If you’ve reached the point with your band when you’re thinking about how to take the next big step, it can be overwhelming. Surely this should be the easy part, you might think. You’ve got material that’s gone down well live, you’ve got your social media and YouTube channels working for you, and the line-up is finally settled and everyone seems happy (well, as happy as anyone ever is a band, but you’ve cleared up the biggest disagreements). But choosing the right PR and digital marketing agency is not a small decision, especially at a time when live music is really suffering.
If you get it wrong, you will lose money and perhaps more crucially, you’ll have lost time. You can also guarantee that you won’t be short on offers from agencies, many of whom may be entirely the wrong fit. Here are a few things to look out for to make sure you’re signing up with the right firm.
Look For Experience
Everyone who has been in a band knows that you will always be meeting people who tell you that they know what you should be doing. Everyone’s an expert when it comes to PR strategy, and most of the people who are trying to give you advice have never run a campaign beyond their own charity fun-run. Look for a digital marketing agency that has a proven track record in getting bands and musicians out there, who aren’t just showing you a video on their phone of the singer who they promise is a really good mate who wouldn’t have got anywhere without their help.
Look For An Agency That Understands Your Needs
The fact of the matter is that no two acts’ needs are exactly the same. Just because a PR agency has a great record of getting bands out there, if they don’t understand you and what might work best for you, then they are never going to get you anywhere. After all, these are the people who are going to represent you to the platforms who will be deciding if hosting your work is worth their time. Now Listen PR is an agency that understands this and takes great care when deciding whether or not to take on clients, so you can trust that they take this as seriously as you do.
Look For An Agency That Understands The Market
We don’t need to tell you that the music industry is constantly evolving. The platforms where people find and listen to new music are constantly shifting and it’s an ongoing battle to be heard that is being fought between thousands of artists. There are roughly 40,000 tracks being released every single day, and if your PR agency thinks it’s as simple as getting you some late night radio play and hoping for the best, then you are with the wrong firm and they are in the wrong business. It’s important that you go with a company that has strong history, but it’s just as crucial that they know what lies ahead and how to take advantage of every new window of opportunity.
