Online music marketing strategies can be tough, but sometimes, the best way to get by is by helping others. The best relationships, especially when it comes to business, are win-win relationships.

I've done a lot of business throughout the years and I've used the internet to generate most of it. To get sales and repeat sales, I started looking at individual groups and organizations and asked myself "how can I use my music to enhance their business?"

I won't lie, thinking like this was tough initially but after thinking over and over again I thought to myself, why not use the internet and find groups that don't have theme songs or commercials?

Years ago, just sitting in front of a computer and networking did not go hand and hand. Now I get more business than I can handle and I love it.

Online is a Very Important Tool When It Comes to Marketing

Before the internet, you would have to cold-call places out of the phone book and hit the pavement in whatever weather to gain new prospects. Or even mail out mass quantities of post cards in order to get your brand in front of the masses.

Now that we have the ability to reach online, one flyer posted on a social media website like Facebook or Instagram can reach a town's worth of people. This makes networking a whole lot easier than it once was.

Why?

Well, you have the opportunity to learn about organizations that you may not have ever learned about. There are so many clubs and groups that, for example a small Tennessee bowling crew, could be found and contacted.

The reason why I stress this fact is because I see opportunity where others don't. Just like many independent artists and bands, there isn't an unlimited cash flow we can just spend on just anything. We save money by creating our own studios but that $1,000 mic is still a far distance away so we settle for a more affordable microphone.

My point is, everyone is trying to save money, including when it comes to their organizations.

Creativity and Brainstorming Are the Keys to Success

Do you think a girl scout camp looking to create a commercial can afford to hire Maroon 5 to write a custom song? What about just to license the song? Chances are that answer is no!!

They have to work with whatever budget they have and spending most of it on music is just not going to work. This applies to local businesses also.

The thing about it all is that when it comes to advertising I find that most places do not even know how to go about even obtaining music whether it be for background or a theme song.

This is where you come in my friend. You have to learn not only how to create music but also how to take that music and generate income from your music. In this case, you much know who to target and how to make sure you both are happy with the outcome.

What's In It For You? Good Question...

Now for an example of this in action. We'll say that there is a college in town and they have some pretty popular fraternities. You find this out from digital flyers being placed all over Facebook and Instagram. They are always doing something for the community and this helps the school gain capital.

You find this out by visiting their website. The more members they have, the better it is for the fraternities. An idea strikes you and you decide to create a song about these groups to help spread the word about them. You include important information about each fraternity, after researching, and you make it as catchy as possible.

Once you get the song as great as you can you talk to the music director to create sheet music so the band can play the tune. It becomes the unofficial song for the fraternities at the school!! They decide to create a video to spread the word about how great their college fraternities are.

All of this just from you finding an organization and finding your way in. The best part about it all is that each school gets budgets for certain things and music is one of them. This means you should enjoy a nice check for your efforts and backend royalties if they decide to air the video on networks. It's the gift that will keep on giving.

No need in spending large amounts of money on a marketing company when you could just become your own. The important thing for us independent artists is to think outside of the box.

With ads all over the place enticing you to spend more and more we sometimes forget how powerful online music marketing strategies can actually be. Always remember that every dollar starts with a thought.