What do you guys do to help advertise your band?

Fabo

Member
Currently I'm trying to help with promotion by getting our name out on forums, podcasts, and some other online communities. Of course playing shows is probably the best way to promote your band, but what else do you guys do?

One other thing that we're going to start doing is handing out flier sort of things with cd's and at shows with our name and a few other band names from different countries and each of them would be doing the same in their country.
 
Ditto the Facebook.... Myspace, ehhh, depends on the area/genre. Most people my band caters to don't use MySpace anymore, but if your demographic is younger/bigger city, it's probably a good idea.

Wherever you promote online, have a very clear, easy-to-find show schedule.

Show flyers have always been a good way to promote, and you don't necessarily need to be a graphic designer to put a good one together (although as a graphic designer, I would say that it can't hurt...) You can always print in three sizes - full 8.5 x 11 page, 2 flyers per page, or 6-8 flyers per page - cut out the smaller sized ones and leave them at the venue a week before your gig.

Make the people want to come to your gig - if you have CDs, advertise that ten people at random will get a copy.

Use local papers and online event calendars to advertise. Lots of times, the online calendars are free.

Get business cards. Carry them ALL THE TIME. You never know when a networking (and therefore, gig) opportunity will arise. (Even AT a gig.)

Simplify all your website addresses. Instead of www.facebook.com/pages/My-Band-Name/1234567890, use the URL slimmer and just advertise facebook.com/MyBandName. So much easier for your fans to find you.

There are a LOT of internet radio stations out there now that get as much or more airplay than over-the-air radio now. Many of them have independent programming that looks for new, original talent. This is a great way to spread your music to a larger market area.

Use your creativity! Especially with the internet, there's always a new trick to try... And if it gets people talking, they are talking about you and your band.
 
The key is to identify who your audience is, and then focus in on the kinds of places (online and physical locations) that your audience will most likely hang out at.

The nice thing about the internet is you no longer have to blast everyone with in a 5 mile radius of your house with fliers and play 2% of those people will be into your type of music, you can use the net to focus in on people all over the world who like your niche, be it a popular niche, or an obscure one.

Mysapce used to be really good at this, but it's pretty much dead now. Facebook appears to be the way to go now.
 
Youtube's a given, facebook's a given. But most people don't use these social networking sites effectively. Just posting youtube videos of your playing won't get you anywhere. It's useful to post "vlogs," where you or your band is in front of the camera talking to your audience about updates, shows, and pretty much anything.

For facebook, where most people fail is the fact that all they use facebook for is posting new gigs and song releases and whatnot. Facebook is a social network, so you should use it for social events too....Invite your fans to an afterparty after a gig. Invite em to places your band is hanging out. Be creative, make your fans become a part of something more than just an uninvolved fan of a band.
 
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