Printing Essentials for Promoting Your Band and Music

Competition in the music industry is fierce. With so many online platforms to get songs out to the public, there has been a flood of aspiring musicians and bands releasing music haphazardly.

Many believe that releasing a good song is all they need to do to be “discovered”, only to find that without a team, fan base, marketing plan, and consumption of the music, failure is all but guaranteed.

With everyone focused on digital marketing, there is a tremendous marketing opportunity for terrestrial or physical promotion. Don’t misunderstand this, the digital market is important. However, successfully promoting your band and music requires a multi-faceted approach that leverages all mediums and avenues available to provide exposure to your artistry.

The following are physical marketing essentials that any band or musician can use to increase their local visibility, brand themselves, and more importantly, stand out in an over saturated market that's primarily focusing on online marketing and social media.

Using Outdoor Banners and Posters at Events

Banners provide a “larger than life” image that when properly placed will catch the attention of onlookers near and far. To see examples of banners, large format printing, and signs, visit clashgraphics.com/large-format-printing/

Likewise, posters are another beneficial marketing tool. In a closed environment or location where there is heavy foot traffic, well designed posters can bring awareness to your latest release, next show, or simply help to increase your exposure to a new audience.

When booking an event, a consideration of your marketing team should be regarding banner and poster placement. Most venues do, so if the venue has the space to support them, plan to use posters and banners strategically.

Having Business Cards and Flyers

The music industry is essentially like any other business. Until reaching “Pop” or “Iconic” status, you will need to consistently promote an exchange your contact information with other music professionals, fans, and media. Professionally printed business cards and flyers are both great ways to accomplish this goal. For business cards, visit clashgraphics.com

Business cards will share your contact information, while flyers promote your activities, events, for upcoming releases. Both are invaluable tools that are efficient and easy to distribute.

Branding with CD Inserts and CD Duplications

Like anyone else, you probably have a stack of your favorite CD’s sitting somewhere. Some of them have elaborate designs or striking images (full color print), while others only have a name or title printed on them (partial print).

Whether you are marketing a single track or a full album, the visual can be as important as the musical content when it comes to brand recognition and accomplishing widespread adoption. Music is often associated with an experience or feeling, and from the branding perspective, its visual representation can also have a profound impact on the psyche of consumers and fans.

Besides CD duplications, CD inserts are a wise option. With inserts, branding, social media, the track listing, band members, and history of the band or musician, etc. can be easily presented and consumed.

The Success of Your Band and Its Music

Success in the music industry depends on several factors outside your immediate control, such as - what genre is popular at the moment, if the industry evolving due to cultural or technological changes, what the listeners want to hear.

However, what you can control is the quality of your music, your persistence, and the strategy you employ for your marketing and promotional efforts.

While nothing can guarantee “super-stardom”, maintaining a balanced quality marketing strategy with both online and physical promotion can help you solidify a place in the market, and hopefully atop the Billboard charts.

As with any other business, advertising and promotion draw attention! However, it is the quality of the product - and in this case music - that keeps the consumer coming back for more.

Clash Graphics Print Shop Atlanta Flyer Printing

2233 Peachtree Rd NE Ste 202 Atlanta, GA 30309

(678) 235-3464

To view the original version on Clash Graphics, visit: www.clashgraphics.com/printing-tips/printing-essentials-promoting-your-band-music/

Real Estate Marketing - Secrets Shared at a Private Event

Sitting in on a real estate marketing meeting was never on my list of things to do. Until one day, I was shamed by my best friend Shawn into going.

Looking back on the experience, I can say that it was truly an eye opener. The people were friendly, the food was excellent and the drinks were killer! Most impressive were the topics and ideas presented to the 30 men and women that day.

Following are the enlightening real estate marketing tips that were presented by Don and Pat (husband and wife real estate wizards).

Build a Website That is Capable of Generating Leads

Don began by explaining how the methods of marketing had dramatically changed over the past decade. People’s attention span was about 2 seconds and if your website content couldn’t deliver a clear benefit quick enough, it would fail.

