Hopefully you’ve had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to the new year! In this post we will continue our predictions started previously and introduce you to 5 more important marketing trends for artists that we believe will be crucial for artists in 2019! 

Less money, more creative ads 

I mean we all know by now that ads are where the biggest chunk of social media budget goes right? But a survey made by Social Media Today found that out of over 500 respondents, 68% of them plan to invest even more than last year on social advertising. It does make sense, it’s the best way to push content to the top. However, it’s important to focus on smart, beautifully crafted content with a message rather than a bigger budget, as in the end that’s what sticks with people. 

Video = <3 

Videos are so much more entertaining than other types of content and currently all social media websites have a form or another of introducing videos to their platform. Whether you have an Instagram/Facebook Q & A live, make a vlog on Youtube, or simply make a short clip checking in with your audience, people enjoy this personal touch. Not to mention, it adds an extra layer to their favourite artist and makes you look more personable.

Here are a couple of examples of popular Youtube videos from artists who are not Youtubers: 

Add some PR to your Marketing 

By now it’s pretty clear that in order to master digital marketing you need to be skilled in a bunch of other areas. How about adding some PR to your Marketing knowledge? It does not have to be tedious you can go with small things here and there: creating a signature move, something that only you do that sets you apart from the others (for example, painters could introduce a special symbol somewhere in the painting; musicians could create a special logo/message that they share with the fans; each popular Youtuber has a special name for their fanbase, etc), or creating products that spark debate (good or bad). If something bad happens, crisis communication and how you handle certain events are also a make or break PR move. A good example of this is James Charles’ Sisters Apparel started from his catchphrase ‘hey sisters’ when he starts his Youtube videos. As he grew in popularity so did his catchphrase which is now on pieces of merch that fans buy. 

Targeted content to the max! 

Indulgence and nurture are the key words when it comes to treating your audience and creating a deep and intimate connection with them goes a long way. This is where targeted content comes in handy: we all want to feel special and cared about and when your favourite artists come up with something just tailored to your taste and personality they will end up in a very special place in your heart. Now of course one can’t please everyone, but the easiest way to create targeted content is to simply reach out and engage, ask your audience what they would be interested in seeing next, having them pick from two things, etc. Giving your audience what they want will also make some room for those moments when you create something for yourself, not to please anyone else. As it’s the end of the year, one very easy way for artists to figure out what their audience liked is through analytics. If you’re on Instagram a top nine is a really cool way to see your most engaged posts and perhaps plan accordingly for next year. Here is an example: 

Special partnerships

Last but not least, we’re pretty certain special partnerships will hold a really high spot in marketing trends for 2019. It’s a really nice way to mix and match in order to create something unique, as well as forge a new relationship with fellow creatives. And the cool part is you can really go outside the box with this one. Photographers, for example, can always collaborate with fellow make-up artists, stylists and clothing designers. Designers can always collaborate with other designers to create something together for their customers. Painters could collaborate with graphic designers for an amazing piece of art that is both traditional and contemporary. These are just examples but as you can tell, the sky is the limit! 2019 will be a year for breakthroughs so think outside the box as much as possible and find that special partnership to enrich your creativity.