New year new marketing strategy? YES! Because the world is changing so fast that artists must work really hard to keep relevant and stay on top of everything. With every new algorithm, platform and approach we are faced with a new set of challenges that add to our ongoing list of to-dos. So here’s one less thing you have to worry about, because this article will provide you with 10 ways to revamp your marketing this year.

Set your goals for the new year

No better way to prepare for a revamped marketing strategy than with setting some goals first, for yourself and your brand. What is it that you want to achieve this year specifically? Perhaps you’d like to travel somewhere, hold a masterclass, or get 10k followers more on Instagram? Make a list and categorise them as long and short term goals. These will help create the skeleton for the revamp. Remember to keep them feasible!

Make sure your brand fits your new goals

As mentioned above, once your goals are ready you can use them as the base for your branding in 2019. However, they do a bit more than just that, as they give you a clue of the areas you’d like to work on most to achieve them. Stay true to yourself when making your branding plan to ensure that they will make sense for your fanbase.

Write your strategy down

So now you have your goals, which means you can start looking at a new strategy and points of improvement. Everything you’re planning to do should be written down! Information and plans often get forgotten when we have many things to deal with and by writing it down and putting it in a place you can easily see it (like on your desk if you want to be old-school or on your desktop if you prefer typing) you’ll easily have a reminder of the next steps to take.

Interact with your audience / be human

We’ve said this in previous articles but part of being an artist above all else is that we are individuals and our brand is usually determined by representing ourselves not a faceless corporation. Your followers only see what you show them so that gives you the freedom to be as open as you want. However, this also puts the responsibility of expressing your humanity on your shoulders. Showing your followers that you are a genuine person with feelings and a life happening behind the screen will make them create a special bond with you that will get them to come back and puts them in a unique position of being able to relate to you.

Ask for testimonials

Reviews are important for any business and they are useful for artists as well: are you a photographer? Reviews show future clients whether they should hire you over someone else; is your account representing your band? Reviews can be useful for record labels looking at potentially signing a deal with you. You get the idea. If you don’t have any, why not ask your audience to write some for you? Keep in mind however that once you open that gate negativity can also creep in. Take criticism constructively and look to improve from it, rather than deleting it (unless we’re talking about really rude people of course). It shows professionalism and that goes a long way!

Research your competition

Yes, originality above all, nobody wants to be called a copycat! However, it pays to look a bit around and we’re sure you must have competition of some kind. Are they better? And if yes what are they doing differently? Learn from it and use your spin in trying out some of their techniques.

Try something unique for a while

What are some things no one in your industry has ever done that is really not a bad idea? Make a list with these items and try to see if there’s a way you can incorporate at least one in your 2019 strategy. Try it out for a while and keep an eye on the changes. Are things moving into an interesting area that could lead to something good or are they getting worse?

Use humour

Funny content represents the heart of the internet. No one would be addicted to it if everything around us would make us want to cry. So if you’re not using humour in your approach, why not take it into consideration? It doesn’t have to be a huge chunk of what you do nor does it mean that your fanbase will take your work less serious if you do. Ultimately, humour is a tool that is great at showing a more personal side (because it’s an incredibly subjective thing) and no one ever complained about that hilarious joke they read 3 minutes ago that is still keeping them laughing.

Get a spokesperson

This goes for the artists who are shy of being in front of the spotlight. Be it a person that you trust that could become your official face, or an animated character of sorts, getting a spokesperson can be beneficial in getting your audience connected but also creating a new exciting element about your brand.

Don’t give up right away

So let’s say you’ve done everything in this plan and changes are slow to show if any. Keep in mind that for example, on SEO campaigns real changes take about half a year to show. Likewise, your new marketing strategy could take quite a few months before you see the actual results. Be patient and your hard work will eventually pay off!

Work with a marketing and consultancy company

Shameless advertising for us aside, working with a marketing/consultancy company can be amazing in providing you with a new perspective. When you’ve been only looking from the inside out and involved emotionally in your projects, it’s quite easy to get ‘blind’ after a while. That’s absolutely normal and this is where such an external party can provide some well-needed insight as they would be witnessing your brand for the first time through fresh eyes.

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