Music Promotion Through Visuals

As a musician, you know that creating great music is just the first step in gaining recognition and building a fanbase. In today's digital age, visuals play a crucial role in capturing the attention of potential listeners and standing out in a sea of artists. Whether it's through music videos, cover artwork, or social media graphics, incorporating visuals into your music promotion strategy is essential. In this ultimate guide, we'll explore the various ways you can use visuals to promote your music and maximize your reach. 

In this article, we will provide you with 7 relevant and useful tips and tricks on how to use visuals to promote your music:

1. 7 Tips on Using Visual Media for Music Promotion
   
   • Build Up the Excitement
   
   • Optimize Your Music Video's SEO
   
   • Share Digitally and Everywhere
   
   • Send Out an Email-Blast
   
   • Utilize YouTube Ads for Maximum Reach
   
   • Reach Out to Social Media Influencers
   
   • Create Engaging Visual Assets
   
   
2. Our Final Thoughts 

7 Tips on Using Visual Media for Music Promotion

Build Up the Excitement

Before you release your music video or any visual content, you must build anticipation among your fans. Don't make the grave mistake of waiting until the day of the release to start promoting. Share the exciting news with your followers weeks in advance. Utilise all available channels, from social media platforms to email blasts, to reach your audience. Remind them of the release date multiple times to ensure they don't miss it. Building up excitement beforehand creates a promotional army ready to share and amplify your content. Having a strong pre-release strategy, is half the work done when it comes to music marketing.

Pro Tip: Get your fans involved by running a fan competition or giveaway. This not only helps you build your email list but also generates buzz and adds more followers to your social and streaming networks.

Optimize Your Music Video's SEO

If you're releasing your music video on platforms like YouTube, optimizing its SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is crucial for maximum discoverability. Pay attention to the title and description of your video, ensuring they are relevant and descriptive. Tag and categorize your video appropriately to ensure it appears in relevant search results. Additionally, create an eye-catching yet accurate thumbnail to entice viewers to click and watch your video. You can find a lot of such tools online on sites such as Canva, PicsArt etc.

Share Digitally and Everywhere

Sharing your music video across all your social media channels is a no-brainer. Encourage your fans to do the same and share it with their networks. Craft engaging post descriptions and use compelling call-to-actions to drive fans to watch and share your video. Use tools such as smartlinks to collate all your links into a single accessible and convenient link. However, don't limit yourself to traditional social channels. Explore non-traditional platforms like online forums, Reddit, and Facebook groups related to your genre. These communities can provide additional exposure and reach new audiences.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Before venturing into subreddits or Facebook groups, it's crucial to establish authority and build relationships with other group members. Nobody appreciates a self-promoter who contributes nothing to the community. Therefore, take the time to engage in the community, interact with fellow members, and find meaningful ways to contribute before promoting your music. Building rapport within these non-traditional platforms will enhance the effectiveness of your self-promotion efforts and create a more positive reception from the community.

Send Out an Email-Blast

While it may seem obvious, many musicians overlook the power of email marketing. Building an email list is essential for direct and personalized communication with your fans. Collect emails on your artist website and collaborate with other artists in a video to expand your list. Send out an email blast to your subscribers, informing them about your music video release. This strategy allows you to engage directly with your most dedicated fans and keep them informed about your latest releases.

Utilize YouTube Ads for Maximum Reach

YouTube Ads can be a game-changer in promoting your music video to a wider audience. Setting up your video as a paid ad on YouTube allows you to target specific audiences similar to your fanbase. This ensures that the right demographics are seeing your video and increases the chances of it going viral. Explore the features and targeting options available through Google AdWords to create a successful YouTube ad campaign.

