Tips for incorporating music into your marketing mix

My previous post touched on why music is a powerful marketing tool. Now let’s look at how organizations can harness that power. Here are some ideas:

Incorporate music into your long-term marketing strategy

As Russel Wallach points out in an article for Fast Company, music should be thought of as a language and culture that connects your brand to stakeholders. He adds: “The success of using music content as a way to gain consumer mindshare parallels the traditional metrics of media success. If you want to create a long-term bond with music fans, you need to make a commitment for the long haul to retain authenticity.” In harnessing the power of music, marketers need to focus on creating an authentic connection that consumers respond to, be it through social experiences, mobile devices, content or loyalty programmes, says Wallach.

Enhance branding through advertising or public service announcements

In an article for LinkedIn, Collin Shaw, CEO of Beyond Philosophy, says: “Having a great song, jingle, or score makes [an advertisement] create positive emotions in the minds of your customers. It gives your brand promise a foundation built on good memories. From there, you can build the brand to attract them to your business.” However, the importance of authenticity should once again be stressed here. Whether it’s online, on TV, on the radio, or live, there are many ways to share your musical ads.

Harness the power of digital music communities

Today’s music fans are not just passive listeners. They have created diverse online communities on streaming sites like Spotify, as well as other social media channels including Twitter, Facebook and Youtube. Marketers should therefore incorporate social media into their music marketing strategies, using digital communities as a means to help customers engage with their brand.

Maximize artist affinity and loyalty

Wallach recommends leveraging artist affinity and providing exclusive and added value such as free downloads or face-to-face meetings between fans and artists. Says Wallach: “Music fans are among the most loyal and passionate people in the world; they will travel far and wide to support the artists they love the most.” With that said, Wallach stresses the importance of matching the right artist with the right brand. “Music can be a powerful component to your marketing mix, but must be handled with care to convert music-loving fans to brand-loving customers,” he says.

Analyze consumer data

Wallach adds that marketers should consider unlocking and analyzing the plethora of data available today. This can help them understand music fan preferences and triggers, in order to create a successful music marketing strategy. It goes without saying that accessing such data should be done so ethically and legally.

Run music-centred campaigns/initiatives

As mentioned above, music is a powerful tool for mobilizing social action. This power can be demonstrated through campaigns centred on music projects, programmes or artists. An article by Macala Wright on Mashable cites two examples. One was an Amnesty International programme called ‘The Power of Our Voices’ which educated students about protest songs and using music to bring about social change. The other was the ‘#AbsolutGaga’ contest during Lady Gaga’s tour last year, devised by the manufacturers of Absolut Vodka. Fans were encouraged to share ideas via social media on how they would transform their community. As thanks for their ideas, certain fans were given special access at Lady Gaga’s shows.

ReverbNation’s ‘Music For Good’ is also notable. Every artist that sells music on the ReverbNation site chooses a charity they would like to support. Half of the proceeds from music sales go to the charity, and half to the artist. As stated on the ‘Music For Good’ webpage, “every time a fan buys a song from a ReverbNation artist, they’re demonstrating their support for indie music and a worthy cause.”

Go live!

We are social beings that enjoy experiencing music live – whether it’s for the people, the ambiance, the acoustics, or an opportunity to get closer to favourite artists. That’s why music festivals – from Coachella to Roskilde to Tomrrowland – are so popular, especially with millennials. As Wright highlights, “Music festivals have become lifestyle experiences where millennials blog, take selfies and create videos and other content to broadcast on their digital channels.” That’s why such venues can be an excellent way to market your products and, according to Wright, “achieve quality and quantity in terms of reach and possible engagement.” With this in mind, it’s worth noting that products marketed at these venues should be relevant and valuable to the target audience. To determine such relevance and value, research will need to be done beforehand.