He then showed us the differences between successful websites and poorly managed one’s. The successful sites were well structured with pertinent information, high-quality and captivating photos of all properties, video walk-throughs, and other features that enhanced the process for a buyer or seller. Take a look at this video walk through virtual tour example:

After delivering valuable information and rich content, the website left you asking for more but required your email address or phone number. This turned visitors into leads, and made the website more than a digital brochure.

After Don’s presentation, it became obvious how certain elements could greatly impact the effectiveness and value a website delivered.The two core principles Don presented that stood out were;

Navigation through successful sites was obvious and always simple. Even the novice users could get the information they needed without getting “lost” or having to search. Visitors come to a website for their own benefit; make what they are looking for easy to find and they will reward you with their attention. In the web design industry, intuitive design and ease of use is known as “user experience”. Ensure your web development company is proficient in this department, or little else will matter.

Branding and curated content that spoke to a specific segment of the market. We can’t be all things to all people. A real estate website is no different, and must clearly indicate the market and people it serves. A first time homebuyer has vastly different needs than someone looking for a luxury home. Or consider parents buying a home in a great school district and the things that would be important to them. Knowing and displaying this information on your website speaks volumes, and subconsciously lets the customer know you understand them and their specific needs. Feeling understood is an intangible that makes your customer comfortable. When setup properly, your website can help earn the goodwill and trust of a potential client.

Take a look at this well branded website that is catering to luxury condo owners:

Establish a Referral Program

Pat took over at this point and provided an interesting and shocking statistic. She said, “On average, out of every 100 people that call you, only 18 will come from your marketing efforts. The other 82 will be referrals from past or current clients.”

This made perfect sense to me. All my adult life, I have understood the building power of “word of mouth” and how important it is in any business to keep your clients buzzing about your products and services.

Thus this staggering statistic cannot be overlooked, or you will fail. Put into perspective, 8 out of 10 calls are a function of your network and six degrees of separation amongst people you know, or people that know you.

With this in mind, a large part of your marketing efforts must be to encourage and facilitate said referrals from this group. In essence, your job in marketing is to create visibility and awareness while fostering deeper relationships within your existing network.

She went on to explain how simple “rewards for referrals” would entice people to spread your name. Be creative she said, “rewards can be in the form of any number of fun things, like concerts, dinners, or money.” People want to be acknowledged and appreciated for their efforts.

However, Pat warned us, “Your service and product must contain superior quality in all of its aspects. Without quality, there will be no referrals to worry about.”

Remaining Relevant With Social Media Profiles

Don picked up seamlessly where Pat left off and asked the room for a show of hands, “How many of you have a Facebook profile?” Everyone had a hand in the air. He then went on to explain that social media is the new-age dominant word-of-mouth marketing medium.

“Everyone in some way is connected by social media, Facebook alone has over 2 billion users.” and that “Anyone shying away from building and asserting their brand and value on social media is losing out on potential clients and revenue in a big way.”

After taking us on a quick tour of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat, Don said this: “Quality and engaging engaging content is your #1 goal. Not sales! If you can’t focus on quality content that’s relevant to your customer, don’t waste your time.”

Home buyers and sellers are interested in a wide variety of things. Use your social media platform to call attention to the important ones that are directly affecting your clients. Some examples are: pricing trends, housing inventory levels, interest rate hikes, a new home coming available in a highly sought after area, or highlighting the schools and local amenities within a neighborhood.

Relevant facts and statistics are critical in getting people to pay attention. Stop and think, how many of us randomly post images, phrases, and comments without giving much thought to them. What if we were (as Don put it) focusing first on the end-user and their needs.

The majority of the time you should focus on their interests, but being entertaining also has its benefits. Watch how this young realtor uses her YouTube channel to be personal and showcase a day in her life:

Sponsorship of Local Teams, Charities, and Events

At this point, we all expected Pat to pick up the microphone. She did not and Don sat down. They toasted each other with their martinis as Brad came from the back of the room (microphone in hand) talking about sponsorship.

