This concept is also inserted in the context of music promotion. The word branding is one of the most important words in the marketing dictionary and means, in general terms, the management of a brand. But those who think that this term exists only in the corporate world are mistaken. On the contrary, it is increasingly common to hear about artist branding.
There are a number of demands that an artist needs to fulfill in order to be competitive in the music industry. We are talking about actions that range from the registration of works to the collection of royalties. All of this goes through contracts, publishers, distributors, record labels, and players.
But these actions are still not enough to consolidate a musician in the market. He needs to build a good reputation among his various stakeholders. Branding for artists seeks to make them communicate well and convey messages that are coherent with their goals. We are talking about conscious self-promotion.
The artist transcends the music. This is branding!
HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR ARTIST BRANDING?
There are a few key steps to successfully manage your own brand and learn how to sell music.
DIAGNOSE
The diagnosis is the question phase. What are the values, positioning, and flags that you want to show to the public? It is quite common for artists to draw medium and long term strategies without understanding exactly what they want to communicate. The diagnostic phase is the one in which the musician seeks to understand what his or her greatest differential is. In a world where information circulates in absurd quantities, authenticity is essential. And speech, body language, clothing, behavior, and content need to be aligned with the purpose.
STRATEGY
Only after understanding the message you want to send, does the construction of the strategy begin. The strategy is the one that defines the path the artist will take to reach his goal. It is here that the communication channels to be used, the releases to be launched, the timeline to be followed, etc. are defined. In the strategy, it is also defined if there is any point identified in the diagnosis that needs to be corrected, some adjustment in positioning or personal behavior.
A good strategy is fundamental, not only to sell the product, but also to make the best impression on the public. Have you ever heard of
what is an elevator pitch? The concept, widely used in the world of startups, refers to the polishing of the speech so that the speaker gets his message across quickly and efficiently, winning over his listener in just a few minutes. In the case of musicians, we are talking about a strategy to captivate the public quickly.
IDENTITY AND LOGO
It is not uncommon to see cases where the visual identity and logo of an artist are made even before the diagnosis. Often, it is a beautiful logo, but one that does not speak to positioning, values, and flags. Therefore, it is essential that the entire visual part is made after the diagnosis is done and the strategy is defined.
One of the first steps in creating the identity is to learn
how to make a band logo. This includes everything from using automated tools, which are easily found on the Internet, to hiring a professional or specialized agency. To make the right decision, it is necessary to analyze time availability and financial resources.
CAMPAIGN AND ENGAGEMENT
With the diagnosis, the strategy, and the visual line ready, it is time to get down to business and start a campaign to engage the public. A good starting point is to organize a material for the press. Do you know what an
electronic press kit is? A press kit is nothing more than a presentation of the artist/band to journalists, influencers, and opinion makers in the cultural industry. It is like a business card that promotes the product well. Every artist needs to have one!
After this, there is no denying that social networks are an important tool to leverage the artist's career. So, how do you deal with them?
SOCIAL MEDIA - AN ESSENTIAL CHAPTER IN ARTISTS BRANDING
Remember,
how to promote your music is a non-stop process, always catch up with the new tools!
Gone are the days when an artist could choose whether or not to work with social networks. Nowadays, using this tool has become mandatory for those who want to achieve a great reach and maintain proximity to the public.
But it is important to have a good dose of strategy for social media to bring the expected results. For this, two elements need to be considered:
One of the main rules of digital marketing is: think before you post. It may sound banal, but many artists have ended up in overwhelming crises for posting content without any care. Before posting on social media, the artist should ask himself: is this content relevant to my audience? Does it relate to my artist branding strategy? Does it have the appropriate language? If the answer is yes, it is also worth checking technical issues such as format, colors, video quality, and audio quality. In addition to ethical issues such as veracity of information and copyrights.
Furthermore, social media offer the option to manage ads and reach a larger number of people. You can promote content to a specific audience by selecting pre-defined criteria. Artists who choose to invest on
instagram music promotion, for example, can get an excellent return.
Periodicity
Another very important point to be observed is the periodicity of posts. This means that there is no point in posting once a month. The Internet is in a hurry! It is expected that the artist is always updating his audience, including his performance schedule. Those who are not seen are not remembered, as the popular saying goes.
PRODUCT MARKETING
We have talked so far about artist branding, which manages the brand of the musician and the band. But there is an equally important concept to be addressed, and that is product marketing. This marketing needs to talk to the artists' branding, but it also has its specificities. Here, we are talking about the promotion, not of the creator, but of his work. And each work requires a different promotion strategy.
When we talk about the marketing of the product, we are talking about the whole production process. This goes from how to make an
album cover design to the approach that will be used to promote this album on the networks.
Each single, each album, each music video asks for special attention. It is recommended that the release strategies should be unique and authentic. And there is no shortage of good ideas on how to make a lyric video, engage in a contest, offer prizes, among many other promotional formats. The public likes novelty!
STILL NOT CONVINCED THAT ARTIST BRANDING IS ESSENTIAL?
It sounds like a big deal, but it's not. A good tip to understand a little more about the subject is to do a survey and a study of how already established artists work their personal brands and their products. Observing the competition can be a great source of learning and inspiration.
