Music Biz– 10 Great Ideas To Promote Your Music or Brand And Separate It From The Pack
Written by Jesse Atkinson
To effectively promote your brand and stand out from the crowd, you must think outside of your circumference. Here are some unique branding tactics that I came up with to help you distinguish your brand from the competition.
1. Link Up With A Charity – As an independent artist or producer, one of the best ways to expand your brand is to partner with a non-profit organization for a worthy cause. This creates positive goodwill for your brand and will help you to garner positive press. Reach out to one of your favorite charities and ask permission to promote that charity alongside your new single, mixtape, album or tour.
2. Produce A Short Film and Debut It In A Movie Theater – Independent artists should try something different to build a fanbase. Look into the possibility of producing and starring in your own 20-minute short film, and add your music as the score or soundtrack. Write a script, get some actors, and find a good video or movie director to film it. Once you have completed the short film, you can rent out a small theater in one of the big movie theater chains in your area like an AMC multiplex. It is affordable to rent out a movie theater. Companies do it all of the time. You can debut your short film in the theater and invite your friends, family, and fans to come out for free to pack the house. Also, you can invite out the press, music executives, DJ’s, etc. You can get sponsors and give out gift bags and perhaps perform a song or two. This would make your brand look huge, and you will get to see yourself on the big screen.
3. Create Your Own Comic Book – As an artist or producer, you can become a superhero in your own comic book. This is a unique and innovative way to promote your brand. Many companies have utilized customized comics to get their message across in an entertaining way. For instance, U.S. Congressman/Civil Rights veteran John Lewis created the best-selling comic book about the March on Washington. The comic book entertained and educated folks about the Civil Rights movement during the 1960s. Likewise, you can use your own comic book to inform potential fans about your music movement. You can create a limited-edition soundtrack CD to go with the comic and have the CD inserted in the back of it. A customized comic book can be sold at shows or online. How many artists do you know with their own comic? You can be one of the few who do have one. The key is to find a top-notch illustrator and someone who can help with your storyline.
4. Develop Your Own Action figure – Another fantastic way to promote your brand is via customized action figures that look just like you. This type of gimmick merchandising is different and highly effective. Imagine walking into a radio interview with your own action dolls and then giving the interviewer one. There are companies that create custom made action figures with unique talking features. A push of a button on the doll can trigger it to recite the lyrics or chorus to your latest hit song. Your action figures can be sold online or given to your fans as prizes in contests. The key is to make your brand memorable and exciting. A lot of actors have their own action figures from certain movies in which they have starred. Thus, why can not music artists have their own action figures too? If you want to stand out, then do the things that everyone else is not doing. One company that makes custom action figures is a firm called “Hero Builders.”
5. Create Something Of Value To Benefit Others – Sometimes you can expand your brand by creating a vehicle that can benefit others as well as yourself. You can launch a blog, a seminar, a DVD or a radio show that can perhaps assist in the promotion of other major and independent artists and producers. This can position you as an artist and create networking and collaboration opportunities for you. This approach worked for French Montana and a few others. French Montana made his start in the music industry with his Cocaine City DVD series. This enabled him to meet many high profile artists and music executives, which helped with positioning his music career later on down the road. The success of French Montana’s DVD series helped launch his music career.
6. Make A Video Diary – In order to make a connection with your fans, it is important to take them on a journey into your world. Creating video diaries and posting them on your YouTube channel is an awesome way to give your followers a glimpse into your movement. Produce your own webisode series. You can become the unofficial music ambassador for your region and take viewers on a tour of your city. Show your fans all of the hot spots in your town and reveal the places that have inspired you. Also, in the video diaries, you can debut new music, do freestyle or take the viewers into the booth with you and show them your creative process.
7. Present A Contest – Contests are another great way to grow your brand. People enjoy winning prizes. A well-defined contest can draw a lot of traffic to your website. Contests can be fun and exciting. Contests are also an excellent way to collect qualified leads and build your database. You can require that contestants must provide their name and email address in order to enter the contest. Additionally, you can reach out to companies or organizations to sponsor your contest and offer giveaways. You can provide prizes such as an IPad or a flat-screen TV, etc. Make sure that the grand prize of your contest is aligned with the theme of your album or movement. Keep your contest simple. Make it easy for people to enter. Write out the official rules, and guidelines for the contest. You can do a trivia contest, remix contest, or jingle contest. Perhaps you can have a dance video contest where your fans make YouTube videos dancing to your music. You can require them to purchase a special contest version of your single on iTunes and then create a dance video that uses the song. The top video entries can be placed on your website. You can create a voting poll, and the dance video that receives the most votes within a 3 week period wins the grand prize. Try to be creative and use your imagination.
8. Build Your Own App – Apps are applications that run on smartphones. Nowadays there are companies out there that enable independent artists to easily and affordably build their own apps. With your own app, you can engage your supporters, and promote your concerts, new releases, and videos. According to Jed Carlson, co-founder of ReverbNation, “having a mobile app is important. It puts the artist’s brand into the hands of the fans. This helps fans to share the acts’ music.” With smartphone applications, fan interaction is no longer confined. In order to stay competitive, you must embrace technology. Look around for companies that can help you with building your app. For instance, Reverbnation has created a mobile app system for independent artists to create their own applications for both iPhone and Android Platforms. They charge an additional affordable fee for this service. Also, Conduit has a great platform to build mobile apps.
9. Advertise on commercial Radio – Radio is a medium that can reach a mass audience. The people who buy your music listen to the radio. Most independent artists do not realize how affordable it is to advertise on commercial radio stations. Many think that it is very expensive when it is not. Radio advertisements are a great way to promote your brand and separate you from the pack. Since most independent artists do not advertise on the radio, you will look like you are unique and making major moves with your radio ads. You can create your own 30-second radio commercial or you can have the radio station produce one for you. The great thing about a radio ad spot is that you can have a snippet of your song playing in the background of the commercial. You can advertise your single, mixtape, website or contest.
10. Get A 1-800 Hotline Number – A 1-800 number is a toll-free number. It can help with building brand recognition. Toll-free numbers can also increase your sales. A toll-free number makes it easier for your fans to reach you and get their questions answered. With your 1-800 Hotline, you can have specially recorded messages for your fans regarding any new releases, new merchandise, concerts, giveaways or contests. Having a toll free number gives your label or production company credibility and enhances your image. Include your 1-800 hotline number in all of your online and offline advertisements. There are numerous companies that can help you set up your toll-free hotline. Just look them up online.
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