Word-of-Mouth Marketing for Professional Musicians

by Bob Popyk

International Musician, October 2002

If you asked 100 people who play music for a living what their best means of marketing and promotion is, more than 90% would say, "word of mouth." And if you asked these musicians what "word of mouth" is, only a few could tell you.

First of all, word-of-mouth marketing starts with knowing your craft. Nothing gets the ball rolling more than playing really well, and knowing your instrument inside-out. You're only as good as your last performance, and a well-received playing job keeps that word-of-mouth marketing going.

Being a professional musician means treating your career as a business. It means networking and keeping in touch constantly. It means letting everyone you come in contact with know that you are a professional musician. And it means creating a constant buzz to keep people talking about you.

The idea here is to tell everyone you come in contact with where you are playing. Let them know you're a musician. It could be your local dry cleaner, druggist, or a FedEx delivery person. Doesn't matter. And ask if they could mention it to their friends. Next thing you know they are telling their friends that "the musician who plays at the Whatever Club" is someone they know. Don't just hand them a schedule, let them know what you play, and when the next concert will be. Create some PR on your own. If your band has won an award or you will perform at Carnegie Hall, let people know you're involved. Word spreads. Your phone could easily start ringing for freelance work because you're "the violinist who is playing with the symphony in Carnegie Hall." Starting your own buzz is word-of-mouth marketing.

If you treat your music career as a business, you probably have one or two sets of business cards. It could be as a soloist or as a group. An easy way to promote yourself through word-of-mouth is to staple your business card to every bill you pay by mail. A live person has to see your card, even if it is just to take it off and throw it away. Do this month after month, and I bet people will start talking about you down at the phone company, utility company, or department store credit office. ("Here's that guitar player again--hand me the staple puller.") At least they're talking about you.

Also, don't forget about local call-in radio shows, and the opinion page of your local paper. They're great venues for keeping your buzz going. If you have a take on the local music that is even slightly controversial, it could play in your favor. Get yourself known as an expert in the area. People will talk about you. Getting your name out through word-of-mouth marketing is easy, it's cheap, and it works if you're creative and continually working to keep it going. Remember this: people spread your buzz if it is simple to repeat, outrageous enough to get attention, and a success story to keep you in a positive light. How you come up with it is up to you. Then you have to remember to fan the flames once in a while to keep it going. If you're a great musician word spreads fast. But it only spreads if you seed it yourself on a regular basis. That's what word-of-mouth marketing is all about.

Articles reprinted from International Musician, the official journal of the American Federation of Musicians. Join or subscribe for more useful information each month!