Guide To Maximizing Your Music’s Niche

Once upon a time, niche artists were hemmed in by the geographical limitations of wherever they happened to be. Thanks to the internet, however, these same artists can now focus their marketing efforts on people the world over who are already established fans of said musician’s genre.

Guest post by Randi Zimmerman of the Symphonic Blog

Before the internet, niche driven artists were limited to their local scene. Now, what used to be a time consuming and limited endeavor is easier than ever with the right marketing techniques. Why target everyone in the world when you can target people who you already know like your music? Here’s how to grow your following by making the most of your niche…

Understand The Culture

Every niche has its own culture. Lady Gaga has her “little monsters”. Justin Bieber has his “Beliebers”. What’s yours? Understanding the culture of your fans is the key to targeting ads, marketing, and more as you move through your career.

Be active on corresponding social media. Join Facebook groups for your niche. Engage with the community. Know the history. Find out what they like and what they want to see more of within the community. You may already have songs out that meet those needs. If you do, you’re already one step ahead. Now, you see what’s missing and you know how to fill it. That’s marketing 101 right there.

Master Ad Targeting

Now that you know more about your audience, you can tailor your efforts accordingly. This leads to more authentic targeting and yields more authentic results in return. Facebook ads do particularly well when it comes to niche marketing.

We all know Facebook stores everyone’s interests, likes, and dislikes. Use that to your advantage.

• Visit similar Facebook groups and use those members as a basis. Add those people to your own page. Then, from the people who watch your videos on Facebook and Instagram, you can create a Custom Audience. From there, you can create Facebook ads to show to this qualified audience and so forth.

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Expand your mind…

How Your Niche Can Work For You

Marketing Strategies You Should Know as a Musician

7 Key Video Metrics to Measure the Success of Your Content

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Now, You’re Ready to Create a Campaign

Now THIS is the big step to really push your music in front of your audience. The first and hardest question you need to ask yourself is, “How much money do I want to put towards advertising this?”. Only YOU know the answer to this question. Based on your finances, future plans, etc., come up with a reasonable number that’s not going to absolutely break the bank. Once you’ve got that number, you’re ready phase 2.

• Make sure you’re advertising on platforms that you’re active on. That way, you’ll be able to engage with our audience once they start engaging with your ads.
• You also want to make sure you’re using high-quality and engaging assets for your ad optics. // Currently, video is the top performing asset format across all platforms that offer it. For audio DSPs, however, you’d get better engagement with a high-performing voiceover for your audio asset there.
• Then, be sure to have compelling verbiage for your campaign (where applicable). Refrain from being too wordy or using the dreaded “read more” truncation.
• Lastly, it’s time for scheduling. Be mindful of your audience sleep schedules, upcoming holidays, etc. – proper timing can help save money and avoid wasted engagement.

Digital marketing is a unique process for everyone. Your strategy depends on your specific goals, and there’s no “one size fits all” approach. Setting clear and actionable goals, utilizing the tools available to you, and understanding the ever-changing digital landscape will be your guides to success.

Check out, “How to Evaluate the Progress of Your Marketing Campaign” to learn everything you need to know about what to do next.

In Conclusion…

Understanding your niche and catering to your audience can be a game changer for finding new fans. Targeting those who already like your vibe gives you a great advantage for music discovery and retaining listeners throughout your career. As long as you put the time and effort into understanding your niche, you’ll be sure to see success. Good luck!