Tag Archive for: Marketing

Building Your Fan Base with Marketing Platforms

by Maya Cullen

 

1. Figure out your brand as part of your creative journey.

Examples of artists who are also strong brands:

Chappell Roan

David Bowie

Billie Eilish

Bowie is all about reinvention and storytelling.

Chappell Roan is bold, outspoken and not afraid of speaking out about social issues.

Billie Eilish is raw, edgy and doesn’t adhere to societal norms.

 

How do you want to be portrayed as an artist?

 

Consider the following questions:

What is your unique sound and style?

Is there a message you want to get across?

You don’t have to be political or moral, but what is unique about you?

What do you want to portray through your music?

How do you want your fans to feel after listening to your music?

What colours fit with your style?

 

2. Consider who is listening to your music.

If you’re on Spotify, use the artists’ tools to review the demographics of your listeners. Most platforms such as Amazon Music, TikTok and Instagram also show audience insights.

Knowing where your fans are listening from should inform where you tour.

Think about what else your fans are interested in. Where do they spend their time online? This will help you to engage with them.

 

3. What other artists do your fans follow?

If you scroll to the bottom of the artist page on Spotify you can see other artists your fans are listening to. This will help you pursue support slots or decide who should support you. It can also open up collaboration ideas. Maybe there’s a producer in the same space whom you could ask to remix your songs.

 

4. Targeted ads on digital platforms can help.

If you’re performing in a particular city and your fans also like Chappel Roan, target her fans in that particular city.

 

5. Make sure search engine robots and algorithms are aware of your content.

Search Engine Optimisation is important. Take every opportunity to describe your content properly using keywords.

Fill out all the alt tags available so that imagery is described. As well as being important for SEO reasons it’s also incredibly important for enabling people with impaired vision to engage with your content. Their screen readers will describe your visuals to them.

Whatever platform you use, tagging people and using hashtags will enable you to show up in more online spaces, e.g. if someone clicks on a location/venue on Instagram Stories they’ll see your post if you’ve tagged that location/venue.

Hashtag genres, styles, themes, locations. This will all help to move your content higher up in search engine rankings.

 

6. Enable people to see you just being yourself.

Your content doesn’t have to be polished. Show your personality. Giving people insight into you as a person is important.

Publish behind the scenes content. For example, #OnTour is a massive trend. It’s an opportunity to give insight into what happens when you’re on tour, featuring run-of-the-mill, everyday stuff like the chats in your tour van.

 

7. You can build a TikTok community quickly, particularly around viral trends.

Robert Grace is a good example of a popular Irish artist on TikTok. He had a “viral moment” on the platform with his song Fake Fine which started a bidding war between major labels. He now has millions of TikTok Followers.

Keep an eye on trending sounds and challenges. Duets and stitches are a great way to build your audience here so that you’ll be seen in different circles on the platform. Collaborate with friends here.

When you Go Live on TikTok your content is shown to so many more users, not just to your Followers.

 

8. Encourage user-generated content.

Ask your fans to use your song in their social media videos. If a song takes off, you could have a “viral moment” on TikTok if people use your music on their own content.

Perhaps you could take a line from your song that’s aligned with Valentine’s Day, for example, and publish that around Valentine’s Day.

When you release new music, create different videos with excerpts of your song. This will make it easier for people to use different excerpts.

 

9. Direct artist to artist relationships are extremely valuable.

Bands often pick their support acts themselves. This trumps anyone a label or promoter will recommend. Irish bands are great at promoting each other. Digital platforms, Instagram in particular, enable you to engage with other artists.

 

10. If you don’t have a high end music video, make a lyric video.

On YouTube, you can premier a video and set up a live chat and listening link enabling you to just sit and chat with the community you’ve built around you, whether it’s 10 people or 10,000 people.

 

11. You can set up a Facebook messenger group for your community.

This is a private group where you can engage with fans. It’s a great space to keep them up to date with gigs or maybe send pre-save links.

 

12. Consider what platforms music professionals use.

A lot of promoters still use Facebook to promote events.

Journalists/broadcasters are still very active on Twitter/X.

A lot of A&R people discover new music on TikTok.

 

13. Patreon helps you earn a recurring income.

Orla Gartland is a good example of an Irish artist who does well here. She has built a community on Patreon where she shares exclusive content.

 

14. Engage with your fans on digital platforms.

Use as many interactive elements as you can on Instagram Stories such as polls and countdowns.

Reply to comments and Direct Messages. Message people back even just to say thanks. The more that you engage with Comments the more the algorithm will amplify your content.

