Promoting your music is a massive enigma! There are a lot of options. One could argue that there are too many options! The problem is that it’s hard to know where to start and how to execute a strategy that works for you. That’s because every musician is unique and we all have different goals. There’s no one size fits all.
If you’d like to attract a loyal fanbase to your music, the first step is to understand that there is a difference between numbers and loyalty. Numbers look great. They give you a significant boost of confidence. Numbers lend you a lot of clout and credibility. However, numbers mean nothing if you don’t have a tribe that actually supports you. As a creative entrepreneur, you need supporters, not numbers. Supporters will buy your music, show up for your events, engage with your content, buy your merchandise, share your content, and basically consume whatever you put out.
Having 100 loyal supporters is better than having 1000 Facebook fans who don’t support you. In this article, we’re talking about how you can attract people who will support you and your music.
Showcase your personality.
Your personality is one of the things that set you apart from other musicians. Aside from your music, your personality is one of your greatest assets as an artist. It’s a big attribute to what makes you unique.
We all have at least 1 or 2 qualities of our personality that shine. Pinpoint yours and create opportunities for yourself where you can showcase those qualities. Are you funny? Why not crack a few jokes before each live stream? Are you sweet? Make a habit of giving gifts to your fans. Do you have the gift of gab? Host live chats with your fans and talk about various topics. Are you a natural teacher? Host some workshops where you teach something related to your music or message. Are you a natural healer? Find a way to incorporate healing into your shows.
Are you shy and awkward? Find a way to play into that. Be confident in your awkwardness. Being an artist allows you to play up these personality features in a way that can attract those who will most benefit from your music.
Personally, there are a few elements of my personality that I enjoy sharing as part of my music persona. Being hospitable. I’m naturally very personable and welcoming. In general, people just feel comfortable around me. It makes it easy to share stories, find common ground and connect. I’m bright and bubbly. So I use that in my color and font choices as part of my branding (more on branding below). You can see some of that spill over into the energy I give in my videos and the way I present my stories. Creating opportunities to showcase your best features can help you attract your ideal fans.
Be authentic.
Build upon showcasing your personality by implementing authenticity in everything you do. This means being transparent about your thought process when it comes to songwriting, making music, becoming the artist you are, and more. Authenticity can be applied in so many ways as you engage your fans such as including candid shots of you doing life as part of your social media content strategy. Do you have personal beliefs or faith? Share about that. Are you passionate about other things in addition to your music? Talk about that with your fans. Better yet, incorporate that into your offerings as an artist. For example, if you’re passionate about yoga, you could host a yoga class with your music as a backdrop.
Find ways to be transparent and showcase your humanity.
Oftentimes as musicians we get into a rut of promoting music without connecting. People are tired of hearing musicians say ‘listen to my latest single.’ If you can come up with compelling reasons why they should listen to your latest single, you’ll generate more interest. How will this song help or impact the listener? Why did you write it? What does the song do for you?
Use branding techniques.
What is your brand messaging?
Do you notice how Coca-Cola has a specific message of inclusiveness and connection? Their campaigns revolve around family, friends, and a sense of belonging. That’s their messaging. How about Wal-Mart? Their message is about affordability for everyone. And McDonald’s? They’re all about happiness. Every company with a brand has a message. When their customers think of these brands, their messaging comes to mind and it brings about a feeling that promotes certain behaviors and directs decision making. Hence why you might prefer Coca-Cola over Pepsi or vice versa. It’s more than just the taste. Your preferences are derived from the overall feeling you get when supporting your favorite brands. It works the same way with your fans or potential fans.
Your fans follow and support you because they want to experience the feeling they get from being a part of your community and listening to your music.
As a musician, it’s important to articulate your message so you can resonate with your ideal fans and inspire loyalty. Take a look at the video below to learn more about why branding is so important for attracting, engaging, and keeping your music fans.
What are some example branding techniques?
- Communicating an overall feeling such as inclusivity, happiness, nostalgia, wholesomeness, justice, etc by use of imagery, colors, fonts, etc.
- Sharing articles and content related to your message.
