Musicians don’t always lack the money to promote themselves. They lack confidence in the numerous promotional methods they’re being presented every day. Nobody wants to lose hard-earned money invested in questionnable marketing methods. With an initial 100 Dollars, however, you cannot do that much wrong while on top you can already see certain performance tendencies. In today’s article we will present a few (!) tried and true ideas of how to wisely invest your 100 bucks.
(-) Place a small ad in a style-related magazine
For $100 you will only get rather small ad space in magazines, so your ad can easily be ignored by readers. That’s why most labels only use print ads for image campaigns as opposed to triggering immediate purchases.
(+) Sample 50 national or 25 international well-selected media
An album review or even an interview further down the line has far more content, effect and credibility than an ad. Make sure you carefully select the media you send your material to, so they exactly match your style. Inquire with the respective media if they are willing to feature you, especially when you’re an unsigned band. Usually such media are blogs and webzines operated by idealistic maniacs who are not getting paid for their work. So the CD you send them is a welcome compensation for their efforts and is almost always the preferred submission method.
(+/-) Facebook Ads
Facebook enables advertising to only a very select group of users that matches exactly the criteria you enter. This will help you target your best audience without divergence losses. Many musicians, though, lament the poor effect of their ad campaigns, on top Facebook users are broadly being considered ad-resistent.
(+/-) Get a spot on a CD sampler
For a hundred bucks you may get a spot on a very small magazine’s accompanying sampler. Via this route its readers receive a free CD that both entertains them and helps them discover new music. While music labels are often waiting in line to get on such samplers, unsigned musicians report mixed experiences.
(+) Send your promo material to 50 national artist and event agencies
This is especially of interest to cover- and gala bands. Agencies can be sampled via mail (tangible materials still look the most professional) or with eMail – call for permission before you hit ‘send’. Many show artists regularly send promotional postcards or small flyers to artist agencies, usually two or four times a year, to stay on top of the game.
(+/-) Hand out flyers at shows of similar bands
This is another way to target a specific group of music fans. If you perform at the same venue within short time, this method of promoting your show will be highly effective. If you solely want to advertise your band or your new album, this method has a downside: the people on site are waiting for the headlining act, not really for another band trying to sell their music. For those open towards your efforts, consider placing a QR code on your flyers that direct its receipients right to your website with sound samples and purchase options. Important: ask the owner of the venue for permission, as well as your local authority if you pass your flyers on a public street.
(+) Print flyers and have Mailorder Shops include them with all orders they ship
Many stylistically dedicated mailorder shops, which are usually small and very underground, are willing to include your flyer that advertises your new album with the orders they ship. Provided, of course, your CD is also available through their shop and your flyer is free of any contact information that may help interested fans circumvent the shop.
Of course, there are more ways to spend your 100 Dollars on music promotion, besides, the methods mentioned above can be combined with each other to a certain extent. Anyhow, you can advance quite a lot with just 100 bucks.
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