Has your band got a gig coming up? Or are you about to play your very first solo show?
We’ve written a guide with some key advice that can help you promote your gig.
We cover everything from using a free QR code generator to marketing your event on social media. Keep reading to find out more.
Why Do You Need to Promote Your Gig?
Live music is more popular than ever before. Every weekend, millions of people across the world head out to watch bands, singers, DJs, and live performers in bars, clubs, and dedicated music venues.
If you’re a musician and you have a gig coming up, you’re no doubt filled with a mixture of excitement and nerves.
Part of you will be anxious that nobody will turn up and you’ll be left playing in an empty room.
What could be worse than practising non-stop, only for nobody to see the fruits of your labour?
To prevent this from happening, you need to get out there and promote your gig.
This is absolutely critical in today’s oversaturated live music landscape, and it’s the only way you’re going to get your music heard.
Social Media
Social media has become the single most valuable and effective promotion and marketing tool available today.
With billions of users across the world, modern social platforms offer limitless potential and can be used to market and advertise anything from products and services to your upcoming music gig.
The first step you need to take when promoting your gig on social media is simply to spread the word.
Post across your profiles on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok to maximise reach and exposure.
Each of these platforms offers different content creation opportunities, so think carefully about how you are promoting your gig on each channel.
For example, Instagram is perfect for images like digital flyers, while TikTok would work best with videos, such as clips of previous gigs or you in rehearsal.
You should also look for dedicated groups and communities on social media, as this can be the perfect way to target more relevant audiences.
Check for groups dedicated to the genre of music you play, be that pop, metal, or UK rap, or for communities based in your location, and post your promotional material there.
Posters and Flyers
Putting up posters and handing out flyers might seem a little bit old-fashioned in today’s digitally driven age, but doing so can still be an effective promotional technique, especially for something like a music gig.
The first thing you’re going to need to do is to create your design. You can use one design and then resize it for posters and flyers. Think about your gig and what the musical genre and atmosphere will be like.
Will it be rowdy? Chilled out? Will people be dancing or sitting? Use the answers to these questions to guide the design process.
Don’t forget to include plenty of information on your posters and flyers. You’ll need to add the date and time of the gig, the venue, and, of course, your name or the name of your band.
Put up posters inside the venue your gig is in, as well as in other similar venues. You can put them up outside too, but always be sure to ask permission first.
Flyers can be handed out outside venues as people leave gigs. This can be a fantastic way to meet people face-to-face and spread the word about your event.
Word of Mouth
Word-of-mouth marketing is an approach that is often overlooked, but it can prove extremely effective at spreading the word and raising awareness.
Essentially, word-of-mouth marketing is all about getting out there and speaking to people.
Get involved in your local music scene and start making connections and relationships. Attend gigs and shows and speak to attendants.
Doing so will get your name out there and people will start to recognise your face.
As your gig approaches, you can leverage these newfound friendships to get the word out about your gig and ensure everyone is talking about it.
Encourage people to come along and check out your music, you’ll be shocked at just how many people turn up if you’ve made the effort to befriend them previously.
Targeting A Specific Audience
One thing we haven’t mentioned yet is audience targeting. One of the ways in which promoters fail is by spreading the net and failing to target a specific audience.
A way to get around this is by taking a step back and deciding what your niche is. What is your genre, or sub genre?
If you promote to the right crowd, then more people are likely to show up and actually enjoy the music.
Going back to the word-of-mouth pointer, the power of word-of-mouth can work both ways.
If you spread the net and promote to an audience that is too wide, then it’s more likely that people who aren’t into your genre will turn up and have less positive things to say than an audience that is already into the music you are promoting.
Social media will be a great way to ensure this doesn’t happen. By social listening, you can see what is trending and connect with people who are interested in your type of music.
You can have visibility on who likes, shares, and comments on relevant content, and this will help you orchestrate a strong promotion plan.
Offer Incentives
The music business is called a “business” for a reason. In many ways, marketing and selling your music is the same as marketing or selling any other product, and one of the best ways to achieve it is through giving the consumers a reason to get on board.
In music, offering incentives to turn up to a gig can be a great way to capture people’s attention and build a bit of traction.
You can do this by offering discounts on band merch, t-shirts and albums – using a QR code generator as a tool to send ticket buyers to a special page on the website to receive their discount.
As well as this, you could offer a meet-and-greet after the show, or offer a newsletter for ticket buyers to keep up to date with news, music, and future gig dates.
Conclusion
It’s perfectly normal to feel nervous and anxious ahead of an upcoming gig.
After all, you’ll be performing on stage in front of a crowd, which is enough to leave anyone feeling stressed.
The key here is to ensure you only have you and your performance to worry about.
Anything else can be a distraction and make matters worse.
Promoting your gig property in the run-up to the event means you won’t have to concern yourself with how busy it will be.
You’ll take to the stage confident that there will be a crowd there waiting to hear your music.
