Promoting a Band or Radio Station
Having built RadioRow in 1999, I've been walking both sides of this problem since creating RRadio Music in 2003. RadioRow is a radio station portal; RRadio Music promotes independent artists. My summation: The action of promoting online is more difficult than anyone admits and less efficient than anyone believes.
| There is not much difference between either group (bands or stations), as they both depend on convincing someone to take time to listen. (That's harder before either has gained enough exposure to produce familiarity.) Familiarity is the basis of programming. |
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Here are a few problems which are not usually considered: 1) The promoting person does SEO (search engine optimizing) and, when testing, does not realize that because it's their web site (one which they've visited numerous times and is cached on their computer), the site easily shows up in first-page results for them. This gives a false sense of success when browsing through search engines.
2) Response metrics that I've used as a baseline since becoming involved with analytics in 2002 (and taken from seeing dozens of companies' data sets) shows an average response from exposure hovers around 0.04%. Show 4,000 people your invite and you're likely to get 1.6 responses. Acceptable response is roughly 1% - about 40 for each 4,000 exposures.
3) As we progress through our digital world the numbers of bands and stations seeking exposure are growing exponentially. There are far more of each trying to draw an online audience than just two years ago. There will be far more in two years as the internet learning curve flattens.
The above three points are overshadowed by that which was mentioned before: convincing someone to give time, and listen. Place your own habit here. How easy is it for someone to request and then get you to take the time to experience what they have to offer?
You cannot successfully promote your band by only talking about upcoming play-dates on stage anymore than you can promote your station by only running promos within your programming.
Search Audio Graphics' archives, and deep archives, for many articles on approaches that work.
Monday, October 12, 2015
Today's artist introduction is to Country from Nicki Gillis.
Give "Leavin' You For Myself" a listen.
Stations: Add it to your playlist, free.
