No matter what kind of creative or artistic talent you are lucky enough to possess you will, at some stage, need to market in order to gain exposure or make a living. Unless you win the lottery or have a rich relative that is willing to support you for the rest of your life so that you can practice your talent at home to entertain your cat, if this is you please disregard what I just said about needing to make a living.
Marketing and advertising can be very expensive and may not always yield the results that you are looking for. You do have the option of finding an agent to source work for you, first you will have to find an agent that is willing to back you, you may be required to sign a contract of some kind ( depending on the agency) and of course the agent needs to get paid. This won't affect your decision if you are in the above mentioned lotto winning category, however if you are an artist struggling to make ends meet in between gigs then finances are definitely a consideration.
When choosing someone to take charge of your marketing needs it's very important to choose someone who understands what you have to offer and portrays you in a way that is conductive to the type of exposure or employment you are seeking. Find someone who is passionate about what you do and is able to represent you with the kind of flair that reflects your talent effectively so that you can attract the kind of interest you really want.
Let's simplify this, you need someone who doesn't cost too much, someone who understands what you have to offer, someone who is passionate about what you do, someone with the right style and someone who will help you attract the kind of attention you want. Does that sound like anyone you know? YES! It sounds like you of course! You understand your needs better than anyone else does! You know what you have to offer, and you have exactly the right kind of flair and passion needed to represent you, because you are you!
OK so you don't think you know anything about marketing or advertising? Truth be told you probably know more than you think you do. Every time you talk to someone about what you do you are marketing. Have you ever heard that saying "Charity begins at home"? This is the same it begins with you, where you live. Talk about your talent as much as you can, make some business cards and give them out to as many people as possible.
Don't ever assume that people are not the type to be interested, you might not want to mention your heavy metal punk band to the nice old lady down the street, but she might have a grandson who runs a local bar or music event, or she might happen to mention you to a friend who does.
If you have a Facebook account share what you do, create a website, there are plenty of places online where you can create a website for free without having any knowledge about building websites at all. Also remember that Google is your friend! So have a look around and read some articles about marketing online, or see what kind of techniques other artists are using.
It's your drum! So it makes sense that you would beat it yourself!
Soraya Grace Editor at Phant Academy
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