<p>These days, marketing is all about engaging the consumer - meeting them in their space and becoming a part of their world. Traditional methods of advertising have lost effectiveness in favor of multi-dimensional methods in which a brand will find the customer not just on the radio, TV, and in magazines, but also online, on YouTube, in chat rooms, even on their cell phones.&nbsp; The explosive popularity of social websites like MySpace and Facebook have made those sites as much a marketing tool as a place to hang out online with friends.</p><p>This trend plays perfectly into using music to market to consumers.&nbsp; It's more prevalent than ever, because it's extremely effective when done well. Companies want to be a part of their consumers&rsquo; music experience because it conveys a shared lifestyle, attitude, camaraderie. Many companies are now making music as much a part of the customer&rsquo;s experience as their product. Verizon Wireless has done this very well with their V Cast product and aggressive sponsorship of many music-related properties (commonly referred to as Lifestyle or Event Marketing). Cadillac, iPod, and Target are just a few examples of how effective a TV spot-cum-music-video can be. Free branded download cards from myriad big companies are ubiquitously used to attract and engage customers.</p><p>Here are a few ways that businesses with limited budgets can use music to find and engage new customers, and to enhance the relationship with current customers.</p><p><b>(1)</b> Host a performance showcase at your place of business. This can be done low-key (think &quot;unplugged&quot;). No full-on concert necessary.</p><p><b>(2)</b> Sell cd&rsquo;s, merchandise and concert tickets for a local band.</p><p><b>(3)</b> Share advertising and e- or snail-mail lists with bands, record labels, and/or music retailers. Exchange discount or other privileges for each others' customers.</p><p><b>(4)</b> Ask your music partner(s) to promote your business from their website and social networking pages, offering discounted tickets, merch or cd&rsquo;s to your customers.</p><p><b>(5)</b>&nbsp; <a href="http://www.sellaband.com/">Sell A Band</a> lets you search for acts that you think you - or in this case your customers - like and when you find some, you can sign up for free as a <a href="http://www.sellaband.com/believer/comboplatter/">Believer</a> and invest in increments of $10. Right now the audience is heavily European, so this idea will work best for small businesses with a strong e-commerce aspect, and those who want to build their web presence.</p><p><b>(6) </b>For businesses with a little more to invest in marketing, sponsoring a local festival can be a great option. Pick a music-focused event, or any event that features music and needs a stage sponsor. Offer to donate your products or services as an &quot;in-kind&quot; sponsorship. Combining cash and in-kind sponsorship is common, too.</p><p><b>(7)</b> Not sure if music is the right tool for your business? Take these ideas and modify them to the right type of partnership. For example: a massage therapist would make a great marketing partner for a maker of spa products.</p><p>(Click <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=VFJYyL5kDZA">here</a> for a dubious way to use music to market a product, and I hope you get a good laugh out of it!)</p><p><br />&nbsp;</p> 2008-01-31T04:27:30Z -27.354 478 178 true 15 4439 marketing-with-music-tips-for-small-budgets 3 2008-01-31T07:56:21Z 2008-01-31T07:56:21Z

<p>Music is a highly effective tool for B-to-C marketing. Here are some ideas especially for small and growing businesses.</p>

0 2009-02-24T09:43:02Z