So a lot of people are trying to learn new skills during the quarantine. This is obviously important since we all have a little more free time and figuring out a way forward is going to be important for anyone trying to meaningfully grow as we make our way through this. Well, I wanted to talk about why the new skill you should be learning is Facebook and Instagram ads.
You see – Facebook ads are perhaps the cheapest way to get the word out about your band, they give you data you can keep using, and of course they are a lot more tangible than other promotional techniques. After all – there’s a reason I make my money helping bands learn how to run these ads!
3. Facebook Ads Are Cheap!
This is the big one for me. A good Facebook ad can get you 2000 views on your music video for just 20 bucks. That’s not really a result you can get out of, for example, a PR person. That’s not to say that PR people aren’t valuable and important, they are, but sometimes on a budget, a Facebook ad campaign can be more effective.
On top of that – You can much more easily turn them off or on or optimize them. I think that while yes other parts of your marketing are really crucial and should not be ignored, ads are interesting because they are a lot more customizable. This is a key part of any ad campaign. You can keep playing with it, which is good because…
2. The Data Lasts Forever!
This is probably my favorite thing about Facebook and Instagram ads – the data lasts forever. If you dropped a music video 6 months ago and want to retarget the people who watched that video in full to try and sell them a shirt? You can totally do that. If you’re trying just to see if your old targeting will still work – you can do that too!
The thing is markets remain relatively consistent and your targeting and data is something you can continually draw on and work to optimize. This is really exciting to me because it means that ads are thus something your band can have meaningful control over at scale for a long time.
1. The Results Are Tangible!
And of course, the big one – the results from this stuff is tangible. You can meaningfully grow by looking at the results and tracking how many sales you had while an ad was running. You can tell if your stream numbers went up and you can double-check if people actually like a music video or not. This is something you can get feedback for in real-time – which isn’t really an option with more traditional promotional techniques.
This isn’t something where you need to rely on relationships or blind luck to take you to the next level, this is something you have actual control over and which is going to help your band tie and time again if you are willing to invest the time to do it properly.
Concluding thoughts:
Ads are important and they are a skill that will pay off all across your life if you spend some time learning about them. This is a great way to track your bands’ success and meaningfully grow – even if you don’t have any new music out. After all, they are cheap, enduring and tangible! What more could you want out of promotion?
MATT BACON
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Matt Bacon is a consultant, A&R man, and journalist specializing in the world of heavy metal. Having worked with everyone from Glam Rock icon Phil Collen of Def Leppard, to post Black Metal titans Alcest, legendary thrashers Exhorder, as well as labels including Prophecy Productions and Ripple Music, he has dedicated his life to helping young bands develop. Having started his own blog at the age of 14 he views his career in artist development as ‘a hobby that got out of hand’. In 2015 he formed Dropout Media in order to better support the artists he loves. We sit here now, years later with countless tours booked, records released and deals signed, and loving every minute of it.
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