Question
The last few years I have taken many courses on digital marketing, digital advertising, copywriting, music production, landing pages, etc.
I am a pop punk musician that is using digital ads to grow my subscribers on youtube and I have used them in the past to grow my email list.
I'm wondering if this is a good way to spend my hard earned dollars or if there is a better/more efficient way I should be growing my fanbase and email list.
Or maybe is there something else I should be focusing on to grow my fanbase?
Answer
First off, I applaud you for the time and effort you are putting into your music career! Congrats! As an artist, you definitely want to set yourself up, so your time can be focused on your creativity and not too much business stuff. Having said that, you don't need to spend a ton of money on paid media these days. There are more efficient ways to invest your time and resources, and the ultimate goal is to make your media strategy self-funding through passive revenue and brand deals. This is easily done by leveraging social media platforms and leaning into viral video principles. When I was at BuzzFeed and YouTube we helped artists build their platforms into self-sustaining marketing streams. It's all about knowing the algorithms, your audience, and building community through repeatable frames and clear targets. You want your audience to form a community around you and support and grow with you. I'd lean more into short-form video across social channels with really clear and focused strategy. Stay consistent, and go live on the platforms with your music to boost yourself in the algorithms. There's lots of backend tricks to boost visibility. Let me know if you're interested in chatting more about this. Either way, keep creating and sharing yourself with your specific audience! You'll get there.
