Social Media is your best friend!
Advertisement, one of the biggest industries right now and
still on the rise. If you're not advertising your business or
services you have little to no chance of surviving in the
jungle of capitalism. Tech companies use big billboards and
creatively shot photos from their branded phones, fashion
companies use the popularity of celebrities and cars dominate
the TV ads with cinematic appeal. Every kind of product has
a tried and tested method of showcasing themselves, but,
what if your product is not something you can hold, touch or
take home with you? What if you're in the business of selling
stories and experiences? How does a musician or an artist
compete with towering billboards and campaigns of gigantic
proportions?
What do you do when the very service you provide is an
ingredient for other brands' adverts? How do you advertise
your Music? and not just to the end listener but also other
businesses so they can license it for their ads.
In 2004, when the world was not yet done discovering what
the internet held for it, MySpace was the one of the first social
media experiences. MySpace became a platform for digital
artists to showcase their work and be directly contacted by
potential clients or gain followers all without having to pay for
a website or even a single ad. Artists really didn't need a major
push through ads if their content was good enough to get just
some shares.
In 2005, an English band uploaded their debut single to
MySpace. To say that the song was well received is an
understatement. Through that MySpace profile they
skyrocketed and reached audiences worldwide without a label
contract, radio plays or even a single ad. The song received
great acclaim winning NME's best song of the year, NME's 7th
best song of all time, the band going on to be nominated for 5
Grammys and has won more than 14 international awards.
Today this band is considered as one of the biggest acts in
Rock. The song in question here is 'I bet you look good on the
dance floor' by Arctic Monkeys.
Arctic Monkeys proved that an artist can achieve a worldwide
fan base and success purely through social media. Though
none of this was by design, it still proves that good work by
artists can and will receive the deserved attention through
social media, if done right! And then there are countless other
examples like Psy, Lindsey Stirling, Rebecca Black and of
course, Justin Beiber.
Arctic Monkeys does get the credit and advantage of being
an early bird in this kind of brand distribution, but do not let
the over saturation of social media discourage you today. The
rules may have changed, but the game remains the same.
Organic reach comes from good content obviously, but by also
producing what is actually demanded. Like all brand growths,
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popularity starts locally before it hits overseas. So if you're
producing something that doesn't sell in your neighborhood to
begin with, change that first. This doesn't mean that if you're
from India you can only achieve success through 'Bollywood-
like' music. Make what you want to, but design it around what
is demanded. Nucleya! Enough said.
Once you have your Artist Vision ready and a product ready,
it is time to market it aggressively. You can't be subtle about
it and you certainly can't be occasional about it. Social Media
must become a regular planned routine. Because if you don't
make the effort to be seen or heard, why should your audience
come out for you.
Next month we will talk about some helpful tips to execute
your plans for your Social Media campaign.
-Mukul Jain (Proprietor/Chief Engineer at Ferris Wheel
Studios)
P.S. That last sentence was Tip #1 - Never give away
everything at once, leave them asking for more.