UBO Magazine, Editor-In-Chief
www.ubomag.com
There are several ways to market a product. When you first look at it from a musician or artist standpoint, many people tend to think – spend money and make flyers for an event. Yet this is not the way to keep your overhead low nor is it the only way to get the word out about your gig. What is called “The Four P’s of Marketing” must be taken into action to be successful at selling your product.
The first “P” is Product. You have to be able to have a product that is sellable. If you are an emcee, you want the cover of your album to appeal to your direct demographic, be professional, packaged properly, etc.
The next “P” is Price. You want to price your product in a way that meets your demographic needs. Always remember the cost of your music or art product vs. what your audience is willing and able to pay.
The third “P” is Promotion. This is where it can get fun but also costly. Another good idea is to get a publicist who can create a professional press kit for you so that media [print, online and radio], booking of events and consignment comes a lot easier. It also allows the artist time to work on their craft and perform. You want to communicate on different levels: flyers, mixers, events and online marketing through social networks. There are several professional ones in our own city such as MidtownGrid.com, SACScene.com and SACVibe.com.
The last “P” stands for Placement. Where will your product go? If you are a visual artist it belongs in art galleries or possibly an online web store. If you are a musician, your music belongs online at websites such as Pandora.com or CDBaby.com. Getting into iTunes, Amazon.com and other stores will help with sales. Physical locations such as The Beat, Dimple Records and R5 Records will help in sales or you can go one step ahead and try for Target, Wal-Mart, Frys or Best Buy. Often having your publicist contact these outlets and drop off albums with your press kit is the best bet and the most professional. Props to all inspiring artist who not only believe in themselves but also have others close to them who believe in there artistic abilities; they are truly the ones in need of the knowledge at hand.
Check out more thoughts from Aaris A. Schroeder on the UBO Magazine blog at ubomag.wordpress.com. ♦