How to Grow your Fan Base by Focusing on Location

By Jack McCarthy, contributing writer for SplashFlood.

Location, location, location - A focus on location is a key aspect in business, with its importance being exemplified in ventures such as opening a venue, a restaurant, and delving into real estate investment…but what does it have to do with marketing your music? Because we now have access to a global stage thanks to social media, many musicians think about promoting their music on a large geographic scale, right off the bat. But what happens if you push your music using social media networks and don’t find a connection with your online audience or can’t find a way to increase interaction? What happens if your touring expenses are astronomical, but your draw in each new city is slim? What happens if you play the same venue in your hometown, but instead of attracting a large audience, you notice a smaller crowd each time? If these are some questions you might have, or if you have similar situations in your music career, here are some tips to help adjust your marketing plans in order to grow your fanbase.

Win The Small Battles

If you are seemingly trapped in the mindset of thinking about the big picture, but seeing little returns on your social networks and small turnouts at your shows, I encourage you to adopt a new mindset: focus on small regional takeovers. Rather than blasting out content on social media to the masses and touring to cities where people have never heard of you or your music, this type of grassroots marketing encourages you to grow a fanbase bit by bit, before focusing more effort on new markets.

Become Hometown Heroes

As you are getting started playing shows in your hometown (or nearest city where there is an active music scene), be sure to spread out your shows. If you are playing the same venues every two weeks, it will kill your draw. I am not undermining the importance of gigging often, especially in the beginning of your music career, to increase exposure. However, your friends and family, who often are the first people that make up your fanbase, will tire of coming to see you at the same venues in your hometown over and over again. Be wise when picking and choosing which local shows will benefit your career the most. Try to play different venues (or even house shows) in different neighborhoods, rather than playing the same club every time you play at home. When planning your shows, try branding some shows around auxiliary events, such as your record release, a tour kickoff, or even a holiday or cover show, to appeal to a wider audience. As you are growing your fanbase in your hometown, look for opportunities to play at events that are not directly related to music, such as business conferences (you never know when potential partners might be watching - they need entertainment, too), local food festivals (for the foodie in you), and outdoor fashion and seasonal events.

When you do begin to see success in your hometown, don’t be afraid to show appreciation to your growing fanbase. After all, your initial fans are most likely providing some promotion for you free of charge. By sharing your music and brand to their friends, both online, on social media, and offline. Whether it be merch store special sales with a promotional code (ie: your city’s name), access to exclusive content, or a free show in your city, find a way to thank your first fans. The mega successful alt-rock band The Arcade Fire actually performed at a free “Thank You” show in its hometown of Montreal to thank its fanbase, after the band won a Grammy for album of the year in 2011.  

Get Analytical

If you enjoy using social media and are finding success in using platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to promote your music, consider taking advantage the analytical tools offered by the various social networks to hone in on the locations where fans are viewing your content and interacting with you most. YouTube’s Music Insights is a tool that is part of YouTube for Artists that will allow you to see where fans are viewing your videos and giving you specific information, not just data regarding country and state. Instead, Music Insights will provide feedback about your content and how fans are viewing it by city. Analytical tools, such as this, are invaluable in providing you with the information you need to plan the routing for your next tour. Rather than going blindly to play in an unfamiliar city, use your social networks to find where your audience is most likely to buy a ticket to see you play.

Get Personal

Use location driven ideas to help create new content. People have a special connection to the places that they love. One example would be to strategically plan video shoots in popular places while on tour. You or your band could plan to cover songs at a new location in each city, such as the steps to the Art Museum in Philadelphia (made popular by the movie Rocky).

Speaking of Philadelphia, pop punk band The Wonder Years developed a strong bond with its initial hometown fanbase because of the many references to Philadelphia in songs such as “It’s Never Sunny in South Philadelphia” and “Logan Circle.” This is another example of how a musician can pay homage to their hometown, and connect (perhaps even unintentionally) with their hometown fanbase.

Grow Your Roots

These are a few tips to help you gain a better understanding of grassroots music marketing and how to grow a fanbase, city by city. If you feel your music is getting lost in the static of the internet, consider these methods, get creative, and get excited about a new mindset for marketing your music and growing in your career.

By Jack McCarthy, contributing writer for SplashFlood.

Jack is a singer and songwriter living in Philadelphia, PA; though you may have more luck finding him in the studio or on the road. He has worked with many artists, producing and playing on a variety of tracks.