How to promote your music: a guide for local bands
I’m a freelance musician myself, and I know how hard it is to be the songwriter, the recording engineer (if you’re a DIY audiophile) and also to be the promoter. There are many tools available to us today, such as Facebook, ReverbNation, SoundCloud, etc., but these are not organically searched for. You still need to have a following before you can take advantage of these tools. So for local bands trying to grow their fan base, knowing how to market their music in a targeted way is very important.
Here’s the key: start local!
I know it’s possible to be an overnight sensation these days, but the reality is that it’s better to work on a good foundation than to hope you’re the next Bieber. It’s much easier to take over the world if your hometown has your back. With that in mind, you can use the following suggestions to help get his name heard by local people.
How to promote your music through a blog
Assuming you have your own domain name and don’t just use a free blog site, start blogging about your activities. With the right keyword targeting, you should be able to figure out what people in your area are searching for and hopefully leverage that to drive traffic to your site. An example of a keyword (or phrase) is “rock musicians.” The more articles you write with your targeted keywords, the better chance you have of being found. So what can you blog about?
- Blog about your projects
- It could be your new music, your next concert, or anything interesting that has happened to you recently. Be sure to implement your keywords in everything you write.
- Blog about places in your area
- Local bands can take advantage of this, because they can tailor their keywords to contain their location (ie “Atlanta music venues”). Write something about where you played last time. Again, with the proper use of keywords, people will find your article when they are looking for a good place to go. Also, send that blog link to the site owner and start enjoying free traffic to your site.
- write product reviews
- Did you discover a very cheap microphone that sounds like a million dollars on your new record? Do a review and you’ll be surprised how many people are looking for this information. Include a sample of the recording and hope they like it and become fans.
How to promote your music through YouTube videos
- make music videos
- This is a fact, but many artists don’t know how to use it correctly. Make sure to optimize your video title, tags, and meta description with the right keywords. Have you noticed how Google shows videos first at the top of the search results page before other sites?
- Make videos about your personal life
- Did you see an amazing concert last weekend and shake hands with a celebrity? Make a blog about it! Fans will follow you when they see that you are a real person like them.
- make a video tutorial
- Just like product reviews, potential fans are always looking for information through videos. And if you have a knack for teaching, why not show them a trick or two on the guitar?
Provide something for FREE!
This one is very important, so I saved it for last. To entice potential fans (or anyone) to visit your site, offer them something of value. Don’t sell them your music. Make them feel like you really want them to enjoy what you have to offer, and selling your music is only a close second. This, my friends, should be in your “How to Market Your Music 101” textbook. Offer them free downloads, how-to e-books, or exclusive images of your shows. Use your imagination. Once they start trusting you, they’ll reward you with their loyalty. They’ll buy your next album. They’ll share you with their friends and claim they’ve discovered you! Gain enough of a loyal following, and you just might start to stop being considered one of the local bands.