Indie Band Website Design
This is focused on indie hip-hop artists but applies to any genre of music. All independent musicians should read this.
Band Website
Your bands website has to be good for you to be taken seriously. Not having a band website will immediately make you look less professional. The website needs to have an easily accessible music player, promo pictures and upcoming concert information. Many companies offer Band Website Design but not all provide the same quality.
Store
You have to be able to buy something on the site. CD’s, MP3’s, Free Downloads, T-Shirts, Stickers, etc. More about merchandise later.
Social Media Integration
Connecting your website to your Facebook, Twitter, (Insert Social Network) profile and vice versa. Providing “share” buttons for various social bookmarking sites will get you a ton of free links. Links to your band site is GOOD.
Music Player
Your music player should have up-to-date music that is as high quality mastered as you have. Don’t present unfinished products.
Embedded Video
Embed Videos of concerts, recording sessions, freestyles, etc. on your Bands Website. Recording massive amounts of material and sharing it on Youtube, your website, Twitter, Facebook, etc. is a good way to get a lot more traffic to your site and more fans buying music.
Concert Calender
Having a calender of your upcoming shows is vital for a successful indie hip-hop artist marketing campaign.
Slideshows/Galleries
Upload all your pictures into slideshows and galleries on your band website. Some companies offer custom editable websites that allow you to do this kind of thing quite easily.
Facebook Marketing
For Independent Hip-Hop Artists
Facebook is one of the most valuable tools for an indie hip hop artist right now. Facebook Marketing can be a huge pain in the neck. If you have time to do it yourself it can pay off big time, if you have money to invest in your campaign the better it will work for you.
Band Profile
Create a band profile and update it with as many pictures, videos and songs that you can. Suggest to as many friends as you have and get the ball rolling if you haven’t already. If you have a facebook band profile you might consider banner ads.
Banner Ads
Facebook banner ads can be targeted to city, state, interests in music, age, gender, etc. Targeting is great for upcoming concerts that need to be advertised out of town. Also this is a great way to target peoples interests in similar music. This is a great way to increase the number of fans you have on your page. More fans equals more traffic to your band site which equals more revenue from album sales. Band Placement Companies like GME can do Facebook banners as well as banners on other networks like major news sites, music sites and more.
Landing Page
Some companies will build you a custom landing page that tells people to like your page and some even have music players. These are very valuable to your online marketing campaign.
Music Player
Having a music player on your Facebook profile will give you a big boost in fan base. Combined with banner ads, social media integration with your bands website and regular posting your social media buzz will be loud.
Branding
Logo
Make sure you have a good logo designed. If you have a cheap looking logo you wont get any real respect. Have a graffiti artist or a Marketing Company design you a logo.
Social Media Networking
Create a profile on as many social bookmarking and social networking sites as you can. Post a few links to your site and forget about most of them. Take 4 or 5 more popular sites and hit them hard. Make sure you stay up-to-date on a few good social networking sites. Make sure to send your band site a lot of links. Post your name on lists all over the web that people have compiled of their favorite artists of your similar genre. For example Bad Habitat Music features a post about the Top 100 Underground Rappers.
Marketing Materials
Stickers, Flyers, Posters, which is the most bang for your buck.
Handbills (Flyers) have been used in hip-hop marketing forever. But how well do they really work? These can be used in excess and if not implemented properly can be a big waste, financially and environmentally. They create a lot of garbage and are outlawed in some counties because of litter problems. Flyers are best used by handing them out at shows, outside of shows, placing them on cars, tables, etc at venues which have shows of a similar genre to your style of underground hip-hop. Hand out a lot of Flyers where other hip-hop fans gather. Don’t just go down the street and hand them all out outside of a corner store. I have found the most success in sticker marketing. Stickers last a lot longer than flyers and they build up more long term buzz than handbills. Flyers are great for promoting shows, but stickers are king for overall promotion.
Merchandise like T-Shirts and Hats can go a long way. Getting fitted hats (New Era 59Fifty’s) with your logo on them will be a big hit among hip-hop fans. Getting a good deal on the production of the product is important. The markup on the gear can’t be too high. If the shirt costs you $5 to make sell it for $10 not $20+ you will sell more and make more with a lower price point on your merchandise. T-Shirts that have cool graphics, logo, etc are important also. This goes back to making sure you have a catchy logo that is something your fan base would be comfortable putting on their body for everyone to see.
Online Advertising Agency Total Market Exposure offers the above services at great prices for independent hip hop artists. Look to spend anywhere from $500 to $5000 on a successful campaign. It depends on how aggressive you want to be in your marketing campaign. Check out some links below about similar topics on Bad Habitat Music, home of the worlds illest Underground Hip Hop group.
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