Marketing - Soundstr

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Why doesn’t your business use music in your marketing?

There are a lot of myths surrounding this concept. Do you think it costs too much? Are you not sure if your customers would appreciate it? Or are you just not familiar enough with how you could use music within your marketing?

The simple truth is that music is easier to use commercially than you might think.

Music has become such a big part of our lives, with the average person listening to music 4 hours each day. Music also evokes emotional responses in listeners, which is absolutely utilized in advertising. HP used a Meghan Trainor song around a tablet advertisement, and the campaign generated a 26% increase in just 12-weeks. Now how about that bass?

If you’re not already convinced, see below for 5 reasons why your business should use music in your marketing efforts.

1. Visibility – New Fans

One of the main reasons to use music in your marketing is visibility. Solo artists and bands have fans of their own, and those fans are consumers. From small social campaigns to lifelong endorsements, marketing with music will increase your visibility.

2. Engagement/Loyalty

Music fans are loyal. From downloading music to attending live events and purchasing merchandise, fans are always consuming. They also exhibit high levels of engagement, especially on social media. Have you ever compared your social media traction to that of an artist with a similar-sized following? The difference is staggering, showcasing a reason in itself to use music in marketing.

3. Cost Effective

Yes, advertising with music will cost you something, as nothing in life is free. But what you might not consider is how scalable this cost can be, along with your options. If you want to align with an artist that’s sold millions of albums, it might cost you millions. But, local and regional artists – many of whom will become larger, successful artists – are a great alternative. Local artists on the rise have high levels of engagement and loyalty because their audience is a mix of fans and friends. Plus, the cost of aligning your brand with a local artist is much more affordable than you think. In Cincinnati, MusicLi helps businesses use local music for marketing, with song licensing starting at just a few hundred dollars.

4. Unique Use

Music in marketing can be a unique way to drive attention to your business or a specific good/service. Pairing your business with an appropriate artist can help drive interest in what you offer. Does your business sell sustainable goods or merchandise like a local Whole Foods? Many artists, from folk to indie and hip-hop, are teaching their audience about sustainability. Now imagine you are trying to market a new locally-sourced energy bar or water bottle. Why not pair with a local eco-conscious artist to offer to drive sales? This could be a free download of their new single with each sale, or a marketing video with using their song. This is just a simple example, but it could be effective in driving visibility and sales.

5. Leads to New Opportunities

The music industry is big, and growing by the day. Social media has removed almost all barriers to entry, allowing anyone to become a successful artist. This process, which used to take years of development, can happen almost overnight. This can work in a businesses favor as well. Imagine having an energy drink that uses a local hard rock artist’s music in your marketing video. Say the band shoots their own music video, and they choose to drink your product in the video. Then the video goes viral. You may decide to further your relationship with the band and sponsor which states they drink your product on stage at shows. Now their song has become a hit on the radio, and they go on a world tour. Your visibility from sponsoring the band could help grow your business into a worldwide empire. It might sound unrealistic, but it might be more probable than you think.

There are plenty of reasons why your business should consider using music in your marketing. Increased visibility from a highly engaged audience of consumers is the mecca of advertising. Using local and regional artists is a great alternative to expensive national artist campaigns. Working with emerging artists can also lead to new and exciting opportunities to grow with musicians. So the only question is – what are you waiting for?

Click below for a FREE consultation to learn how to incorporate music into your marketing.

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Why doesn’t your business sponsor live music events?

Have you ever tried to sponsor an event? Do you have a hard time finding an opportunity that connects you to your ideal customers? Do you think it costs too much? Or are you just not familiar enough with how event sponsorship works?

With changes to recent industry and consumer trends, it might be time to seize the opportunity.

1. Highly Engaged Consumers – That Actually Consume

Concert goers are serious consumers. Audiences pay for admission, possibly a few drinks, and even merch from the performing musicians. As Digital Music News pointed out, in 2015 over half of all spending on music went to live events. Social media engagement is an entire different point of consideration. Ticketfly found that 31% of 18-34 year old concert goers spend more than half the time on their phone at events. This does not even account for the pre- and post-concert activity that is still tied to the concert.

2. Fans like Brands

Live events are experiences for music fans. They are loyal to artists, food and alcohol companies, and even music venues. They also appreciate the right pairing of brands with live events. A study shows that 44% of concert goers have positive feelings towards sponsored brands. 40% said they were more likely to purchase sponsored brands. eMarketer discovered music fans rank higher in both areas compared fans of sports, TV and award shows. Statista reports that LiveNation, the world’s largest concert promoter, hosted over 25,000 events in 2015 alone. That’s an 11.9% increase from 2014. With events ranging from a few hundred to tens of thousands of attendees, imagine what that traction could mean for your brand.

3. Growing Industry

Brand spending to sponsors events is a growing industry. Sponsorship.com found that in 2014, music sponsorship spending totaled $1.43 billion dollars, a 4.4% increase from 2013. There is a direct correlation between the increases from audience and brand spending and the number of live events. Why wouldn’t you want to be a part of this growing industry?

4. Cost Effectiveness & Commitment Level

Sponsoring live events might be more affordable than you think. The days of spending thousands of dollars just to get your banner hung in a venue are over. Commitment levels for sponsorships are much less than that of other mediums such as TV and radio. Ad campaigns with these formats often run for several weeks or months, and focus on visibility and repetition. While these features might be helpful to some businesses, in-venue advertising focuses on engagement. Direct consumer engagement leads to conversions, and ultimately to sales. Considering that most events happen in independent businesses and venues, event sponsorship is a largely untapped market.

5. New Technology

Technology is quickly becoming the key to successful event sponsorship. Imagine an advertisement from your brand being broadcast over the sound system between acts at an event. Upon hearing that ad all audience members would receive a push notification with your coupon or offer. Technology allows brands to directly connect with audiences with minimal to no action from the consumer. It might sound futuristic, but these advertising opportunities are already available to brands.

The world of event sponsorship has gone through dramatic changes in recent years. Consumers are spending more, and brands and events are cashing in. Concert goers are highly engaged audiences, and actually welcome the right sponsors at events. The costs and commitment levels are lower than other traditional advertising methods. New technology is helping brands connect with consumers like never before. There has never been a better time to sponsor an event, and the opportunity to position your brand might be closer than you think.

Click below for a FREE consultation on how your brand can sponsors live events.