Music-Related Advertising May Be Dead, But Music Marketing Is Alive and Well

Posted By Joe Pulizzi on December 29, 2008

If you follow the music scene, here is an interesting Motley Fool article on the similarities (and differences) between music publishing and book publishing.

Couple important trends to note:

1. The book publishing industry learned a long time ago that giving away free “digital” items led to growth in traditional print book purchases.
2. The music industry is moving in the same direction – but in this case free music (when done correctly) can lead to ancillary revenues like event sales and licensed products.

What can you, the marketer, learn from this?

1. To sell more of your “product” you need to give away free stuff (like valuable electronic or print information or holding branded events).
2. Print is not dead. Consumers still enjoy the touch and feel of print. Even though the print medium is one of many media to choose from, it is still a powerful and effective tool when done correctly.

The combination of these two concepts means that telling your story, or giving away free information that tells your brand story to your customers, IS marketing today. Creating content that helps move the conversation is our ultimate goal and leads to profitable customers.

Advertising may be dead, but marketing is alive and well through the same media that you’ve been using to advertise. And, considering how many companies have abandoned print for the web, you may want to consider a custom magazine or print newsletter to your segmented database. Custom print works.

For 2009, take a hard look at how you are communicating to music lovers (aka, your customers and prospects). Are you giving valuable, compelling information, or are you pushing a message. Be careful before you answer.