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Do you make beats and instrumentals? Are you a mixing and mastering engineer looking for clients?
That’s what we’re going to be looking at in this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast.
Podcast Highlights:
- 0:25 – Your questions answered
- 0:48 – Marketing your beats, instrumentals, mixing and mastering services online
- 4:43 – Approaching new artists professionally
- 6:27 – Pre-qualifying before selling anything
- 7:28 – Building connections and networking
- 8:48 – Exciting new course
Transcription:
Hey, it’s David Andrew Wiebe. Today, I had a few questions from Kevin that I was looking to answer. I think he might have asked these over a month ago, but here we are. I’m going to make sure to send this episode over to him when it’s done. But I figured if he has these questions, then there’s going to be other people out there wondering about these same things. So, here are my answers.
His first question was, how do I market my beats, instrumentals, and other services like mixing and mastering online and increase first time and returning customers?
Now, Kevin, if you haven’t done this already, set up a professional looking website. My recommendation is to take advantage of a hosting company like SiteGround. That’s our favorite. You can go to MusicEntrepreneurHQ.com/SiteGround if you’d like to support us. You don’t necessarily have to obsess over design. Simple is often better than complex these days. But just pick a really nice theme and customise it until it looks and feels right to you.
You’ll also want to showcase your portfolio. So, show samples of your beats or instrumentals. You don’t have to give everything away but you want to make sure that people can get a sense of what you’re capable of on your website.
The number one thing to prioritize on your website is the collection of emails. I would suggest experimenting with a simple capture form, as well as with a lead magnet. People sometimes like to access something for free that will be valuable to them in exchange for their email. Sometimes won’t even give you their email without that extra step.
There’s a great book called Magnetic Marketing that really explains this process in detail, although you don’t necessarily need to access that resources. The point is, if you have something your audience wants and you’re giving it away, they’re more likely to give you their email address as well. And if you have their email, you can follow up with them in your weekly newsletters. So, make sure to establish that routine of creating weekly newsletters with content. We’ll get to content in a moment but that’s another important piece.
If you’re using a payment processor on your website, then you also want to make sure that you can collect emails and people’s contact information so you can follow up with them. Your existing customers always make for your best customers so encouraging repeat business is just a matter of following up with them oftentimes.
Now, getting in front of your audience consistently can be a little more complicated and can certainly take some work, but I’m going to help you try to fast track that process. So, I would recommend committing to a content strategy. Once per week you should be publishing a blog post or a podcast episode or a video. Now, you should choose one channel. Don’t try to do them all. I’m going to suggest here that you take advantage of video for a couple of reasons.
Videos are great, especially on social media. Showing your face can build trust with your audience. Now, you definitely don’t need to reinvent the wheel here. I’m going to suggest that you don’t. I would just think about the most common questions you’ve been asked and then address those in your videos. If it helps, you can also think about the questions you wish people would ask. Be sure to add a call to action at the end of your videos, whether it’s, “visit my website,” “check out my rates,” or “here are some of my beats.” All that beautifully created content is all for naught if you can’t get people in the door.
The other great thing about video is that you can distribute them across various social media channels. You can put them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Those are the main channels I would recommend. Those are where you’re going to get the most traction, and you’re going to see the most people engaging. You can also publish your videos or embed your videos on your blog. That’s recommended as well.
Now, this strategy does require some time and effort. So, don’t go into it thinking that it’s somehow going to be easy but it can be quite effective. Platforms like Twitter have some limitations. They only allow videos of up to two minutes and 20 seconds, but that might be a reason or a bit of an incentive to keep your videos short. People in social media tend to like short, punchy content anyway.
Kevin’s second question was, how do I professionally approach small artists on Instagram or through email?
Now, you’re probably aware already that artists are generally budget conscious and don’t want to be sold to. So, you’re dealing with a bit of a price sensitive audience. That said, I still see some ways you can approach this. I think it’d be good to think of this in terms of qualification. Not them qualifying you, but you qualifying them to make sure they’re a good fit. Now, you’re going to want to approach artists differently depending on the services that you are looking to sell. So, let’s talk about your beats and instrumentals first.
I’d imagine your target audience is vocalist, rappers, and people who don’t play instruments, because most musicians don’t need beats or instrumentals. So, you want to start off saying something along the lines of, “Hey, I listened to your stuff. It’s quite good. Would you be interested in collaborating?” Now, just so you know, this is not a bait and switch. We’re not going to turn around later and say, “You need to pay for my services.” That’s not it at all. But there is a strategy behind this.
So, your goal at this point is just to get them in the door, not to sell them. And when you get a yes, then we’re going to small scale project with them to show them what you can do. Now, I realise this is time intensive but there’s different ways to leverage this. You could just do one of these per month, film the whole thing, and then share that content on your various channels. If the artist has a good experience with you, they’re going to tell their friends and you’re making a video, which should also help you generate a lot of new leads.
Now, let’s look at your mixing and mastering services. The first question you should be asking is not whether they need your mixing or mastering services. Your first question should be, are you working on a new release right now? That’s going to pre-qualify them, right? There’s a whole process to this. We want to pre-qualify them before we try to sell them anything. And remember that people love to talk about themselves. So, if they are working on something, then ask them a few questions about their project and why they’re excited about it before advancing the conversation.
Now, after you’ve had a few exchanges, don’t go on too long, maybe five messages or so, send them to your website, where they can see your rates. Now, you can still keep this relatively low pressure and just say something along the lines of, “I’d love it if you keep me in mind for future projects. Here’s my website. Sign up for the free email list while you’re there for some free tips.” Let your website do the rest. In that way you can keep following up with valuable content on a weekly basis.
Kevin’s third question was how do I network and build connections? How do I utilize them to get major placements and work with larger artists?
Well, here’s the harsh reality, Kevin. The less you’re willing to invest, the lower the quality of the connection is ultimately going to be. You really get what you pay for. For a lot of reasons, there’s no easy way to break into the mainstream without having paid a price because the artists who’ve gone before you have all paid a price to be where they’re at. If you don’t have a TAXI subscription, that’ll be a great place to start. I know it’s not cheap but if you want to make better quality connections, that’s going to be a serious consideration.
They have an annual convention called the Road Rally. And for obvious reasons, it’s virtual right now. But you want to make sure you’re attending all free days. Show up early, stay late, and chat with as many people as you can. Not with the intention of selling but with the intention of curating connections and establishing relationships, friendships even. I’d be surprised if you didn’t generate a few prospects or leads out of that.
Now, I can’t say for sure and I can’t guarantee anything but I have a feeling TAXI is pretty much exactly what you’ve been looking for. Especially if you’re looking to work with major artists or get major placements, so I would recommend looking into it. If you can’t afford it right now, see if you can save up for it.
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