Congratulations, you've finished your album! Now it's time to sit back, relax, and watch the purchases roll in, right? Nope, take a day or two to rest, but the work is just getting started. Now it's time to promote your album so people discover your music. These strategies will help you sell more albums and turn listeners into fans.
You need to understand your fans and potential fans to reach them effectively. Who is currently following you on social media, visiting your site, buying your music, or showing up when you play?Think about the most prevalent gender, age, and location of your fan base. Also consider their personalities, goals, and what they want to get out of their music. Do they want to focus, feel happy, heal a broken heart, dance, or some combination?If you understand who your target demographic is, you'll be able to identify them on social media, write new songs that they'll like, and market your album where they'll see it. Let's say you have a children's album so your buyer is mostly moms. You could play at school functions, put up flyers, and launch social media ads on the platforms moms frequent most, like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
Your website gives you the opportunity to control what people find out when they search for your band or album name. It's a consolidated place for people to learn how they can support your music without having to click through all your social media channels and pages of search results.When you build your website navigation, include an about page, an album page with purchasing information, a blog for releasing updates like sales numbers, an events page so people know where to watch you play, a press page, and a store page for merchandise sales. Include links to all of your social media profiles in your footer and header to increase your social media following.
Use social media to connect with fans and share album updates. If you haven't already, set up Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and YouTube profiles. Use social media to give followers a glimpse into your day-to-day life and take time to respond to people who post about the album so that you make them feel appreciated.Get creative about what you share. For example, include behind-the-scenes photos and videos of you writing and recording the music, short videos of your performances, new remixes of your music, music videos, and the inspiration and story behind each song. The more people feel like they know you personally, the more supportive they will be throughout your album promotion and music career. Boost the visibility of your social media posts by promoting them and running strategic ad campaigns.
Press coverage, and album reviews in particular, can make a big impact on album sales. Be proactive about getting the word out there about your album. Send advance album copies and press releases to journalists and influencers, invite them to events, and pitch them potential article or segment ideas.Use an album launch party for friends, family, industry contacts, and the media to celebrate – and create valuable content. Turn the album launch party into your first concert and prioritize getting great photos and videos that the media can use in coverage and you can use for your site and social media posts.
When was the last time you used a CD to listen to your favorite album? CD sales are on the decline, but that doesn't mean people aren't listening to music. It's more important than ever to be on as many streaming sites and music store platforms as possible. Find out how to get your music on iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, GooglePlay, and Pandora.
Introduce more people to your music by playing at small concerts, events, or intimate venues like bars and restaurants. Sell your CDs and merchandise at the events and offer autographed copies and free merchandise to people who share the most on social media, have the best homemade posters, or who cheer the loudest.Have you recently promoted an album? What do you think the secret to success is? Tell us in the comments below!
