I have a question for you.
Do you ever get stuck, wondering what you should be doing to promote your music during the "down time?"
That awkward silence between records happens because we aren't sure what to say to fans. 🤷🏻♀️ But, that doesn't mean that bands have checked out.
The truth is, we're either working hard to get the next release out, or we're exhausted after that whole process is complete. "Down time" is usually down because we have spent (or are spending) hours, days, weeks, months, even years pouring our creative energy into a project.
After a band releases an album, all we want to do is collapse on the couch for about a week, and then maybe jump on the road and share it with the world.
Most artists don't love digging into the nitty gritty of marketing and promotion, especially when there isn't much to promote. We just want to PLAY.
But, if a great record is released and nobody hears it, does it make any sound?
This question applies to both sides of a new record: After the songs are written, recorded, mixed, and mastered, ready to be released, and after all the hype has settled and you're working hard to get the next project ready for the studio.
Your social media game has to stay consistent to make an impact, even between records. Your email list still wants to hear from you, even when there isn't much going on. Your presence will be different, for sure - more casual, maybe not as frequent, but your content should still have a pulse.
The last thing a band wants is for their hard work to be overlooked because their new record wasn't promoted effectively. If you don't stay engaged with your fans during the writing and recording process, they'll miss the opportunity to get excited about your new music.
So, what do we do to keep our marketing game strong? We have to get creative...
Share behind-the-scenes photos or videos. Host Facebook Live sessions breaking down your songwriting process. Have an Instagram contest to decide on your next t-shirt design. Record acoustic versions of your songs.
The key is to keep content rolling.
Of course, this is easy to get on board with in theory, but as you probably know, it's HARD WORK.
Most musicians in heavy music have full-time jobs outside of their band. Between writing, working, and maintaining a family or social life, it's hard to find time to do all of this. Trust me, you're not alone.
There are some easy ways to boost your exposure that don't require a full-blown marketing campaign. Here are just a few ideas:
Be active on your band's social media and streaming profiles. Instead of scrolling through your personal feed, like and comment on other bands' content from your artist profile. This boosts your credibility to Facebook, Instagram, and Spotify playlist curators. And who knows, you could make some valuable connections.
Set a scheduled time for content creation. In just one hour, you can come up with the next week's social media and email content. If you reserve intentional time for this, your content quality will improve and so will your metrics.
Share the small stuff. You don't have to have a big show announcement to share with your fans for every post. Let them know what's going on in the day-to-day of your band, and they'll feel like a part of the family.The hardest part of music promotion is not when there's something new coming up...it's when the new stuff just got released, and you think, 'Now what?'
Focus on the down time and your fans will be ready to buy your next record because they've been with you the entire time...
To your success,
Naø
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