First let us say that we are by no means any experts in this thing called Publicity/Marketing, much less the whole music industry.  The reason being is that it is forevermore changing.  However there are a few basic things that will never change.  Those things that will never change are the reasons why we use Marketing and Publicity.  The number one reason is to attract fans.  Attracting fans creates sales.  And THAT is the bottom line, no matter what your ministry focus is.

According to Dictionary.com, marketing is simply “to offer for sale; to sell”.  Here’s a pretty cool Principle that Bob Baker over at TheBuzzFactor.com has found.  It’s quite interesting to think that any artist could accomplish this.

Bob says:

The VFW Hall Principle

Let’s say you went to an average U.S. city (such as Kansas City or Denver) and you rounded up 1,000 people and gathered them in a giant VFW hall. These 1,000 folks would be randomly chosen and made up of people from all ages, genders and backgrounds. Next, you’d distribute information about your act to these people and play tracks from your new CD for them.

After this direct exposure, what are the chances that one person out of those thousand would be attracted to your music and identity enough to buy your CD or come to your next show? Most musicians, regardless of what style they play, should feel pretty confident about being able to win over at least one new fan from this group of 1,000. That’s a one-tenth of one percent conversion rate.

Now let’s multiply that formula by the entire U.S. population of 285 million people. One-tenth of one percent would be 285,000 people. Mind-boggling, isn’t it? That would be enough fans to make you a bonafide star.

Ok, so every artist has the potential of attracting or reaching 285,000 people.  Note, we said “potential”.  You know you have potential fans out there, it’s a matter of finding them (or them finding you).  The key to all of this is to make those people hear you somehow.  Most of us involved in Christian music do not have the funds for a MAJOR marketing plan.  However, we’ve found (as Chosen Few has song), it’s in “The Little Things”.

But first things first.  Do you even know what you are all about?  The most common thing we see is people rushing into the singing part and missing all the other parts it takes to be effective.

Marketing plans do not need to be complex.  They can even be “make it up as you go”.  However there are a few essentials you need to know before starting out.

You must know exactly what your music is about. 

What style of music do you sing?  Do you sing Christian Country, Inspirational, Southern Gospel, Southern Country, or maybe a mix fo all.  Either way you need to know WHAT you sing.  If you don’t know, ask other people.

What is your primary focus?  Are you an encourager?  Are you all about working with Women/Men’s ministries?  Do you focus primarly on salvation or healing?  What do you want to accomplish?

What makes you different?  Why should fans choose YOU over any other singer/songwriter?

What makes you or your group YOU...what makes you unique? 

Stop right now, get out a pen and paper and start writing.  You can’t sell something you don’t know anything about!

Next blog:  Brainstorming Ways To Reach Your Potential Fan

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