06/18/2018
The street team Strategy
Today’s artists are more connected with their fans than ever. And in these days of social networks, word of
mouth is many times more powerful than it’s ever been. Every fan you have is connected to many more people,
and sometimes, all you have to do is ask in order to get their help in spreading the word.
In the past, a street team was all about putting fliers in coffee shops and around town. Today, with the web, they
can distribute your music to new fans, get the word out about your shows through their social networks, and
even get people to sign up for your mailing list or subscribe to your YouTube channel.
The key to a successful street team is to be explicit in asking what it is you want them to do. Then, be sure to give
them the tools they need to be successful. And of course, reward them for their help.
The engage your audience Strategy
No marketing plan today can skip social networking as a method to build a fan base. Think about it: each of your
fans has hundreds of followers on Facebook and Twitter. If they start talking about your shows or your music,
your fan base will grow. But you need to be active online and give them a reason to talk about you.
But most musicians want to spend time making music – not constantly checking their social networks – so here’s
a helpful strategy to automate your use of social networking and start bringing fans to you.
First, put out releases often, whether it’s a new remix, video, merch item, or event. Second, use a social media
dashboard and syndication tool like Hootsuite.com, so whenever you post a photo, video, or blog entry, your
update will automatically post everywhere you have a presence.
Next, use a tool like Socialoomph.com to coordinate and automate your social media accounts and
Google Alerts to let you know when your band, albums, or website are talked about anywhere on the web. If you
do this right, you will only need to post content once, and it will get sent to all of your web presences; and any
responses from fans will come right back to your email. You will be almost psychic about staying on top of every
mention and can respond and engage with fans with minimal effort.
Then, just remember to snap pictures or video with your phone when you’re backstage, or at the studio, and
share little pieces of your musical life. Give your fans reasons to talk about you, and your fan base can grow out
of what you do naturally as a musician while you spend your time on your music, rather than social networking.
The KEEP ON TRUCKIN’ Strategy
It’s easy to forget that playing live does more than just provide income and drive album sales. If you
use it right, it’s also one of the best ways to build buzz, get publicity, and grow your fan base. In fact,
when asked how they find out about new bands, music journalists Jim DeRogatis (Chicago Sun-Times,
co-host of NPR’s Sound Opinions) and Todd Martens (Billboard magazine, The Los Angeles Times)
gave the same answer: live shows. This shouldn’t be a surprise: music writers pay attention to bands
playing in the larger venues in town because the bigger stages don’t take chances on bands without
a following. It’s the most reliable way to filter through the huge number of new artists that appear
every year. The good news is that even if you’re not playing the larger venues yet, you can get there. If you are just starting
out playing live, designate a single person to be a booker, and start with small venues and open mics. Then
work your way up to the larger venues as your draw increases. If you haven’t yet, it’s time to put together formal
marketing materials aimed at gigs. Create a one-page bio (aimed at your live music experience), band photo,
music samples (especially live samples), live video, and a show history to give an idea of your experience.
In the past, the strategy for touring went like this: start in your hometown, build a local following, and then tour
in concentric circles from your base. But today, with the Internet, you instantly have a global audience. If you use
your web and social presence effectively, you’ll create fans in places outside your hometown. One new strategy
for playing live is to find where your fans are and then determine if it’s cost-effective to go to them. Tools like
Tweepsmap.com can map out where your Twitter followers are located, and free services like Eventful.com
allow your fans to request you to play in their area.
But once you are touring and playing live shows, don’t forget the PR angle to playing live. To get the most PR
out of your shows, put journalists and bloggers on your guest list, and invite them to come see your band. Also,
remember that any time you tour, you create PR opportunities in every town you play in. For example, reach out
to local radio (especially college radio), newspapers, and blogs when you tour, as that gives them a reason to
write about you. If your tour is planned out ahead of time, you can reach out to them in advance to coordinate
the campaigns, which gives them a much better chance of fitting your story in when you arrive in their town.
And once you get going, remember that each show is a potential press release, and each article written about
your band can be sent to other journalists. After a few forwarded articles, journalists who ignored you before
might start wondering what they’re missing and take advantage of the guest list spot you offered them.