New Music Biz 101: Paid Ads
posted in: Features
You see them everyday. You may even click on them once in a while. For musicians, paid advertisements on platforms such as Facebook and Google are one of the most underutilized resources. In fact, the idea of paying for advertisements make some artists cringe. The thought of the bill coming in without a guaranteed return on investment can be tough to swallow. Hopefully this post offers a few techniques that make the process less intimidating and maybe an attractive and worthwhile option.
Promote Your Shows “ PPC (Pay Per click) advertisements give you the ability to target by location which means you’re able to pinpoint your promotions within your city. With Google, you can target people as specifically as a 1 mile radius of a specific location. This is a valuable tool to use when you’re getting ready to promote a show. Setup a campaign with an ad that tells people to come your next show. Then focus on people in your’s and/or the venue’s immediate area. A person is more likely to support an artist if they’re from their hometown. On Facebook, you can home in on users who are fans of a particular venue’s Facebook page. If a user frequents a venue, then they are more likely to be influenced by your advertisement.
Target Based on Interests “ Do you think your band sounds exactly like John Mayer? Great! When you set up a campaign through Facebook, simply target your efforts towards users that are fans of the artist your band sounds like. Make sure the text of the ad caters towards your intended aud
ience and that it provides links to a place where the user can quickly access your music.
Bonus “ Many of these services have free trials, so you have some room to experiment for free!
Hope these two tips were helpful in explaining how artists can use ad resources to their advantage. Any questions? Ask in the comments section!