A lot of bands ask me about how they can amp up their sales. After all — on some level, any band serious about reaching the next level needs to be pushing their sales. This is really hard to do as you all well know since people don’t often want to spend money on music when they can hear it for free, or near-free on platforms like Spotify. However, there are still a lot of ways to make money from your music if you think about pushing sales. You just need to use some basic sales tactics to position yourself in a place where it’s easy for people to want to spend money on you. Understanding how to do this isn’t hard, but the real trick is having the gumption to put yourself out there and make it happen. This can be tricky, but with discipline and a desire to grow, you’ll find your way to success.
Talk About What You’re Selling
This is a big thing that many people often forget. If you want to get anywhere with sales, people need to know that you’re selling something! The thing is that nobody’s going to do it for you. If your band isn’t out there talking about what you have for sale, good luck. It’s really that simple. Nobody’s looking to make sales for you — after all, people are only interested in themselves. So why should they bother to talk about your band, especially in a world where people aren’t super interested in buying merch all the time anyway? Exactly. You need to be out there, self-promoting and showing how much your music matters and why people should find it in themselves to support it.
Run Promotions
A lot of bands miss out on this too, and I’m not just talking about running Facebook ads — although that certainly helps. Promotions can be anything from giveaways or discounts to weird value ads or bundles. You just want to be doing things that get people noticing your brand and talking about you. Again, this can entail a whole variety of things, but you need to have all of them in mind. If you don’t have people out there actively marketing you and talking about what you’re up to, you’re just shooting yourself in the foot. Figure out what’s going to get your fanbase talking, and then do it. If you don’t know what’s going to help get them talking or motivated to buy, then ask. You can easily reach out by DM or create a poll, and thus start to get a sense of what the people following your band would like to see from you and what could spur them into action.
Direct Outreach
Direct outreach is awkward, but again, it can take a variety of formats. Direct outreach involves anything from DMing people about an upcoming show or record release, to routinely hitting your email list. It is all about adding a personal touch. That’s why, for instance, I’ve started replying to Instagram DM’s with video as often as possible. Why? Because it gives people a more personal touch and makes them see that they matter to me as I actually made a point of replying to them — and on top of that, took the time to make a personalized video. When you foster direct relationships, people start to feel emotionally invested in what you’re doing. Once people feel emotionally invested, it’s a hell of a lot easier to get them financially invested!
Think Different
The key to viral success is simple. It comes in just two parts. The first part is something that people are familiar with, or that they’ve already seen. The other part is something totally new or unexpected. If both parts of your thing are unexpected, no one will follow it. If both parts are mundane, it’ll just be another piece of staid normality. However, if you can figure out that electric combination of both unexpected and familiar in your sales strategy, then you’re positioning yourself for long-term success. This is success you can count on. It’ll pay off in the long run, opening the doors to some really cool opportunities as you grow your band. If you think different, it WILL get people talking, and make the folks around you wind up ever more enamored with your band.
MATT BACON
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Matt Bacon is a consultant, A&R man, and journalist specializing in the world of heavy metal. Having worked with everyone from Glam Rock icon Phil Collen of Def Leppard, to post Black Metal titans Alcest, by way of legendary thrashers Exhorder as well as labels including Prophecy Productions and Ripple Music, he has dedicated his life to helping young bands develop. Having started his own blog at the age of 14 he views his career in artist development as ‘a hobby that got out of hand’. In 2015 he formed Dropout Media in order to better support the artists he loves. We sit here now, years later with countless tours booked, records released and deals signed, and loving every minute of it.
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