Starting a band, rehearsing, and then playing live is just the beginning of what it means to play in a band.
The challenge of playing a gig is having people turn up to your event so that it is worthwhile for not only you as an artist but also for the agent and venue.
Gone are the days where you can just print a newspaper article and then all of a sudden people turn up at your gig. You need to make sure you have promoted your gig across many different platforms and across different mediums such as print and digital.
Tip number one: Promote your event on Facebook
It is one thing to have an event set up on Facebook where you can invite family, friends and current fans however if you want to continue growing your database of fans and have new people discover your music you will need to reach out of the current circle of fans that you currently have.
In this day in age it goes without saying that you need to set up an event on Facebook. To make sure fans in the area of your gig you should boost your event. There is a little button that says boost event on your event. Once you click on this you are able to set your event up as a paid advertisement on Facebook. You can target the demographics and the region of where you want this event to be promoted to. This is a great way to reach people within the area or region of the gig so that they are aware and that you have potential new fans coming to your gig.
As the event is only been promoted in a specific region there is no real need to have a massive budget for this ad unless you are in a highly dense region or if your event is in a highly dense region. If you are in a high dense area region you may need to put a little bit more money in to make sure that everyone or at least the majority in that region see your event on Facebook.
You can set the duration of the ad; you can start with 7 days leading up to the event what you can start 30 days out and spend $15 to $20 a week and that should give you some traction.
Another thing to consider when promoting your event is what the leading artwork is going to be. Is it going to be an image or a video.
Keep in mind that Facebook seems to favour more video content these days so if there’s a possibility that you can make a video then by all means go ahead and do that.
Tip number two: word-of-mouth
Don’t underestimate the power of word of mouth.
As there is a lot of noise on Facebook these days sometimes if you pay for an ad or if you post something on Facebook it might not get seen. Therefore, by making a phone call or talking to your friends at the local pub or social group you’ll get more traction as it’s coming from you as a recommendation.
You will obviously have to use some sales skills to get them over to line but if you sell the value of the gig and why they should be there, along with the reason why you’re playing the gig, you should be able to get a get them across the line to come to your gig.
Leading up to the event you can always follow up with them with a text or a phone call with a personalised message to see how they are going and if they are still committed to attending the event.
Depending on what sort of venue you are playing at you can use the benefits that the venue offers to help sell the gig to your friends.
Think of people’s pain points of why they wouldn’t go to a gig and try and combat them. For example, does the venue offer a courtesy bus? Does the venue allowed under 18s to attend? At least address them to try and convince them otherwise.
Tip number 3: hand out flyers
Kick it old school: get some flyers printed and handed out!
No doubt you would have some artwork already created for your event, which would be appearing on your Facebook event. Use this artwork to turn it into a flyer or poster.
A5 is usually a great size to get your message across. The best part about the option is that it takes low cost and effort to organise.
You can print flyers yourself, or have them printed on a site like Vista print; black and white print is obviously cheaper, but you may want a colour flyer so it pops a little more.
You can have a die-hard fan or street team to hand out your flyers, just ask them to help promote your gig.
If you don’t have a street team or willing fans, you can always use an app like Airtasker to give someone the job of handing out flyers for you. You set the budget, and most of the time, you’ll find someone within your budget.
Handing out flyers around the venue and suburb of your gig is a great way to capture the attention of the locals and those staying in the area.
Don’t just have the flyers handed out to the public, be sure to place them in local shops & cafes around the area so that you capture a broad audience.
On your flyer, be sure to include the name(s) of the band(s), the location with street address, and door cost if any.
Make the design so that it captures the attention of people, so much so that they wouldn’t be able to throw it away!
Conclusion
There are other creative ways to promote your gig and the above are to get you started. If you have any specific ways you promote a gig, write them in the comments below!
