IV. Adapting

This is the fourth and final instalment of the mini New Year’s Resolutions series. I imagine I’m preaching to the choir here, but I think it’s important to mention in case you haven’t fully considered this. 2020 has shown how drastically the music industry across the world can be affected by a mass pandemic. But it has also shown how quickly musicians and artists can adapt their craft to continue to reach new fans. As we are not out of the woods yet, being adaptable is still very relevant. Now, of course, the lack of live events has unfortunately seen a lot of financial difficulties for artists as the work simply isn’t there.

Here are a few ideas for digital marketing that can help you to reach new fans and keep your music going through this difficult period.

1. Live streams – virtual band practices, live streaming Q&As, chatting about the meaning behind your songs. These are all simple ideas that can be affective.
2. Playthrough videos – these can be filmed with all members separately and work well whilst filming music videos isn’t really an option for many at the present. You don’t need amazing videography equipment to do this. Just using your phone and a free video editing app will work perfectly well.
3. Competitions – merch giveaways can be great for getting fans involved and you can use this as a means of building up your mailing list. If you’re not in a position to give away merch, why not run a competition for a fan to be involved in song-writing or offer a meet & greet once restrictions allow.
4. Fan Shout Outs – this can be a personal touch that truly makes someone’s day! Breaking down barriers between you and your fans really helps to strengthen connections.
5. Create a video with your fans – ask fans to record themselves singing and dancing to one of your tracks, and then edit it together into a music video.

In terms of working on your band behind the scenes, here are a few ideas of things you can be doing:

1. Song writing – even if you don’t have access to recording equipment you can write song lyrics, melodies, develop chord sequences which are then ready to go once restrictions lift.
2. Design artwork for future releases or merch – if you can’t afford to pay a graphic designer just now, create a mood board or find similar images of what you would like. Or why not have a go at making your own art?
3. Marketing – there is a lot of free advice out there to help with digital marketing, why not brush up on your skills!
4. Working on a new release – now is the time to start planning your release dates, get in touch with PR and marketing if that is something you want to do. Get talking to promoters and publicists – it’s better to be enquiring early as there is a lot to plan!

Hopefully this helps provide a few ideas that may be useful to you. Ever want to chat? Email me – [email protected]