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Advertising is the process of communicating information about a service or product to build name recognition and trigger sales. A creative ad placed in the appropriate mediums over time can achieve incredible results and even become a part of pop culture.
Remember the ads that showed people choking on cupcakes with the caption that read, "GOT MILK?" Or how about the ads by Wendy's that showed the old woman at a take-out counter of a competitor exclaiming, "WHERE'S THE BEEF?" These ads spread like wildfire. I heard people using these expressions in schools and shopping centers practically every day.
But what's most relevant to note here, is that these ads weren't successful just because they were creative and funny, but because we saw them over and over again—over an extended period of time—till they were burned into our memories. Can you imagine what this type of advertising costs?
Even at the local level, running an ad in a newspaper or magazine is gonna' cost you a little bit of money if you count on making a significant impact. And perhaps this is more money than you can afford to spend right now.
This is why it so important to plan a realistic advertising campaign; one that will get you the most BANG for your advertising BUCK and guide you towards a number of FREE opportunities that exist.
From partnering with "like" bands & businesses, to getting listed in free online calendars and message boards, be sure to write the following points into your own plan.
Choose "appropriate" mediums. Choose "appropriate" mediums to place ads like in newspapers and magazines that specifically cater to the independent music scene—and not mediums that only reach the greatest number of readers. It does no good to advertise in your town newspaper that reaches a significant number of readers, but very few music fans. Remember that in advertising, it's not the number of people who see you, but the number of "prospective clients" who see you. Advertise wisely!
Synchronize with key events. Synchronize your advertising with key events in your career like the release of your CD or a live club performance. While this might seem obvious, you'd be surprised at the number of bands who spend money on an ad consisting of a picture, phone number, and some caption like, "For Bookings Call..." in hopes it will get people to know they exist. But by synchronizing your ad with a key event in your career, you'll get so much more for your advertising dollar. You can include a special perk or a discount offer in your ad that triggers an immediate response from your fans—a "call to action" so to speak. For instance, you might instruct readers to "show this ad at the door and get a free CD with your entrance." It really works!
Partner with "like" bands or local businesses. When placing your ads, consider partnering with "like" bands that might be performing on the same night and in the same club as you. This will help you to minimize costs, to afford a larger ad, and to afford an ad that runs over a longer period of time. It's not difficult to see that an advert paid by four individual bands is more affordable for all. This idea can work in partnership with local businesses as well. For instance, you might approach a local tattoo shop—or some other shop that reaches your demographic audience—and ask them to co-sponsor an advert that mentions both the store and your upcoming performance. This way both parties cut costs and reach their intended audiences in more creative ways.
Seek "discount" or "per-inquiry" ads. Seek "discount ads" with newspapers and magazines that might have "unfilled space" at the "11th hour" of its publication deadline. Since most publications hate to go to print with unsold space, they might be more eager to cut you a break. Also seek "per-inquiry ads"—those that require no upfront costs, but rather a percentage of sales or income that come directly from your ad. For instance, at a live performance, a 50/50 deal might be arranged based on the number of people who show your ad at the door. As you can imagine, the "per-inquiry" system is not something that every publication would be willing to do, especially because there are accounting issues to establish. But nevertheless, by shopping around and using your business sense and skills, you just might be able to stretch your advertising budget. A penny saved is a penny earned!
Get listed in free online event calendars and message boards. Most local newspapers have calendar listings where you pay a small fee to get your gigs and other events listed in its print version. However, for those of you on a really tight budget, you can get your upcoming gigs listed on the websites of most local newspapers for free. Just scroll through each publication or search its site online for addresses and submission policies. In Los Angeles, you can email announcements for events, workshops, and seminars to Music Connection Magazine (calendar@musicconnection.com) and LA Weekly (calendar@laweekly.com). Also check out free online calendars like Musi-Cal (www.musi-cal.com) and Garage Band (www.garageband.com) that allow you to post announcements by area code or city. You can also post announcements on message boards like LA Music Scene (www.lamusicscene.com), My Local Band (www.mylocalband.com), and the extremely popular Craig's List (www.craigslist.org).
Start a "phone" ("text-message," or "email") tree. Start a "phone tree" by calling ten of your friends and asking them to call ten of their friends who will ask ten of their friends to come to your gig (or buy your record, or request your music on the radio). This basic concept of "word-of-mouth" promotion can be very effective since it originates from a personal source and it generally costs you nothing in advertising fees. The idea can be used for text messages or emails as well. At the bottom of the message, just be sure to include the words: "PASS THIS ON TO A FRIEND!" It really works! And because, "common sense" is not always so "common" [grin], make sure that whomever you call is part of your demographic audience and likely to attend your live performances or buy your CD. Again, it's not the number of people that you contact, but the number of "prospective" clients or fans you contact.
Article Excerpted from How to Market Your Music and Create a Buzz by Bobby Borg. Visit www.bobbyborg.com for more info.
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