Marketing Checklist for Musicians

This is a guest post (submit your guest post) by Brian Morris, writes for the PsPrint Design & Printing Blog.

If you're in a local band, or even a touring one, you know you have tons of other bands competing for the best gigs at night clubs, bars, weddings, and other events and venues. Many bands do little marketing, which presents an excellent opportunity for your band to employ proven marketing materials to give you the edge when it comes to booking.

The following serves as a marketing checklist for musicians.  If you develop a creative marketing strategy using the tools described below, you'll land more gigs.

Before we begin, let me say that I definitely understand that local bands often have limited budgets. Chances are, “musician” isn't your full-time job. And depending on your market, you probably don't get paid what you're worth when you play out. In my area, most local bands charge in the neighborhood of $500 for a four-hour set, which means each member (assuming it's a four-member band) makes around $125 per night.

Keep in mind that a good band marketing strategy will earn you more than it costs. The marketing tools listed below will help you: a) land more gigs; and b) increase your status, which means you can land more high-paying gigs. When your band is in high demand, your band can charge top dollar for your services, possibly making more money and working less than you are now.

If you're on a limited budget, I recommend pooling a month's worth of gig fees and applying them toward a selection of the following band marketing materials.

Business Cards - When you meet with booking managers, a business card makes you appear more professional – and they want to work with professionals.

Brochures - Brochures offer more information about your brand, what types of music you perform, accolades or testimonials you've received, pricing, equipment, photos, and links to your website.

Flyers and Posters - Promote upcoming gigs with flyers and posters. Often, you can get venues to pitch in on these – or even cover the entire printing fee in return for distribution.

Stickers - Stickers are cheap to print, they help you get the word out anywhere you can stick them, and your fans will love them. Toss 'em from the stage during your next show.

Vinyl Banners - Hang a vinyl banner from the stage wherever you play to let everyone know what your band's name is. Include your website URL or a phone number so others can contact you for gigs.

CD/DVD Covers and Inserts - Print these to place in CD or DVD cases for audio and video you sell or hand out at performances.

Press Kits - Press kits contain business cards, flyers, posters, stickers, news clippings, press releases, CDs, DVDs and anything else you want to include, all in a pocket folder. Admittedly, pocket folder printing can represent a large investment; if you can't afford custom printed pocket folders, get a bunch of school folders and place your sticker on the front. Give press kits to local radio stations, newspapers, entertainment magazines, bloggers, and television stations to promote your band.

Website - Put up a website or use a third-party service that has a URL you can direct traffic to. Work your website, including a blog, songs, videos, a calendar, and more.

Social Media - Social media is a great way to promote your band; use Facebook and Twitter daily, if possible.

Using these tools will help you to communicate your message with fans and music industry people alike. This will lead to more gigs, more recognition, and more sales of both your products and services.

Here are two "bonus" strategies I also recommend for increasing your visibility and income:

Volunteer and Network - Volunteer your band for benefits to help get the word out. Volunteer at other charitable events, and take advantage of the opportunity to network. Many hires are made based on who you know.

Frequent the places you want to play - Nothing will get you a higher recommendation than being a patron of the venues you want to play in. Make friends with the bartender, and you can get a quick connection to the person who does the booking.

Now get out there and make something happen!