You might have amazing sound, but is that enough to draw in paying crowds at your next gig?
Short answer: no. If no one knows about you, all that good energy is going to be wasted on an empty room. People need a reason to check you out.
Concert marketing is not easy and often requires a huge budget to reach prospective listeners and turn them into diehard fans. But if the only thing keeping you from packed venues is band and concert promotion, you’ve come to the right place.
In this concert marketing guide, we cover five easy ways to promote your concerts and gigs without emptying your bank account.
1. Leverage local support
Sometimes, giving your local community a taste for your music is all it takes to spread the word about you and your concerts.
Find places in your community that usually have high traffic—such as coffee shops or bars—and line up a series of free gigs to create hype. Pop-up shows at popular retail stores are also a good idea. Just make sure to have concert flyers ready with your social media labels and upcoming concert dates on them.
To really leave a lasting impression, make sure the flyers are eye-catching and not the kind that gets balled up and thrown away. You can create the perfect concert flyer in 7 simple steps using this guide. A great flyer will not only grab the attention of passersby but also communicate all important information effectively. Like this one:
Community events such as country fairs are another good opportunity to get your music heard. Keep your hand on the pulse of your community activities and let local leaders know you’re open to invites.
2. Promote yourself on social media (bonus: it’s free!)
Before you start buying up billboards or put ads in the newspaper, do a bit of free advertising on social media. You already know how Facebook works, now you just need to figure out how to make it work for you.
Here are the top three social media strategies you need to know:
- Use powerful visuals
- Make the most of video content
- Be present, and be real.
Tips for images
Online readers tend to only skim about 20% of the content. The only way to stand out in this quick-scroll world is with high-quality visuals. You can create stunning social media graphics with free online graphic design software like PosterMyWall, which features thousands of ready-to-go templates geared toward concert and band marketing.
Once you’ve created the perfect flyer for your concert, the site lets you resize your design for free. So you can create multiple sizes in one go for all the different social media platforms you’re active on.
Tips for videos
Videos take your social media game one step further. According to Hubspot, the simple addition of a video boosts the number of views a social media post receives by 48%.
But you don’t need to buy expensive equipment and spend hours video editing for your concert marketing. PosterMyWall also makes it easy to find pre-produced video templates that you can customise and post from the comfort of your office. You can upload your own concert footage and behind-the-scenes videos or make animated video promos for your concert in a matter of seconds.
3. Find brands and businesses to sponsor your concerts
Concert sponsorship can be a win-win proposal. You get exposure and a bit of that much-needed cash; they get publicity and a chance to look good in front of the community. For a good overview of what’s involved with finding corporate sponsors, check out this guide.
Long story short: research, research, research. Know all about a potential sponsor before you approach them, and be ready to explain what’s in it for them and why you’re worth investing in. Remember that you’re not asking for charity, you’re inviting them to make a sound business decision.
Tip: Check out this guide to event sponsorship for more details.
4. Make it easy to get tickets
If you’re selling tickets online, choose a simple, hassle-free system. Ticketing software like Billetto lets your fans quickly book their tickets from the comfort of their homes.
But not everyone is comfortable with buying tickets online. Some might find it easier to run to a local store or even end up impulse buying your tickets while making another purchase at the counter. So don’t forget to stock your tickets at local stores and let your followers know where they will be available.
To encourage those impulse purchases, make your tickets attractive and representative of your band’s personality. You can use unique ticket templates to add a touch of class and liveliness to your band’s tickets. This can help turn a run-of-the-mill printout into a special piece of brand memorabilia your fans will treasure.
5. Don’t forget old-school posters and flyers
Social media has almost taken over as the best place for music promotion. Almost. A well-designed poster in a busy cafe can still attract fans who would never have found you online.
You could also spend a few hours going around busy areas with a stack of flyers and band merch (pens, hats, T-shirts, and so on). Universities are a prime location. See if you can get a permission to set up in front of the dining hall over lunch hour.
Remember to keep branding consistent and customise your concert poster design so it reflects what you’re all about. This is easy to do with concert poster templates that you can edit to the smallest detail, from fonts to your band’s theme colours. This way, you can really own your design and make an impact.
Try it out!
It’s time to put these ideas into action. Go all in with visuals on social media, get sponsors to back you up, and start distributing stunning tickets and flyers.
It won’t take long until you’ve got your first packed venue. Once you reach critical mass, you get to just sit back and watch it snowball.
Do you have any good concert marketing tips to share? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Author: PosterMyWall is a free online graphic design app that lets you create professional, high-converting promotional content for your music events in minutes.