What is digital marketing, and why should singers care?

Digital Marketing is a type of marketing that uses online platforms to promote and sell a product or service. Companies and brands use strategies such as social media, websites, email, and online ads to help them reach a broader audience and create awareness for their product. By growing our digital marketing skills and creating an online presence, we are creating a huge advantage for ourselves as singers. 

In order to build a living for ourselves as musicians, we must create opportunities, get hired, and build a reputation in our respective communities. Our career field requires us to be constantly promoting ourselves, and digital marketing allows us to have the tools we need to do just that.

Try to think of your voice as a product you are selling. In order to find people willing to pay for your product, you’ll need to focus on branding strategies, promotion, and marketing yourself as a singer.

Here are some of the strategies I’ve been looking into on how to utilize digital marketing as a singer:

Brand Identity

One of the first questions we should be asking ourselves is “How do I want to define myself as an artist?”.

Think about what sets you apart as an individual, what unique qualities do you have that sets you apart from everyone else? It is also important to consider what kind of message you’re looking to promote. Perhaps you want to use your voice to bring joy and hope to more people. Or perhaps you want to use your platform to educate and encourage young musicians. As you define what your unique message is, be sure to make it clear for your audience, and authentic to your character.

Another concept to consider as you decide on your brand, is visuals. I encourage you to analyze the social media pages of your favorite singers or influencers. Notice how each account chooses visuals that are unique to their brand, and think about what you want yours to be. Do you want to use bright colors, or perhaps give your platform a moodier, academic feeling?

Promotion

By properly utilizing tools such as social media and a personal website, we are providing ourselves with a platform to be seen as musicians and build an audience. Use these platforms to promote your accomplishments and upcoming performances, and engage with your audience to further grow your community!

It is also wise to have essentials such as an Electronic Press Kit (EPK), which is a link or file that you can forward in an email as a tool to promote yourself. An EPK is a great way for potential employers to view your accomplishments and get an idea of you we are as a singer and artist. Some items you’ll want to include are a resume, headshots, a short biography, links to performances and recordings, and your email or social media links so you are easy to be in touch with.

Market yourself

Once you have your branding down, and your online platforms are up and running, use your content to keep your audience engaged and interested in your message as a musician. For example, many classical singers on social media share “behind the scenes” content of a rehearsal or audition. Similarly, Voice Teachers on social media create content surrounding vocal health, or warmups to help singers achieve the voice they want.

Connecting with other singers on social media is another great tool for building an online community. By collaborating with other artists, not only will you get to get to know your peers better, but also gain an opportunity for both of you to grow your online audience. When we come together for a project or performance, we can create more awareness around our mission and potentially draw in a larger audience and generate more interest in classical music as a whole.

I hope that this has been a helpful article, and given you a basic idea of digital media and the advantages it provides for us as singers! As always, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram, @sallymcgrath_voice, or by sending an email to sallymcgrath.voice@gmail.com. I’m happy to answer any follow up questions, or take topic requests for future blog posts!

Wishing you a week filled with opportunity and inspiration, and a love for your unique voice that persists through anything!

Sally