Marketing tactics that will get you noticed as an artist

Thanks in part to the internet, we have the ability to communicate instantly with people around the world.  Marketing is one of the many fields that has taken advantage of this new ability. The amount of marketing materials sent out on a daily basis by way of email, text message, social media platforms and other various routes continues to increase.  Due to this increased communication traffic, it’s important to be precise and clear when networking and sending out promotional material. The artists and labels you’ll be contacting are busy and receive a high volume of promotional material daily.  And with the level of talent increasing as time goes on, you’ll need to learn how to stand out and be professional when speaking with your potential colleagues, client and employers. But don’t be discouraged, there are some things you can do to keep yourself ahead of the curve and make contact with your favorite artists and labels.  The tips compiled below will help give you an advantage when aiming to send correspondence that actually gets people’s attention.

Individualize

When you’re sending promotional material out, it might seem efficient to CC every artist or label that you would like to send to.  However, its actually far more professional to take the time to individualize the emails you are sending. It shows that you’ve taken the time to research the artist or label and that you care about building a professional relationship.  Be creative but keep the length to a minimum. Make it easy and inviting for people to open your promotional material.

Be professional

If you want to be a professional, you need to act like one.  As you begin writing those individualized emails, make sure you proofread what you’ve written, or ask a friend to look it over.  It’s always good to get a second opinion and can help direct your correspondence more efficiently. Remember, your direction needs to be clear, concise and to the point.

Conveying credibility

Building a resume when you’re just starting off can be difficult.  It can be unclear when and what to include out of your personal music accomplishments when trying to convince your potential audience to listen to your material.  It’s okay to include your past success as a window into what your future success might hold, so charting a track on platforms like Beatport and iTunes or gaining blog support can be potential resume points to include when sending out your promo.  You don’t need to list everything. Try and stick to one accomplishment.

Create a promotional release strategy

Spend some time coming up with a timeline about when to post certain promotional materials.  You might post a simple photo of the album artwork or something else related to the song or album a few weeks before release, followed by short song previews or full music videos as you get closer and hit your release day.  There is no right order, just learn to build your own strategy. As you continue to release more content, you’ll find your own balance and style when releasing new material.

Quality content

The content you use is a reflection of your character and who you are as a brand – make sure its quality.  Use professional editing programs like Adobe Photoshop or GIMP to add your own style to the content you create.  Your artwork, social media posts, music and all other associated promotional materials should be completely finished and align with your promotional strategy.  When you’re including files and hyperlinks, make sure they are all working.
We’re all fans of the artists and labels we send promotional materials to, that’s part of the reason we send it to them.  But it’s important to recognize that if you want to be taken seriously, you need to act like a professional and deliver a well thought out finished product.  In some situations, you might only get one chance to make a good first impression. So when you put in extra time and effort in creating your own material, it is well received on the other side.  Hard work does get noticed and does pay off. Sending promotional materials might not always be the most exciting part of building your artist brand, but it’s necessary and should be taken seriously.  Every step of the strategy you implement matters, all those individual pieces make up the product. It’ll involve some trial and error to learn how to build a strategy that works for you. Expose your own mistakes, learn from them, and build a stronger plan.  Trust your process, you’ll find your own style along the way.