Social Networking for Musicians – 1Q10

As social-media evolves to become a must for nearly any marketing plan, it is important to assess your firm’s strategies. In a recent project for an emerging singer-songwriter, Articulation created and leveraged a strong presence on several social networking sites to drive traffic to his website and to other profiles, to gain exposure and listeners, and interact with fans. With most sites now linking to each other through easy-to-use applications, you gain a complex web of avenues to reach your target market, allowing you to engage in ongoing conversations with frequent touches. While Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are the most common networks, industry-specific communities offer unique audiences, while media-sharing sites like Youtube and Flickr, blogs and forums can be equally effective tools in a multi-tier marketing scheme.

Inside the Industry

Spurred by their recent giveaway of a free bag of chips for the signing up of new fans, SunChips Facebook page gained nearly 200,000 fans in a matter of days. Following up the efforts with a free song download for all fans and a promise of more giveaways in the near future, the company is set to gain a significant following on the ubiquitous social networking site which could translate to real-life profits. PandaExpress, Baja Fresh, T.G.I. Friday’s, 1-800-Flowers.com, The Children’s Place, and many other companies have also begun using giveaways as a means to expand their fan base, promote their offerings, and build brand awareness. As with any strategy, it is important to assess whether the strengths of your company’s offerings can be effectively conveyed through this type of method before including it in your marketing plan. When executed appropriately, a fan giveaway can be an excellent marketing resource as well as true testament to your product.

News from Inside Articulation

Articulation partnered with a leading provider of branding, interactive, and content services for athletes to develop the design framework for the firm’s corporate identity brochure and print materials. The company, which provides branded content that reflects the individual interests and personas of each unique athlete, contacted Articulation to develop a Brand Blueprint, or creative brief with a multi-tier strategy demonstrating the marketing potential of an individual athlete. The team at Articulation contributed significant identity and design efforts to the brochure, which has since been successfully employed as part of their marketing and branding process.

Current Projects

Throughout the first quarter, Articulation Agency worked closely with a synchronous web training provider, developing and executing a multi-tiered marketing plan corresponding to the launch of their global online learning platform. Challenged to effectively convey the firm’s unique position in the industry as the leading provider of live, instructor-led online training, the team incorporated strategic branded messaging throughout their website and marketing materials, with additional emphasis on the company’s deep experience and unique expertise. The project, which involved significant research, custom website design, core messaging, content development, an email marketing campaign, and press materials, helped to solidify the company’s substantial market presence by reincorporating their core values and benefits into their brand identity.

If you are interested in social networking for your entertainment company, Articulation Agency is here to help. View our marketing and branding awards here.