Handbook Marketing and Arketing and Arketing and Communication

Research Group Lifelong LLLearningLearning in MMMusicMusic & the Arts HHHandbookHandbook MMMarketingMarketing and CCCommunicationCommunication for the SSStartingStarting MMMusicianMusician LLLindaLinda HHHendriksHendriks 2008 revised edition 2009 ©Lectorat©Lectorateeee Lifelong Learning in Music Prince Claus Conservatoire, Groningen Royal Conservatoire, The Hague Contents Foreword 5 1. Marketing & communication 6 What do marketing & communication mean? 6 The importance of a strategic approach 6 The basics of marketing and communication 7 2. Working on your career with a strategy 8 Building a career is learning and experimenting 8 Finding direction and a strategic approach 9 3. Marketing for the starting musician 9 Step-by-step plan for a marketing strategy 10 Step 1: Who are you, what do you want and what do you have to offer? 11 Goal / mission, developing direction and marketing targets Step 2: What is the music work place like? 13 Getting to know your audience, the market and your own place in this (analysis) Step 3: Where will you be in a (few) year(s) and how will you get there? 17 Marketing mix and action plan for a decided period Step 4: Did you achieve your goals, and what can you change? 23 Evaluation and adaptation 4. Networking & managing your business contacts 24 Expand your network 24 How do you make contact? 25 How do you build up a good database of contacts? 26 Guidelines and tips for networking 28 Networking also happens online! 30 Booking your own concerts 31 2 5. Promotion materials 35 Basic promokit and packaging 36 CV 36 Business cards and flyers 39 Publicity photos 40 Stationery 41 Additional promotion materials 43 CD and DVD 44 6. Marketing and communication of music projects 45 Marketing and communication plan 45 Project description 45 Goals, marketing targets and deciding on target groups 46 SWOT and USP’s 47 Marketing mix 48 Action planning 50 Evaluation 50 7. ProducProductiontion of publicity materials 51 Posters, folders, flyers, brochures and programme books 51 Checklist poster and flyer 52 Checklist folder and brochure 53 Writing for folders and brochures 56 Checklist for programme book or programme paper 57 Advertising guidelines 58 Design and use of visuals 60 Planning print work 63 Briefing designers and printers 64 8. Internet, music and marketing 66 Your own website: how do you begin? 66 What do you put on your site? Guidelines design and contents 69 Findability and statistics 74 3 Digital newsletters or E-letters 77 Cross-promotion website via online communities, portals and weblogs 79 Selling music on your website 82 9. Media and publicity 86 You need the media 86 Media planning and media approach 88 Guidelines press releases, interviews and press presentations 91 10. Sponsoring and fundraising 101 General tips 101 Funds and subsidizers 102 Finding sponsors 103 Contributors / friends 104 Websites 105 11. Glossary 106 12. Appendixes 118 1. Wizard: the five minute marketing and communication plan 118 2. Example publicity planning 122 3. Examples design posters and flyers 124 4. Examples websites 128 5. Examples press releases 131 6. Example network letter or e-mail 136 7. Examples CV’s 138 8. Relevant links and literature Marketing & Communication 141 13. Bibliography 145 4 Foreword This book was written following two pilot projects of the Lectorate Lifelong Learning in Music, directed towards the professional integration of starting musicians. During these projects in which two individual graduates (in 2006) and a starting jazz ensemble (in 2007) received artistic and professional coaching, it soon became clear that there was a great need for clear basic information about marketing and communication. Questions about a.o. how to set up en fill a website, how to build up a network and about writing press releases led to the writing of this handbook. It deals with the basic principles of marketing and communication, organized in a transparent way and directed towards what is important for recently graduated musicians. In my search for relevant information for the target group of starting musicians, I have made use of the knowledge and experience of people from various disciplines, in various ways. By having conversations with them, but also by using them as a sounding board. These people are Miranda Boorsma of the Master Course Kunsten, Cultuur en Media, at the University of Groningen for a directive interview in the early stages of the writing of this handbook, José Cabrera of the internet-bureau Cramgo in Utrecht, Frank Dittner of the internet-bureau Ancormen in Groningen and Annemien Boesveld of Planet Internet/NostalgieNet for their valuable additions in the paragraph about digital media; principal study teacher double bass Mark Haanstra of the Prince Claus Conservatoire and conservatoire student Syberen van Munster for their screening of the handbook especially for the jazz circuit; Wia Aalders, PR officer for the Prince Claus Conservatoire, gave me many useful tips and also provided practical additions, both as a sounding board and a reader; Annejoke Smids for her editorial advice and beautiful English translation. And last but not least I would like to thank the lector Lifelong Learning in Music Rineke Smilde for her suggestions about the contents of the book and her input and enthusiasm for the production of this book. Linda Hendriks 5 1. Marketing and communication What do marketing and communication mean? Marketing, communication and public relations (PR) are terms that often intermingle. This becomes clear when someone says something like: ‘We have to work harder on our PR!’ or: ‘We are going to put a lot of effort into marketing!’ Marketing is often associated with commerce, the business world and product sales, while communication on the other hand is a very broad term, that applies to many areas (including music!). The term PR (public relations) is often used as a synonym for publicity or advertising, but in fact has a much wider range. This handbook is about marketing and communication for starting musicians. We use the term marketing for determining and using strategies that have the purpose of ‘introducing’ a starting musician, ensemble or a project into the market. Market can mean the labour market of the music profession, but also the market for music products such as concerts and CD’s. Communication is the use of all kinds of means and ways with as purpose giving out information and reaching (potential) target groups with a desired action/reaction as a result. This result could be the buying of a ticket for a concert, for example. The importance of a strategic approach Statistics show that every person, whether they like it or not, has to deal with 2500 different messages (sound, visuals, written, digital) on a daily basis. Complex messages, beautifully packaged messages, subtle messages that reach you without you being aware of it, or very eye(ear)-catching ones that cannot be denied. People receive these messages while they are working, on their way somewhere, talking etc. This also applies to the festival coordinator, journalist or potential concert goer you may want to reach. What you want is to attract their attention and keep it. Moreover you want your message to be understood and accepted, preferably with as a result the reaction you intended. In this you are in competition with your fellow musicians, 6 but also with other art forms and ways people can spend their leisure time. Taking time to consider who you want to reach and with what message is time well spent. Other reasons for a strategic approach might be the great cultural diversity on offer, the emergence of new audiences with new desires, a relatively spoilt audience, greater individualisation of society and the difficulties of obtaining external finances, such as sponsoring and subsidies. Considering this, you may understand why a strategic and plan-like approach is very important for a starting musician or ensemble, but also for you as an entrepreneur of your own projects. Especially if you want to concentrate on the work you like to do and not be lead too much by whatever passes your way! The basics of marketing and communication The elementary process of marketing and communication can be shown in the following question; its success depending on the various (boldly printed) elements. Who says what, about what, in which channel to whom, at what time, in what way with what purpose ? The elements ‘sender’, ‘subject’, ‘message’, ‘packaging of the message’, ‘medium’, ‘recipient’ and ‘timing’ in this question are different for each initiative. All research, analyses, strategy, planning and action in the field of marketing and communication have answering this comprehensive question as an objective. For a successful marketing- and communication approach therefore, you have to have a good idea of what your artistic product is, what your targets are, what environment you operate in, who your target group(s) are or could become and present yourself in a clear way through appropriate channels. Once you are on the radar of your target group, try to stay there! A good approach therefore focuses on continuous adaptation and development. 7 2. Working on your career with a strategy Building a career is learning and experimenting No two careers are alike. Someone’s talent, business and social skills, network, in combination with a healthy dose of luck, give one musician a career that could be completely different than that of someone else. Career development musician Development period Study at the Conservatoire: First acquaintance with the music profession. Start of awareness about wanting to continue in the music business. Adolescence Experimentation and trying things out. Directive phase: the musician discovers more and more what he does and does not want and what are his strengths. Adulthood The musician is in control of his/her own career.

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