Online Marketing trends for musicians - How to get reach

If you want to work as a musician, there's no getting around good marketing these days. The primary method, of course, being online marketing. You as a musician can and should make use of digitalization and its possibilities in order to address as many potential listeners as possible and draw their attention to you. In this article, we'll show you what you need to know about digital marketing of music and which online marketing trends you shouldn't miss.

Is music marketing even possible without online marketing?

Live performances are always the most popular way for musicians to draw attention to their music. In most cases, however, attracting audience members to your concert happens via the internet. Of course, things like street music, classic marketing like flyers and merch or CD sales also help to gain new fans. But when it comes down to it, none of these can accomplish what the power of the internet and your social media profiles can: With just a few clicks and minimal effort, you can reach thousands of people and directly address the right target group.

What's more, many of the "classic" marketing tools hardly exist anymore—or are often overlooked. Instead of buying a CD, users search for new artists on Spotify, for example, and Instagram posts are more timely and accessible than physical posters on the street. So you see, online marketing for musicians has become almost indispensable. But what exactly is important when it comes to the digital marketing of your music? What tools are there, and what online marketing trends should you pay attention to?

Social media is a foundation; not an all-purpose weapon

The easiest way to share your music with others is through social media. Whether it's a snippet of a song featured in an Instagram video, a catchy song for new TikToks, or a concert displayed as a Facebook event—your reach grows enormously and almost by itself with good posts. Of course, it's not always that simple. Before your social media profiles reach thousands or even millions of people and fans, you have to put in a little work and, above all, consistency. Unfortunately, social media marketing is not a foregone conclusion. Your profiles there are a great basis, but they need attention and are not everything in themselves.

Nevertheless, you should of course have and maintain all of these profiles for your band or for yourself as a solo artist. This way you can always communicate new songs, gigs or news very easily and at the same time achieve a unique closeness to your fans. But it's also interesting to see what comes out of successful social media profiles: collaborations, features, or trending videos on short-form content like TikTok can push your music even further. What does it take? Good and unique content that stands out:

Content is King—also in music marketing

If you only use your own profiles on social media to generate the same unexciting impulses, you will achieve little success, let alone growth. It is easier to inspire and set new trends with up-to-date and, above all, innovative content. But how and where can this be achieved?

• Social media is the perfect platform for lively short texts, innovative moving image contributions and, above all, aesthetic content. Both personal stories and music-related content are good topics here.
• Even though having a website as a means of online marketing for musicians is associated with a lot of effort, it offers space for blog posts and news and is thus the perfect basis for content marketing. The latter is one of the biggest online marketing trends at the moment. So you should never put it on the back burner.
• In the initial phase, press releases are usually not yet relevant. However, as you grow, you should have a good press kit ready and inform relevant media about releases and concerts.

No matter what you decide and where you set your priorities - the quality of your content should always be the top priority. This is the only way to stand out from the crowd and keep users loyal to you and your content. Many newcomer bands and musicians rely on a well thought-out planning of their new content and work with editorial plans, scout trends, or even get professional support. So stay tuned to be able to keep up.

Posting only once a week is no longer enough

While overly-frequent posts were not always popular in the past years, this has now changed and social media algorithms love daily (sometimes even multiple-per-day) posts. As a result, it is once again possible to be musically appealing with a variety of content without annoying one's own interested parties too much or being punished by the algorithm. The main reason for this change is the abundance and diversity of posts and profiles on social media. Anyone who can't stand out in terms of quality and quantity will fall by the wayside.

As previously mentioned, editorial plans and planning your posts in advance will help you here, even if not everything can be planned, of course. This will make it much easier for you to use several channels successfully and to ensure visibility. You should also always consider your online marketing channels as a whole. Which posts can be connected with another? Where can you build on existing content by linking it to more? Blog and social media profiles, for example, can often be excellently combined. On social media you can announce new articles, while in the articles you draw attention to your social media channels—and that's just one example. Combining multiple channels leads to you increasing your reach. Of course, with all this, there are some avoidable mistakes worth mentioning.

These are the three mistakes you should avoid

Above all, your content should be appropriately targeted to your audience and not seem like you posted just to post. Set the right focus, post sensibly and avoid the following three common mistakes:

• Addressing your target group incorrectly Especially in the music industry, taking the right approach plays a crucial role. Here, fixed groups often form among the various genres, and you probably have little to gain, for example, if your metal song is played to a hip-hop fan. This is mainly due to the enormous sense of belonging that many fans feel when dedicating themselves to a specific genre. So try to reach out specifically to your fans and enrich their musical world with your music.
• Focus on social media alone As mentioned earlier, social media is not everything and especially not suitable for everything. Don't bet on this horse alone, but look into other possibilities and pay attention to current online marketing trends.
• Having an unclear "promotional-only" appearance Really good online marketing for musicians thrives on the fact that it doesn't always look like advertising. Storytelling, content marketing, and interaction with your target group should never be on the back burner.

Why free streams are not always good

One of these mistakes can be regularly offering free streams. What seems like good online self-promotion at first glance often results in your songs being sold less frequently and sometimes even redistributed uncontrollably for free. While single song samples are not a problem, you should be careful when it comes to the rest of your content. Go for single free releases and use them more as a lure to draw attention to the accompanying album, for example.

Especially for newcomers, free streams are tempting - and that's understandable and perfectly fine. It's a quick way to increase your reach and get your music out there. Just make sure you make the jump and give your music the right value. A good transition can be, for example, the platform Patreon, where your fans decide for themselves how much they wish to support you. Your reach will continue to grow—perhaps exponentially.

How to turn casual listeners into paying fans

The goal of online marketing should always be that people who just stumble upon your music become regular listeners and are even willing to spend money on you as an artist. If you follow our tips and keep up with the online marketing trends, you will expand your fan base, sell your music and be more successful in the music business.

Share online marketing trends for musicians together now

Do you want to reach others with your music, or exchange information about online marketing trends with other musicians? Then take a look at mukken and click through our community posts, for example. If you are looking for something specific, have a look through the ads or place one yourself—we can't wait to see you there!