Now that you know what a target audience is in music marketing, let’s get to practice: let’s learn the process of building a niche. Remember it’s all about being both efficient and truthful to your production, and that the final result is to get people to listen to your creations. These people, the ones who sustain the niche, are the ones who you want to keep satisfied and interested. For this reason, we suggest four steps for creating a fanbase of meaningful relationships that will accompany you throughout your career.
Building a Niche: All About Self-Awareness
As Ben Rossman reminds us, music promotion demands self-awareness. This self-awareness shows in the creation of your brand. In a universe so full of multiplicity, you should learn who you are (as a musician) and how that differentiates you from the rest. You need to present a favorable face to the crowd. Most likely, it will naturally come to you once you’ve decided your musical persona.
Now that you’re thinking about yourself, also reflect on your interests. Who would you like to interact with? What is the face of this fanbase you’re dreaming of? And, crucially, how will you build a meaningful relationship with them?
Identifying Your Niche
To identify your niche, once you’ve assessed who you are as a musician, you need to think of three different groups that will lead you to the desired targeting. You’ll want to produce a list of potential listeners based on music taste, musical influences, interests (different from music), passions, and hobbies. On the one hand, everything that is music-related should start with genres, subgenres, and similar artists to you. In this respect, you can also think of ethnic background, lifestyle, and environment. On the other, everything that is not music-based shows a diverse array of activities that, ideally, have a common ground with the music portion of this list. Some examples are fashion, food, sports, dancing, nature, traveling, animals, health, and artistic expressions.
Building a Niche: Research
Humanity will be lost without research. Therefore, every emerging artist who wants to build a niche should take advantage of the digital strategies at our disposal, such as Facebook’s targeting feature. Research will result in a more efficient demographic for your niche. Pay attention to age, gender, page likes, and geographic location. More specifically, keep an eye on what social media platform your initial niche has, as well as the hashtags they follow and their Facebook groups. Other virtual platforms such as Reddit (with its Subreddits), music blogs, online forums, and Discord communities are worth exploring.
Get Out to the Wild!
Don’t forget that, for every digital step in this process, you should take care of the face-to-face aspect of the business. Keep track of local communities and gatherings, conventions, festivals, and music venues.
Afterwards, study your music promotion so you can reach the desired niche. Help yourself by joining communities and tribes, and don’t be afraid of plugging-in your content. Networking is crucial for advancing your career, as it allows you to connect with people who, most likely, are going—or have gone—through the same processes as you. Refine your brand, go on producing content, and you’ll be ready to fulfill the dream of the niche.
Remember: the ideal niche is about the people who will support you, so prioritizing that relationship will not only be satisfying, but also productive.
