ready to learn how to build your own personalized music marketing strategy? Let’s go!
Identify your fan base—aka your target audience.
Target audience is a common buzzword you’ll hear thrown around by marketing experts, and for musicians like you, your target audience is the same as your fanbase.
From a marketing perspective, getting to know your audience is the single most important thing you can do for your business—or, in this case, your music career.
So, how can you find out who’s actually listening to your music?
Analytics from Streaming Platforms
Every artist should have a Spotify for Artists account, where you can view essential statistics about how your music performs on Spotify.
Here, you can see things like:
- where your listeners are
- your fan’s ages and genders
- what else your fans like to listen to
- which songs resonate the best with your audience
- which playlists are most popular with your fans
This information can help you make informed decisions about:
- where to tour
- where to promote your music
- how to market your music
You can also use Apple Music for Artists to gain more insights into your audience.
Insights from Social Media Profiles
Social media is another easily accessible resource that can give you a deeper look into who’s listening to your music—which is the first step in forming a great music marketing strategy.
Consider using:
- Instagram Insights on Instagram’s mobile app
- Facebook’s Audience Insights
- Twitter Analytics
- TikTok for Business
Develop a strong brand.
When it comes to forming a strong music marketing strategy, the second step is to develop your brand. In this case, you are your brand.
Most businesses create their branding around their target audience based on the premise that people will buy products that resonate with them.
We’re not telling you to sell out or pretend to be someone you’re not.
But we are saying that you should be thoughtful and intentional about how you present yourself to the world.
Pieces of your brand include things like:
- what your music sounds like
- what your music is about
- how you dress
- how you speak
- the images you post online
- your logo
- graphics on your album covers
- profile pictures across your social media pages
You don’t have to have it all figured out before you set out and publish your first album. Musicians evolve—and so will you.
When creating your brand, the most important thing to keep in mind is that it should all feel cohesive and true to who you are as an artist.
Focus on social media marketing and quality content creation.
This might be obvious, but you won’t gain many insights on your social media pages if you don’t have a following.
Of course, social media marketing will give you access to important analytics—but it will also expand your reach.
Choose the Best Social Media Platform
Which social media page you focus on is up to you—and you should decide based on where your fans spend most of their time. But these major social media platforms are what we recommend for your music marketing strategy:
- YouTube
- TikTok
Grow Your Social Media Pages
Once your pages are set up, focus on gaining a bigger following.
The best way to do that is to publish high-quality content on a regular basis (think 2-3 times a week).
Exactly what you post is up to you. However, you should make sure that you’re offering at least one of these things to your fans every time you post:
- Entertainment
- Inspiration
- Information
Another easy way to gain followers quickly is to enroll in one of Musicvertising’s music promotion packages. We can guarantee audience engagement and your satisfaction.
Connect with your community.
So, you know your audience, you’ve developed your brand, and your social media pages are gaining followers every day. Now what?
It’s time to connect with your community—that includes:
- your fans
- fellow artists
- producers, audio engineers, or managers
There are tons of ways to connect online or in person. How you connect is completely up to you, but here are a few suggestions:
- collaborate with other artists on songs, albums, playlists, projects, or events
- have one-on-one chats with fans and peers
- host live events on social media
- network at in-person events or concerts
- appear on podcasts
- reach out to music blogs and other press outlets
Always plan your next steps.
When establishing a music marketing strategy, the best advice you’ll get is to plan ahead.
If you don’t know where you’re going, you won’t get to where you need to be. So, always set your sights on your goals and head in that direction.
Get on Spotify Playlists
If you want to be featured on one of Spotify’s official playlists, you need to plan ahead. Why? You need to submit your music for review before it’s released.
This is just one example of why planning ahead will help your music career.
But, if you’ve missed the cutoff already, there are still ways to be placed on Spotify playlists (like Musicvertising’s guaranteed playlist placement).
Set Clear Goals and Establish a Timeline
When goal setting, you should establish clear numbers that define your success and a timeline to reach that goal.
These clearly defined goals (like 50,000 listeners or 5,000 followers in 4 months) will motivate you to complete the actions you need to in order to achieve them.
Final Thoughts: Use These 5 Simple Steps to Create a Music Marketing Strategy that Works for You
With this simple framework, you’re ready to set up a complete music marketing strategy:
- Identify your audience
- Develop your brand
- Be active on social media
- Connect with your community
- Keep planning ahead
Want to learn more about current trends regarding music marketing strategies? Check out the 5 Best Music Marketing Strategies of 2021 for more inspiration and guidance.
It’s common for musicians to need a boost, especially early in their careers. That’s why Musicvertising offers a wide range of services, including targeted Spotify promotion to put your album on the map.
