Music Marketing - Create A Press Kit

An effective advertisement that really sells product doesn't accidentally happen. There are four (4) factors that need to be well thought out when putting together a strategic marketing plan:

1. Who am I going to sell to?
2. What do they want to buy?
3. Where do I find these people?
4. How do I communicate my offer to these people?

These questions at face value appear to be ridiculously simple to answer and these answers will provide a starting point. For example let's look at question 2; what do they want to buy? The obvious answer is entertainment or a band, DJ, string quartet etc. OK, but what do they really want to buy?

If your client is a bride she really wants to see her family and friends having a great time together. She wants the night to run smoothly with no dramas so she can enjoy herself and not have to worry about anything and she wants to create a certain image because the suppliers that she has engaged (Music, venue, flowers etc) is a reflection of her own tastes. These are her real wants so she needs a band to give her that.

If your client is a corporation, the actual person booking the band may want to impress her/his boss. They may also want to create an image bigger than they actually are for their clients so they can increase sales or the company may want to reward their staff for work well done. Whatever the case maybe, these are some of the real reasons why your clients will book your act. How can you address these factors in your act's promotional material?
LIST THE FEATURES, BUT SELL THE BENEFITS.

Question: If I walked into a hardware store and asked the sales assistant for a drill bit, what do I really want?

Your response? Well, a drill bit! (%u2026are you stupid or something?) The reality is that what I really want is a hole in the wall! Go figure. So I go to the drill bit section and I'm looking at all of the different types. They have different sizes, different brands, titanium coated drill bits%u2026it's drill bit heaven. It is also the P.O.S. (Point Of Sale). Every item is packaged colourfully and says "NEW - Titanium coating", "Reinforced steel" etc.

WHO CARES ABOUT TITANIUM COATING? unless it tells me that it won't break and will make it easier to drill through the back brick wall of my house. If you closely monitor your own purchasing habits and decisions, you'll find that you are making these subconscious choices without even realising it. List the features, but sell the benefits. In this example the feature of the drill bit is the titanium coating, but the benefits are that it won't break and it drills through concrete and brick easily.

"Our band is made up of professional musicians" (this is the feature) is a common statement on packages. Why not try, "If you want a band that sounds like a professionally produced CD, book our band where our musicians have recorded with national artists." You must make the connection between the feature and the benefit as simply as you can for your client.