Thou shalt not buy fake followers. (Image via hotinsocialmedia.com)
P.T. Barnum, founder of the Barnum & Bailey Circus, once said, "Without promotion, something terrible happens… nothing!" You can have the best music in the world, but if only your mom and your best friend hear it, you're not going to get very far.
As an independent artist, you already know you're responsible for promoting yourself to grow your fanbase and buzz. So you're frequently posting your music online, tagging everyone you know, and hoping for people to find you, but you're still not seeing the results you want – for some reason, you just can't seem to get past those low numbers of views, clicks, followers, and shares.
So what's going on? You could be making one of these six self-promotion mistakes.
1. You blend in with everyone else
Branding is extremely important as an artist. While the internet allows you to directly reach potential fans, it's also saturated with music. With so many artists competing for fans' attention, you must stand out. Proper branding makes the competition irrelevant. Develop your own unique, authentic story, and communicate that with your audience.
[8 Steps to Building Your Personal Music Brand]
2. You target the wrong audience
Your music isn't for everyone. (Suburban soccer moms probably aren't going to fit within your target audience if you're a hardcore trap rapper.) Create detailed fan profiles to specifically describe your target audience. For example, a fan profile could be the following: young professional women in their 20s who live in urban cities and make at least $50,000 a year. They enjoy shopping, spending time with their friends on the weekends, and traveling. Their musical interests include Beyonce, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga.
Once you have identified your target audience, go to where your audience is and connect with them.
3. Your social media posts are excessive
Social media helps you easily reach a large quantity of your target audience, but if you're constantly posting your music all day, people will tune you out. It's called social media – engage and interact with your audience. Be interesting and personal. People love to follow other people who are entertaining or have something valuable to say. Ask your followers questions. Post content that relates to your personal interests as well as your music. Share your favorite artists' content. Include photos and videos with your posts to drive higher engagement rates.
And remember that while social media is a great marketing tool, it should never be your only marketing tool. Posting your music on social media and waiting for people to discover you will not build a large, loyal fanbase. Create a multifaceted marketing plan that includes online and offline strategies and tactics such as your website, e-newsletters, street team promotion, performances, publicity, etc.
4. You spam people you don't know with your music
Sending your music links to people you don't know isn't promotion. If they didn't ask for it, it's spam. You must give people a reason to listen to your music. Get to know people and build relationships. People are more likely to listen to your music if they like you first.
[The 5 Most Annoying, Ineffective Ways That Bands Seem to Always Promote Their Music]
5. Your promotion is inconsistent
Many times we think of marketing as an event, when it's really a set of consistent activities over time. It's hard to build a following and a buzz when you constantly start and stop. You must be consistent in your marketing and promotion. Post on your social media pages every day. Send out your newsletters at a consistent time, whether it's weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Create a schedule for your marketing activities and stick to it. Consistency delivers results.
6. You've resorted to buying fake followers, views, or clicks
Numbers do matter if you're looking to get a major record deal, but they want artists who have a real following. If your music video on YouTube has 300,000 and only two comments, something doesn't add up. Industry people can see straight through this. Fake followers and fake views equals fake success. Be wary of anyone who promises to help you get thousands of followers, clicks, and views in a short amount of time in order to take your money. Many times, these services deliver fake results.
Focus on building a real following. Try following fans of artists who have a similar music style as yours, and create interesting content to engage them.
Lauren Gill is the founder and chief power specialist at Power Publicity, a marketing, branding, and public relations firm that empowers entertainment, nonprofit, and lifestyle brands. She has executed several successful marketing and PR campaigns for major and indie recording artists. You can follow her on Twitter @IamLaurenGill and @_powerpublicity.