 

15. Take two days a month out to shoot strong content.

Get three or four outfits together and shoot many different scenarios. Visit cool visual places like Poolbeg Towers, Dublin lanes, or somewhere aligned with your brand. Think of content ideas and spend a few hours at it. Work smarter not harder. It can be exhausting trying to be creative on social media every day.

 

16. Think of the time of day you’re posting

Where are your audience at certain times? If American audiences are important to you, don’t post in the morning Irish time because New York will be fast asleep.

 

17. Have a mailing list.

At gigs, get out the old paper and pen or use a QR code so people can sign up to your mailing list. This is sensible because social media platforms can be precarious. Just look at the threatened take down of TikTok in the US. Nobody knows what the future will bring so don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

 

Selling Your Art Online

Sheelah Moloney’s Tips

1. There’s a strong art-buying market out there.
Buyers are much more comfortable buying online than ever before and they like buying directly from the artist.

2. By selling your work online, you have direct links to buyers.
This is really valuable for future sales opportunities.

3. Always ask the buyer to send you a picture of your work in their space.
This makes for a great piece of content you can share on your own digital channels.

4. Consider your web skills, time, and budget.
This will inform your website decision.
If you’re quite web savvy, the open source option wordpress.org could be for you.
(Not to be confused with the blogging site wordpress.com)
Out of the box options for the less web savvy include: Wix, Squarespace, Weebly, Showit. Squarespace gives you lot of support as opposed to WordPress which requires you to do a lot yourself.
Squarespace issue a monthly fee which includes hosting and domain as well as a strong level of maintenance. Start on a basic plan because you can always go up or add something in.

There are also e-commerce options including:
– Print on demand sites e.g., redbubble
– ETSY
– Online Art Galleries e.g., Artsy or Saatchi

If you have the budget but not as much time or web skills, hiring a dedicated web person may be the best option for you.
Regularly review your site to make sure it’s working.

5. Do put the prices on your work on the website.
According to Artsy Collector Insights Report 2023, no visible price is one of the biggest hindrances for customers when buying art online.

6. Put your bio, CV, and artist’s statement on your site.
Your artist’s statement tells the story of your work. To help you write this, try thinking of three things you would tell people about your work. Once you’ve finished this, show a friend and see if it resonates with them.
Check in on your bio and CV every six months to ensure they’re up to date.

7. Use your own voice in your web copy.
Keep it simple. Users don’t have time to decipher complex paragraphs.

8. Give people a peek behind the scenes.
Perhaps a timelapse of you creating work. This is great social media or mailing list/blog content.

9. Set up a mailing list.
Share news and updates in a monthly newsletter or blog post.
Direct mails are effective. Share what’s inspiring you.

10. 80% of your mailing list/social media content should not be about sales.
Prioritise what your Followers will be interested in. Help them understand you and your process. This will help them connect with your work.

11. A person has to give you express consent to be added to your mailing list.
You can’t just grab somebody’s email address and add it to the mailing list.
You must be GDPR compliant.

12. Plan out your annual system for selling your work.
Consider how much work you produce a year. How much does packing, shipping, and sales processing cost?
Define what are the most efficient pieces to process and what’s most appealing to your audience. Perhaps you end up selling your smaller pieces online because they’re cheaper to ship.

13. When people buy art, it’s personal and it’s a luxury.
Invest in strong packaging to ensure your work gets to your buyer safely and that it looks neat. Make sure edges are clear, there are no smudges or dents on frames; these often can get damaged in storage.
Include a handwritten note to make the piece extra special when the customer opens the package.

14. Have a functional plan for local and international customers.
Ensure sensible lead in times. Give yourself plenty of time to package, label, and send out rather than being under pressure to move on a sale when it comes in.

15. Review your process regularly.
Be sure that it generates income for you. If it’s not, change it. Don’t assume that the process is working all the time. Test it regularly.

16. Make sure the collection of work on sale is fresh.
You don’t want the same work sitting on your site for months and months on end. Don’t put everything up at once. Perhaps release 3-4 new pieces every month.

17. Ask a friend to visit your website as a user.
Sometimes you can get so close to a design so it’s hard to see where the holes are. A new pair of eyes can help with this.

18. Don’t sell via direct message on Instagram.
Nobody’s protected there; neither you nor the buyer are protected by the rules of e-commerce.

19. Ensure you know what the rules and regulations are.
Know consumer law and what applies to you. Have a returns policy. consumerlawready.eu is a good resource for consumer law information.

20. If you run a site, you need a privacy policy and cookies policy.
There are templates out there available. Uphold the regulation from the very beginning. Employing someone to write these policies for you is strongly recommended.

21. Consider these e-commerce options for your site:
– Woo commerce
– Shopify
– Paypal or Stripe are good payment gateways.