“Sponsorship of local events, charities, and athletes is one of the fastest ways to create visibility, awareness, and build trust in a community. With banners, flyers, hand-outs, and signs, you are able to personally engage and show the people your investment in their well-being and the local community.” He went on to explain, “For your yard signs to be effective, there must be a level of trust behind the brand. Only then will the SOLD sign be attached.”

Turns out that Brad is Don and Pat’s son. Also a very successful real estate agent (and great bartender too). His message ended with an emphasis on the quality of all printed material and again, “Your content on everything printed must contain the highest quality customer-focused information, otherwise it will not convey your message and simply be tossed in the trash.”

This is part one in a two part series. For the rest of these real estate marketing tips, check back here: www.clashgraphics.com/printing-tips/

Clash Graphics Print Shop Atlanta Flyer Printing

2233 Peachtree Rd NE Ste 202 Atlanta, GA 30309

(678) 235-3464

To view the original version on Clash Graphics, visit: www.clashgraphics.com/printing-tips/real-estate-marketing-secrets-shared/

Marketing With Custom Printed Banners

People usually associate marketing of business with only online means like email marketing and blogging. However, there are equally effective ways of marketing businesses with the aid of tangible items such as printed banners. It is a perfect means of advertising if there is a large gathering. In this article, you will learn how to use a banner as a means of advertising in a festival, conference or trade show. Then contact www.clashgraphics.com to print this custom banner.

Define your target audience

Knowing everything about your ideal customer is the first thing you should be aware of before you create a banner. Determine the specific location where your target audience would be. It is also important to know that everyone is distinct in their own way. Therefore, you should cater for every individual difference.

For instance, people with different personalities attend a sporting event. Therefore, you must find the particular thing that would appeal to all of them. The banner should communicate this appealing thing, and it should be concise enough to pass along the message as quick as possible.

Branding with a Custom Banner

People learning about your brand should feel emotionally connected to it. They should feel happy and excited whenever they see your brand. You need to ensure that your banner triggers an emotional reaction.

Ensure that your banner has its uniqueness so that it could catch the attention of the people. Since you have only a few seconds or minutes to catch the attention of the audience, it is important that the banner has a strong image and personality. In order to design an amazing banner, these are some of the questions you need to answer:

• Can your audience relate to your brand’s value by merely looking at your banner? Is the banner simplified enough so they wouldn’t have to look for long before they understand the message?
• What should be their next step or action after seeing your banner?
• Is the uniqueness of your brand properly represented in the banner?

These considerations will ensure the proper messaging and design of your banner. Remember your goal is to capture attention, communicate a message, then create an action.

What’s Next After I Capture the Attention of the Audience?

It is necessary for you to determine the next cause of action you want your target audience to take after gaining their attention through the banner. Do you want them to visit a website, call a number, visit your office location, attend a seminar you are putting in place, etc.? Ensure the banner complete its advertising purpose it is intended for, and it should lead the audience to what they are to do to move one step closer to your business.

An Efficient Event Advertising Product

It is highly important for you to note that you would have only a few seconds to catch the attention of your target audience. Therefore, it should be concise but meaningful enough to pass along your intended message as quick as possible. In other to do this, you need to think the way your target audience would.

Check if the vinyl banner is attractive enough to draw the attention of the people at the gathering. Your banner should be unique and distinctive since there would be other banners at the event that would be competing with yours for attention. This is a big moment to let everyone know about your business; you need to make it count.

Employ the services of the best graphic designer to help you design your banner to pass along the intended message in an effective way. Your banner is a very powerful marketing tool, and you should make use of it to advertise your business to a large and visible audience.

Clash Graphics Print Shop Atlanta Flyer Printing

2233 Peachtree Rd NE Ste 202 Atlanta, GA 30309

(678) 235-3464

To view the original version on Clash Graphics, visit: http://www.clashgraphics.com/printing-tips/marketing-with-custom-printed-banners/