Photo by @marketing_humor on Instagram
Record labels and artist managers always look for top-tier talent to bring their catalogs to the next level. However, the way industry professionals seek talent has changed immensely. Let's face it - in the era of social media, live music has never been more convenient. People across the music industry can scroll through their social media feeds and find the talent they need from the comfort of their toilet seat without visiting a single concert. It makes one wonder: have we reached a crisis where success as an artist in the music industry is more dependent on being a good marketer than actually having good music?
While this might be true in some cases, there's still some hope out there. The REAL truth is that artists who struggle with their marketing strategy and social media presence can outsource their marketing to a person or team with a deeper online skillset. While outsourced marketing comes at a price, single-handedly managing your website, social media profiles, email marketing campaigns, SEO strategy, SEM strategy, and more will leave you too busy to spend meaningful time on your music. Here are three undeniable benefits of outsourcing your marketing before it's too late, regardless of what position you may be in:
Cohesive Planning
The best benefit of outsourced marketing is planning. Admit it - there's nothing more tedious than sorting through content, selecting pictures and videos to post, writing captions, and posting to various social media platforms with different styles and guidelines. Especially when social media posts go live regularly, it can be easy to fall behind on planning. This element, combined with the additional planning needed for a website and other marketing strategies, can lead to a major headache if mismanaged. Get yourself a marketing specialist who can plan an effective strategy using the mediums of your choice at a cost that works for you.
Day-To-Day Management
On top of the planning phase, outsourcing your marketing will give you a team that oversees your website, social media profiles, and more on a daily basis. Replying to DMs, comments, emails, and other interactions can be just as time-consuming as strategy planning. Having someone there to manage your inquiries will help you focus your energy on the opportunities that matter. Outsourcing your marketing is one of the easiest ways to help yourself organize and prioritize the traffic your receive online.
Analytics Reporting
A good marketing team will always keep their eyes on the numbers, and most teams typically provide an analytics report at the end of the month summing up the results of your social media posts, email campaigns, ad campaigns, SEO keywords, and more. Since most artists focus primarily on touring and writing music, many do not get the chance to review the performance of their marketing efforts. Outsourcing your marketing will allow you to view your monthly results in organized reports and give you the opportunity to improve your marketing strategy for better results. Talk about having a constant leg-up when it comes to planning.
The Bottom Line
Overall, outsourcing your marketing can be an effective difference-maker in getting your music in front of more people and making a lasting impression on industry professionals. In a world dominated by social media, being a one-man-show marketing machine is the equivalent of working a team's worth of full-time jobs. Start working smarter, not harder. Get a marketing team that will help you develop your marketing strategy, get the attention of industry professionals, and open doors for you as you focus on your career as an artist.
Having trouble with your marketing strategy? Let Brain Candy help. Explore our marketing services today.
Blog written by Mike Ruggiero