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Most artists spend months
writing, recording, and finalizing their songs, merch, and
live performances for the marketplace, only to make repeated
mistakes when it comes to promoting themselves. Don't let
this be you. Here are six career-killing mistakes you want
to be absolutely sure to avoid.
1. Not communicating
a consistent brand
Many artists fail to understand that
literally everything – their name, logo, song titles,
merch designs, slogans, mascots, attitude, and associations
– affects the image that fans will form in their own
minds. If there's any confusion (e.g., the title of the record
or song doesn’t match the beliefs of the band, the color
and fonts of the website don’t convey the identity of
the band), the fans might not know what to think. It's difficult
to believe in something that's not clearly defined. This is
a no-no. Confusion equals disengaged fans, disengaged fans
equal lack of money. Be sure your marketing is consistent!
2. Relying
on internet marketing alone
Many musicians utilize internet marketing techniques but fail
to understand that there are nine other categories (publicity,
advertising, word-of-mouth, guerrilla street marketing, radio
promotion, sponsorships, sales promotions, direct marketing,
and face-to-face selling). But in the crowded marketplace,
this may not be enough to break through all the clutter and
be seen and heard. No awareness equals no sales. Remember
that the more places that you can deliver your message, the
better!
3. A lack of social
skills on social media
Many artists forget to practice the same
etiquette that exists offline, online. They invite me to gigs
in New York when I live in LA. They send me messages that
say, “Yo, check out my song.” And they send friend
requests without having a profile picture (they use that creepy
default head). This pisses me off. Pissed off fans equal lost
awareness, which equals lost sales. Thus, to succeed in the
music business, remember to be social on your social networks.
After all, it’s called social networking.
4. Being afraid to
sell
Many artists feel that selling is sleazy,
especially at their live shows. They fail to tell people that
their merch table exists and that their T-shirts and records
are on sale. But this lack of awareness equals no fan interaction,
which equals no sales of your products and services. You don’t
have to be pushy. Just convey your passion for your art, and
inform people about why they should buy it. You’ll be
glad you did!
5. Not promoting the
benefits
Most musicians tend to promote the features
of their products and services (what the product is), rather
than promote the benefits (why the fans should care). As a
result, they never get to that next level of their careers.
You see, no one really cares whether John Doe is playing at
the Whisky tonight on Sunset Boulevard at 9:00 p.m. Rather,
they really care about how John Doe’s music will make
them feel, how they can meet beautiful people, and how parking
and drinks will be cheap to purchase. Especially when you're
new and just starting out, don’t just sell the features,
sell the benefits.
6. Poor face-to-face
selling techniques
Many artists attend networking conferences
(like SXSW, Taxi Road Rally, and Winter Music Conference),
but few understand how to "go in for the kill."
They ramble on and on about their careers when meeting people
instead of eloquently presenting a 30-second elevator pitch
that describes what they do and why people should care. They
make hundreds of excuses (like, "It's not mixed yet,"
"I haven’t recorded the vocals yet," and "I'm
going to redo the drum track when I get home") when playing
their music instead of shutting up and letting people listen.
Even worse, they drink or
party way too much and embarrass themselves by slobbering
all over industry folk while saying how much they "love
them." And finally, they hand out their press materials
(CDs, USB flash drives) to everybody that has a pocket instead
of targeting their own audience. These are costly mistakes.
So before your next convention, get your shit together. Think
first, and act second. You'll get so much more bang for your
buck!
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