- Incorporating your mission and purpose into your content.
- Choosing what you wear and how you present your overall look based on your identity as an artist
- Working with causes or non-profit organizations that resonate with your mission and purpose and talking about it
- Picking merchandise that aligns with your overall brand messaging
- Creating an environment on your website that aligns with your brand
These are just a few examples. There are tons of ways to utilize branding techniques as attributes to your musical endeavors.
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Create a sense of belonging and exclusivity.
Offer fan-centered content such as live streams where you talk directly with and highlight your followers. Encourage them to participate in chats, live streams, and exclusive forums where they converse with one another. Memberships are a great application for this where you offer exclusive group calls, chats, or live streams just for your members. Chat and connect around messaging that relates to your purpose and mission as an artist. This creates long-lasting relationships between not only you and your fans but between the fans themselves as well.
Being a part of an exclusive network promotes a sense of camaraderie and inspires your fans to show up to your events for the sake of connecting with you as well as other fans. Here are some ways you can create a sense of belonging and exclusivity with your fans:
- Highlight your followers in your mailing list. Don’t have a mailing list? Check out how I built mine here.
- Do you host virtual shows or live streams? Ask questions and converse with participants.
- Start a members-only something such as a Facebook Group, Instagram Close-Friends, Group phone call, zoom chat.
- Talk about who your fans are as part of your social media content. Have you answered the question…Who are your ideal fans? Share that in a video message on social media. I recommend ending the video by saying something like…”if this sounds like you join my mailing list or subscribe to my channel for more.”
- Host surveys and polls and share the answers with your fans.
- Ask trending questions with your fans on social media and let your fans chat amongst themselves.
Utilize social media correctly!
Social media is meant to be a place to connect and engage organically. To get the best results from social media it makes sense to use tactics that promote connection and engagement. This means less blatant promotion and more thoughtful content that promotes dialogue.
Avoid posting too much content like this…
- watch my video
- listen to this song
- check out my recent interview
Try to post more engaging content such as this…
- just wrapped the official video for our latest release about (insert topic) we did something new where we (insert something unique about the video) tell us what you think? Watch all the way until the end! There’s a surprise waiting for you. (You could include a blooper reel, a secret gift, or a clue to a scavenger hunt.)
- I’m deciding between these two album covers for our upcoming release, what’s your choice and why?
- here’s what I’ve been dealing with lately, can you relate?
- check out what I said about (insert trending topic). Do you agree or disagree?
Do you see the difference? You’re still promoting your music, but the content is more inclusive and focuses on what they’ll get out of it instead of what you want them to do. Approaching social media this way fosters more participation and builds actual relationships. It’s alive. It’s interactive. This style of social media marketing encourages people to engage with you.
Download the How to Identify Your
Ideal Fans Worksheet
The type of business we have as musicians is about more than just the music we produce. It’s about inspiring people, connecting with people, providing memorable experiences for people, and helping them to feel something. When you focus on providing that, you will begin to attract the right people to your music. So instead of looking for numbers and listeners, focus on building a community and attracting your tribe. Follow the suggestions outlined in this article to start building your own community. Your community will be the ones to help you achieve your goals as a musician.
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The owner of one of the venues we play told us “your fans don’t make a mess in our rest rooms”. And then he said “we had to let that other band go because while they packed the place, there fans just order coffee and water, not food or drinks”. Another venue we played for 32 years said “we like the way you guys always start on time and take fewer and shorter breaks. We prefer not to hire bands that smoke because they disappear outside the venue for a long time and don’t mingle with the customers”. We always ask the venues that hire us what they expect from us. “A club owner told us to not play any ballads.” and another one said “we like the way you get your pictures in the paper and send out emails to your fan base”. It’s not about music. A musician is hired to MAKE MONEY FOR THE VENUE. They don’t care what kind of music you play or even if you are good at it. If the venue makes money, you can play whatever you want to play.
100! Your fans are your lifeline and they are with you because they resonate with the feelings you invoke and experiences you create. It translates into everything you do as a musician, especially live performances at venues. Thanks for sharing.