The First 5 Steps to Marketing (and Profiting) Your Music (I)

To borrow a phrase from a former U.S. president, “I feel your pain.”

I’m not talking about physical pain, of course. I’m referring to the deep emotional pain and stress that come with pouring your heart into your band, new CD or other music-related pursuit… and still feeling like you’re coming up short.

Whether you produce, pop, rock, jazz, hip-hop or house music, you know what you offer is good and is of value to others. It’s just that not enough people seem to know about you yet and, as a result, not nearly enough money is streaming in to cover expenses, much less give yourself a little take-home money.

Take heed, my fellow Guerrilla Music Marketer. This and subsequent articles will shed light on how to remedy the situation (without losing your sanity or forcing you to start a Vanilla Ice tribute band). What follows are five steps you must follow to take charge of your music marketing so you start profiting from it now!

Warning: Don’t make the mistake that many aspiring musicians will make. They’ll read these steps, tell themselves how valuable the advice is, and then go back to the same destructive routines as before. You won’t do that.

And to make sure you don’t, I’ve added an affirming commitment statement to the end of each step. Read them aloud every day for at least two or three weeks until the commitment becomes ingrained. Then read them at least once a week after that. Doing so will make certain you put these success tips into action… and profit accordingly.

1) Have a clear idea who your ideal fan is

Could you sit down right now and write a profile of your ideal fan? Can you articulate how your fans dress, where they work, what TV shows they watch, which blogs they read, what they do for fun, and who their favourite cultural hero is?

If you can’t describe your fans in detail, you should immediately start searching for a way to do so. Knowing precisely who your fans are dictates what avenues you use to reach them and how you communicate your message once you do reach them.

Reality: Continuing to ignore these insights will lead to missed opportunities and wasted time. If you don’t know where your fans hang out, what they’re interested in, and why they spend money, how will you ever be able to effectively promote your talents in a way that will lead to all of you being better off?

When you overlook this element, potential fans move on without the benefit of your music. And you stumble on without the satisfaction of having shared your music and getting the recognition and income that come with it.

The solution: Do some basic, informal research. If you perform live at all. Start asking questions of people in the crowd during breaks and after your shows. Write down your observations. What types of people come to see you? What traits do your fans have in common? Asking questions may even allow you to discover a segment of the population you’ve been ignoring, but which could benefit from your music.

If you’re just starting out, observe the types of people who patronise similar artists. Or simply describe the type of person to whom you want your band or record label to appeal. This doesn’t have to be a complicated research project. Just get a handle on the types of people you want to reach with your promotional and sales messages. Doing so will help you get them faster.

Affirm your commitment to step 1:

“I no longer leave my music marketing to chance. Through basic research, personal observation and gut instincts, I create a specific profile of my ideal fan. Using this profile, I know how to reach my fans and communicate with them effectively.”

2) Discover what motivates your fans

Now that you have a clearer idea of who your fans are, you have to reach out and touch them. But the only way to reach them effectively is to understand their real reasons for spending time and money on you.

The problem: Most music marketers concentrate on themselves and the features of their product or service. For, instance, recording studio are notorious for promoting lists of equipment and the credentials of engineers. That’s not a crime, but the real reasons many studio clients spend money is to get the good feeling of hearing a major label-quality recording of their music (because of the equipment) and getting respect for being so closely connected to the music industry (due to the engineer’s resume).

While the studio literature and sales pitch should be stressing the clients’ feelings of accomplishment and respect, they instead spit out a list of mechanical features. The trick is to push a consumer’s hot buttons – the deeper reasons he or she spends time and hard-earned money on a given product or service.

Paul and Sarah Edwards, authors of the book Getting Business to Come to You, remind us that all potential buyers are tuned into radio station WII-FM, which stands for “What’s In It For Me?” – the essential question that every person asks when confronted with a time or money decision.

“Clients want to know that what you provide will meet their needs,” the authors write. “Can you save your customers money, time or effort? Can you increase their ability to complete? Can you make them look good to others? Can you give them peace of mind? Put yourself in the customer’s shoes.”

Bottom line: Determine the real motivating feeling – the key benefit – that people experience when they spend time and money on you. Does your music make them feel good? If so, in what way? Does it give them a recreational escape from their worries? Does it allow them to hang onto something they’re afraid of losing, such as youth, sex appeal or an outlet for their frustrations?

Ask your fans more questions, make more observations, do your homework, and use your head. Discovering the key motivations that draw your fans to you will help you discover your road to success in the music business.

Affirm your commitment to step 2:

“Just knowing who my fans are is not enough. I now do whatever it takes to uncover the personal and emotional benefits that motivate people to spend time and money on my music. Discovering these hot buttons allows me to more effectively market the music I have to offer.”