(Music) Marketing 101
In my previous article, "Band or Brand", I stress the importance of branding yourself or your group well. Marketing goes hand-in-hand with branding, but they are not the same thing. Be aware of the difference, because the two are often used interchangeably. The problem with this confusion is that it leads to a blurred promotional strategy.
As I mentioned in the previous article, your "brand" is your audience's perception of who you are and how you behave. It is often formed by the process of marketing; though there are other contributing factors which I discuss in that article. The key distinction is that branding is the result, while marketing a process.
Now that we have established that there is a difference, let's take a look at what this "process" entails. First and foremost, despite its reputation in some circles as being a nebulous concept or process, marketing is strictly grounded in reality. Brace yourself for an ego punch, but most people (at best) don't care about you, and there is a sizable group that out-right hates what you are doing. You will never be able to win everybody over. At the same time, there are people who are (or will be) incredibly loyal followers. Ladies and gentlemen... this is a "market" -or in performance terms, an audience.
Every day, your market is out there making choices, and it is through the process of marketing that you enter into a conversation with that audience and become a consideration as they make said choices. Eventually, a relationship is formed. This group of people with whom you have a relationship is your fan base. One word of caution, however, is that you must always remember that a relationship is an on-going process that requires work and growth. It requires frequent conversation.
Most musicians and promoters have a good feeling for who might be their audience, but I encourage you to take a closer look. Who are they? Where do they live? What do they eat and drink? Where do they hang out? Where don't they hang out? How much money do they have? and the list goes on. The more you know about the people that like your music, the easier and more natural it will be to enter into that relationship with them. Most importantly, it will save you a lot of time and money in the long-run, because you will not be wasting advertising dollars on deaf ears.
The next logical step, then, is to find eager ears. Sadly, there is no simple process, rule, or formula to solve this problem. People have been working on this one since merchants recorded their inventory on clay tablets, and I don't honestly think we have come too far in finding a sure answer since that time. Even if we did, it would probably change just as soon as we arrived at it. This, again, comes down to knowing your audience and knowing yourself. Start there, and you cannot go wrong. ________________________________________________________________________ article written by Alex Sobieski, Principal and CEO of Cult Status. 8-8-2007
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