Advertising shows

[LBS-bass]

I played a two-set show last night. We had a fantastic turnout and the audience was over-the-top enthusiastic. I can say without hesitation that it was one of my top three shows in terms of turnout and reception since I started doing this again five years ago in this town.

The interesting thing about this show is that it's the second time I've advertised a show for this band on social media. The show we did a few months back in the same venue was the first I decided to advertise, and we also did very well.

I wondered if it was a fluke, or if those people really did all come to see us because of our promotion, so this time I tossed a little more money at it, and the turnout was spectacular.

Which makes me wonder why we aren't doing more of this.

On the other hand, another band I play with ran sponsored ads for a show at the same venue and had no turnout at all. I'd love to know what the difference is. Both bands are good, but very different. Ironically, the genre of the band that did well is less a fit for the venue overall.

What are your experiences with advertising, and in particular, running ads on social media? I'm thinking this is something I'm going to need to keep doing.

 

[ArtechnikA]

a couple of FB ads yielded -zero- measurable response.
we have seen -small- upticks in page views after paid ads, but nothing commensurate with the cost.
frankly, just releasing new music has been as effective as anything we've done...
maybe it's the region, maybe the region is over-saturated with live-music events. donno.
haven't given up on the concept but it has a very low priority in our overall marketing scheme.

 

[StereoPlayer]

I do the FB thing, occasionally I see one or two of my “friends” there. Does it work? I don’t know…but I do it.
There’s a lot going on these days. Vacations, festivals and other venues. Local music is tough business…

 

[LBS-bass]

Yeah, it's weird. I've done ads there for other reasons, to promote my petsitting business for example, and gotten next to nothing. And I know for a fact that the BL in this other band was sponsoring ads because I kept seeing them for a month. But no one showed up for that show.

Yet twice in a row I advertise this band and twice in a row I have a great turnout with a room full of people I've never met before. One guy said he saw the video I attached to my ad and decided this was what he wanted to do for his birthday, so I know for a fact at least one group was there due to the ad. But why this band did well when almost nothing else does, I have no clue.

 

[mike o]

I think it does work and worth the money. Recently my wife and I tried it with our acoustic duo. We are new to this area with no following. Had a bunch of hits with people checking out our FB page and several came to the show. If we get people to a show, we can make it happen and it will be a fun event. We spoke with all the folks we did not recognize between sets, made new friends/fans who all said they would come to the next show with their friends! Owner of the venues was so happy he book us for 1 show a month for the next four months.

 

[LBS-bass]

Well, I'm not going to stop as long as it seems to be working.

We're thinking about booking this band into a different venue that's up the road a bit- maybe a half-hour or so from downtown, where we were yesterday. It would be interesting to see how the turnout compares if I also advertise that one.

 

[Isaac_James]

Well, I took a chance and did a $10 ad buy for our show this coming Friday. It's been a busy couple of weeks here in Eugene with the World Athletics Championships, but that wraps up this Wednesday I think, so we'll see if anyone wants to come out. I figure $10 is worth a shot. That's about what I'd spend on an old fashioned anyway.

 

[5StringBlues]

OP could consider using the homer Simpson marketing technique, depending on how she feels about shotguns being used in public...

 

[Spidey2112]

I'm not sure what any audience member's motivation is to show up at our gigs, but I always lock eyes with both of them, and rock star point.

By the end of the night, they're questioning everything they did, last summer.

 

[Confunk]

OP could consider using the homer Simpson marketing technique, depending on how she feels about shotguns being used in public...

MMMMMM... Happy Hour!

The Simpsons - Homer Marketing Bowling - YouTube

 

[5StringBlues]

Thank you,my propensity for jackassery is sevearly curtailed when posting from the firestick.

MMMMMM... Happy Hour!

The Simpsons - Homer Marketing Bowling - YouTube

 

[Confunk]

Thank you,my propensity for jackassery is sevearly curtailed when posting from the firestick.

You are quite welcome, and thanks for the inspiration!

 

[DirtDog]

Well, I'm not going to stop as long as it seems to be working.

We're thinking about booking this band into a different venue that's up the road a bit- maybe a half-hour or so from downtown, where we were yesterday. It would be interesting to see how the turnout compares if I also advertise that one.

If it works, it works. I had no luck advertising my old band on FB. Even did paid ads. Nada. Lots of page views and likes but didn’t translate to bums in seats for those gigs.

 

[LBS-bass]

If it works, it works. I had no luck advertising my old band on FB. Even did paid ads. Nada. Lots of page views and likes but didn’t translate to bums in seats for those gigs.

That has been my prior experience and expectation. I'm not sure what the difference is but I wish I could figure it out.

 

[rufus.K]

What social media platform did you advertise on, and which town are you talking about?

 

[LBS-bass]

What social media platform did you advertise on, and which town are you talking about?

These were Facebook ads. I'm a little shy about personal details, though they sometimes slip out here anyway. Northern California - hope that's a little helpful.

We also posted some announcements on Instagram but I only spent money on Facebook.

 

[rufus.K]

I only asked the town because i was wondering if you were able to make headway in a saturated market, like I'm in.. Los Angeles.

 

[crazyBassClown]

But why this band did well when almost nothing else does,

A question as old as the music business. And if you could answer it even 1 in 10 times you were likely to end up very rich. Not so much these days though.

 

[Fynn]

I played a two-set show last night. We had a fantastic turnout and the audience was over-the-top enthusiastic. I can say without hesitation that it was one of my top three shows in terms of turnout and reception since I started doing this again five years ago in this town.

The interesting thing about this show is that it's the second time I've advertised a show for this band on social media. The show we did a few months back in the same venue was the first I decided to advertise, and we also did very well.

I wondered if it was a fluke, or if those people really did all come to see us because of our promotion, so this time I tossed a little more money at it, and the turnout was spectacular.

Which makes me wonder why we aren't doing more of this.

On the other hand, another band I play with ran sponsored ads for a show at the same venue and had no turnout at all. I'd love to know what the difference is. Both bands are good, but very different. Ironically, the genre of the band that did well is less a fit for the venue overall.

What are your experiences with advertising, and in particular, running ads on social media? I'm thinking this is something I'm going to need to keep doing.

Try to think like a potential listener / viewer would think. Most people don't go on Facebook or such to look for what they could do on the weekend. It's difficult for smaller bands to gain any sort of traction from such advertisement. Even larger companies will throw thousands upon thousands of dollars at Facebook and Google and will only receive a conversion rate of a few percent. So a band that pays for a couple hundred clicks will likely make little to no improvement just by running ads online. As far as Facebook and Google Ads go, they will show you statistics for clicks and conversions and such. If you just post something on your bands page with a couple of hashtags, then nobody will likely see that unless they directly look for it. The algortythms just aren't in your favor at all.
Now if there is some special sort of webpage where you know for sure, that potential listeners could visit, then sure it makes sense to post ads there. But that's just not given with any big social media. I find it very unlikely that any of the people that were there on your last show, came specifically because of some sort of advertisement you made. If you're unsure, make a quick poll at the beginning of the show. Ask who already knows the band and such. Obviously don't make an entire survey out of that, but maybe you'll find a way to gauge these things without killing the mood.

Maybe that band you are in now is just better / more likeable.

 

[Ewo]

Reminded me of this quotation:

“Nobody knows anything...... Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what's going to work. Every time out it's a guess and, if you're lucky, an educated one.”

― William Goldman, Adventures in the Screen Trade