I’ve been at event marketing for over 20 years now. The formula for success and the ability to make quick decisions on the fly is engrained in my mind. If I were given the job to promote a venue, an event, or a brand, I will always win.
How do I know that?
It’s because of consistency, and I know there is a big chance that you’re going to give up before I do.
With all of the clients that I work with, there’s always a consistency problem. Bar owners give their new event four weeks to explode, but want to cut the marketing early because it doesn’t grow fast enough. They give up.
The same can be said for artists and band members. They will use social media to promote their upcoming music and sit back to see if they get any traction. Quickly realize that getting 100,000 streams is hard when the only people clicking and sharing are their ten friends and family members. None of these business owners (and yes, you musicians are business owners too) create a consistent long-term plan and fail right away.
Please look for and show me any successful company in the world that launches a product and after a few short weeks says, “This isn’t working. Let’s back out.” None of them do this. They all give it time. They all have long-term plans. They all do the research and they give their strategy consistency.
So, here’s the thing, bar owners or promoters you will be in a perpetual circle of moving on to the next idea if you don’t give your event time to grow and get into the minds of the customer. Years from now you will find yourself still struggling and wondering why you’re always blaming the economy or millennials for not being busy.
Band members, DJs, and producers, you work hard putting together mixes and producing music but you forget you are also a media personality and marketing is key in your success. You have to build a brand, chip away at gaining raving fans and building strong engagement. It takes time. If you give up after a few weeks or a couple of months, what you’re really giving up is your brand and your dream of being successful. Don’t stress, just play the long game.
When you read the bios of successful musicians and business professionals, they always say that the only way to get what you want is to not give up. You read that over and over because it’s the truth. They got to where they wanted to be by continuing to hammer out their plan and slightly tweak it where necessary. Continue to hustle and grow your brand and celebrate the small wins on the way up. Your job as an event producer or musician gets so much easier when your fan base is willing and ready to pay attention to you.
The fact of the matter is that the tortoise will always beat the hare because of consistency. You need to make sure that you have a plan, you have a long-term goal, and that you don’t give up so easily. Everyone can succeed if they are consistent and they stick to their plan. It’s a long game.
@louielavella