Here are a few steps for you to successfully run your YouTube ads:

• Create a Google AdWords Account: If you don't have one already, sign up for a Google AdWords account. This is the platform through which you'll manage your YouTube ads.
• Link Your YouTube Channel to AdWords: Ensure that your YouTube channel is linked to your AdWords account. This connection enables seamless integration and management of your ad campaigns.
• Define Your Campaign Objective: Clearly outline the goal of your campaign—whether it's to drive more views, increase subscribers, or promote your channel. This helps in tailoring your ad strategy.
• Identify Your Target Audience: Use the targeting options provided by Google AdWords to narrow down your audience. Specify factors such as age, location, interests, and online behaviour to reach the audience most likely to appreciate your music.
• Set Your Budget: Determine how much you're willing to spend on your ad campaign. Google AdWords allows you to set a daily or campaign budget, giving you control over your expenses.
• Create Compelling Ad Content: Craft a visually appealing and engaging ad that reflects the essence of your music video. This includes a captivating thumbnail, attention-grabbing headline, and concise ad copy.
• Monitor and Optimize: Regularly check the performance of your ad campaign through AdWords analytics. Adjust your targeting, budget, or ad content based on the insights gained to optimize for better results.

Reach Out to Social Media Influencers

Social media influencers can significantly amplify the reach of your music video. Identify influencers who align with your genre and reach out to them. Engage in genuine conversations and build relationships. If an influencer actively promotes music similar to yours, there's a good chance they might enjoy and share your video with their followers. Twitter is an excellent platform for connecting with influencers due to its simplicity and potential for content to go viral.

Pro Tip: Don't be afraid to slide into the DMs of influencers, but make sure to personalise your message and show genuine interest in their content.

Create Engaging Visual Assets

In addition to music videos, creating visually compelling assets is crucial for promoting your music effectively. Here are some key visuals to consider:

Cover Artwork

Your cover artwork is the face of your music and represents your artistic identity. Invest time and effort into creating visually stunning cover artwork that captures the essence of your music. A well-designed cover can attract listeners and leave a lasting impression, even before they listen to your music. Thanks to the ever-growing ability of AI, we can now make our very own AI-generated artwork, ready to use. 

Social Media Banners

Utilize social media banners on platforms like Spotify, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter to promote your music. These banners can drive traffic to your playlists, Spotify artist channel, or official YouTube channel. Get creative with your banners and use them as an opportunity to showcase your unique brand and style.

Promotional Graphics

Create a collection of promotional graphics to raise awareness and generate hype around your music release. Use these graphics during the lead-up to your release and as follow-up content once your music is available. Distribute them across social media platforms to engage with your audience and encourage sharing. You could even use such promotional graphics on your artist merchandise to promote that specific single/album/EP. 

Music Videos

Music videos are a powerful tool for keeping the momentum going after the initial release of your single. With numerous digital platforms focusing on video content, a captivating music video can go viral and attract new fans. Consider investing in high-quality music videos that align with your music's style and message.

Animation/Motion Graphics

Engage your followers with motion graphics or animations that showcase and promote your music. These visually appealing and entertaining assets will give your fans something to talk about and share. Platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify allow you to share motion graphics and animations, further enhancing your visual presence.

Explore Successful Visual Marketing Campaigns:

To emphasize the impact of visuals, let's take a look at some successful visual marketing campaigns by artists:

• Beyoncé's "Lemonade" Visual Album: Beyoncé's release of "Lemonade" as a visual album was groundbreaking. The combination of powerful music and compelling visuals created a narrative that resonated with audiences, sparking discussions and enhancing the overall listening experience.

• Childish Gambino's "This Is America" Music Video: Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, made a bold statement with the "This Is America" music video. The striking visuals and symbolism within the video not only complemented the music but also sparked conversations about social and cultural issues.

• Travis Scott's Fortnite Concert: Travis Scott took virtual performances to a new level by hosting a concert within the popular game Fortnite. This innovative approach merged the realms of gaming and music, creating a visually stunning and immersive experience for fans.

Our Final Thoughts

In an era where video accounts for 47% of on-demand music consumption globally, visuals are the key to elevating your music and expanding your fanbase. So, don't underestimate the power of well-designed visuals and make sure to incorporate them into your music promotion strategy.

In conclusion, visuals play a vital role in promoting your music effectively. By leveraging the power of visuals, you can capture the attention of your audience, generate hype, and stand out in a crowded music industry. Incorporate these strategies into your music promotion plan and watch your reach and engagement soar. Remember, creating visually appealing content will always be important, so continue to explore new ways to captivate your audience and leave a lasting impression.

We at GreaseRelease, have a bunch of curators on our network who are looking for new & exciting music to push on their massive playlists. If you make music and want to reach a wider audience, check out our submission platform and get a chance to reach millions of listeners! Submit your tracks now!