22. Have a stock taking plan.
Keep track of what was for sale, what sold, and who purchased it.

23. Have a system to get reviews and contact details.

24. Consider the below hierarchy.
– Important people: your social media followers
– VIPs: people on your mailing list. These people have gone a step further.
– V,VIPs: People who visit your site to buy your product. They’ll either buy again or will likely recommend you. Customers who part with their hard-earned money are important to you. Serve them well from the very beginning and they’ll serve you.

25. Selling to the UK is a more complicated process.
You need to define whether you or the buyer are responsible for the duty and UK VAT. Make who pays that very clear from the start.

You’ll need a Taric code; this is the same for art and antiques.
You’ll need a EROI number; this is something you receive when you register
with revenue.ie or ros.

26. Always sign your work.
Artists tend to forget this. You might have to get it sent back to sign it which is hassle you can do without.

27. You can have sold artwork on your website.
This proves that people are buying your work, just don’t have too many. No more than 2-3 pieces marked SOLD at any one time.

28. Never ship anything you haven’t received payment on.
Don’t fall for somebody saying they’ll pay cash on delivery or in installments.
Make sure the money is in the bank for 24 hours before shipping. There are scammers out there.

29. Celebrate art sales.
They are difficult and worth celebrating when they happen.

Sheelah Moloney is Director of https://2020curates.com/

Social Media Tips for Creatives

Corrina Kavanagh

 

1. Define your audience and who you’re targeting

Who is engaging with you already? Look at your social media insights, website analytics or your mailing list to be clear on who is currently engaging with you.

If you are new to social media and don’t have social media insights yet, look at your website analytics or your mailing list. Do a focus group with some of your audience to gain a better picture of who they are.

 

2. Understand your current and aspirational audience

Compile data on your audience

  • What are their challenges, their pain points?
  • What has brought them to your channel?
  • What social media channels do your audience use? Prioritise the best/right channels where your audience is e.g., if you want to target Gen Z, Twitter may not be the channel to focus your energy on.

Compile data on your audience, including:

  • age group
  • gender
  • location
  • stage of life e.g., teens/parents
  • how do they buy from you?

 

3. Create your buyer persona

This a fake identity based on the work you’ve done to understand your audience.

By keeping your buyer persona in mind, it’ll be easier for you to focus when creating content. E.g., your buyer persona might be… Maeve from Westmeath goes to college in Dublin. She’s 20, loves going out partying with her college friends when she’s not working on college assignments or working in her part-time job in the city centre. She’s LOVES dance music.

 

4. Check out your competition

  • What content works well for them?
  • What tone of voice are they using?
  • What networks are they active on?
  • What hashtags do they use?

 

5. Define your content pillars to support your brand

Ensure that together your content pillars authentically express who you are and are relevant to your audience. They should enable you to express why you’re unique.
E.g., 1. Skilled Musician 2. Humour 3. Passionate about community

Adhering to these pillars will help you plan content, and it will enable you to effectively position yourself to your target audience.

 

6. Does your content connect, entertain, or educate?

Always consider, is your content of value to your audience; to your buyer persona?

 

7. Keep content to the 80/20 rule

80% of your content should service your audience.
20% is strictly about you.

People get tired of promotion related posts; they want something focused on them and their needs.

 

8. Don’t be overwhelmed by content creation

Think outside the box with what you have available to you. From any one piece of content, you can derive multiple formats. E.g., while releasing new music you could publish…

  • behind the scenes music video clips
  • how-to tutorials
  • TikTok remix videos
  • celebration of milestones, i.e., first playlist on radio

Bank content where you can.

 

9. Carry out a social media audit

Look at every channel you have and make sure it’s all in line with your brand. Archive content that is no longer relevant.

 

10. Optimise your accounts for search

Clearly name who you are and what you do in your bio. Outline what you’re interested in. Use keywords that resonate with what you do to make you more searchable.

 

11. Use social media tools

Put together a social media content calendar to help you keep on top of your output. This will help you

  • stick to your content pillars
  • adhere the 80/20 rule
  • speak directly to your target audience

Use scheduling tools for all pre-planned content to take the pressure off. Social media platforms have native tools for scheduling. Meta have great tutorials online + a suite of resources.

 

12. Be natural and authentic + clear and consistent

This will enable your content to resonate with people.

 

13. Experiment

Trial and test your content regularly. Experiment with social media advertising if you have budget. Review content performance monthly to find out what’s driving your engagement.

Try applying a trend that may be popular among your target audience. E.g., Storytime on TikTok, i.e., video yourself telling a story… “Let me tell you about this time when…”.