Faded PRESENTS
MARKETING TIPS
RESIDENT ADVISOR
Having a RA event page is basically a free website to refer people for more information. Treat it as an informative link rather than a hard-sell.
So whether you’re talking about the event IRL or online, in chat groups or even IG Stories. Always link the landing page. This is where the intended audience comes to view what the night is about and decide if they want to come. Every element on this page is very important.
If you were a stranger finding out about a random event you’ve never heard of then what information would you like to see to persuade you to come?
CHECK LIST
Title of event
Date and Time
Location (Venue name, postcode etc)
Describe the vibes of the night, what people can expect
Describe a few genres to hint the music
Describe the DJs to let people know more
Advise if this is a free event, ticketed online only, door sales or if it’s free until a certain time then OTD tickets applies afterwards
Tap the interest button yourself, ask your lineup of DJs to do so and encourage everyone you share this link to also support by tapping.
If the event is free, the algorithm might not be as strong but it will still tap into innate human behaviour = aka the more interesting the event seen by someone else, the more likely you’ll want to know about it.
If the event is ticketed, then increased interest taps might help get your event up higher than some other events on the same day or week. Algorithms work similar to IG where the more interest something gains, the more the platform will reward it.
EVENT DESCRIPTION
Make sure your description clearly covers all the key points in the checklist above. You don’t have to be long and wordy but you do have to get to the point that someone else might want to hear.
ARTIST PROFILE
The importance of having an event linked to your profile is to provide a call to action (CTA) to get you discovered. If someone knows you or like the sound of you, then they’re likely to click on your profile to find out more biography, where and when to see you play again.
MEDIA LINKS
The event page allows 3 links (Soundcloud, Mixcloud or Youtube). Be strategic about the first one you put up as this will be the first impression in both visual presentation (the cover) and the discovery (the music)
strategies
As you may have read from the Step-by-Step guide, the biggest tool for any grassroots DJ or artist is still word of mouth!
The more you talk about it to someone, the more they’ll be interested to find out and tell their mates. Your friends and fam are the first to support you so don’t undervalue that power. As you grow into more gigs then you’ll need to review how to get new faces to your events but for now as potentially your first event under FS PRESENTS, go wild and shout about it to get support from your inner circle.
Send the artwork and info to group chats, besties and people who’ve you met at parties!
HUMANS CONNECT WITH HUMANS
Apart from the official artwork, you should think about designing content to promote the lineup - including yourself. In 9 out 10 times, the biggest engagement posts features someone’s face in it either through carousel of photos or a well-edited video. It grabs more attention than just a poster with some words and random bunch of DJ names.
If people know you a bit more than just the DJ name, such as what music you’re inspired by or why you chose to DJ in the first place then they’re likely to want to come and support.
Create artwork for your lineup who is basically your team of cross-promoters. If you put in time for them then they should* put in time for you!
*If they don’t then that’s something you should discuss with them and ask why they don’t want to share the content you’ve put time and effort into making. But generally from my experience, if leaders create the content then DJs will share - it’s free content for them!
Design a set time poster and add QR codes to each DJ’s instagram. This helps the audience to find artists they love quicker
Let’s break down this beast that you all love to hate
REELS achieve more engagement just because people are curious to watch. Aim to catch their attention in 3-5 seconds
The more people stop and watch your reels/ videos then the app will reward you by showing it to more people’s screens
Make sure your reel ratio is 9:16, this means no solid colour gaps. Design the content to fill the whole screen
Even if you don’t have enough video resources, make a reel with a collection of images and graphics. You can get really creative with tools like Canva
CAROUSELS are a great tool to add multiple content from images to videos
Note if you’re posting up to the maximum of 10 items then make sure your video files are not too large as they will be stuck in the uploading queue - and won’t be fixed!
Carousels are also great to capture attention and make people scroll over for more than 3 seconds. The trick is knowing what to put in the first few slides or the first few words of the caption to gain this attention
Carousel ratios can be square 1:1, portrait 4:5 or even banner 16:9 but this is determined from the first item that you pick
If your carousel collection is one format (so just images or just videos) then you can now add music on top
Using MUSIC in either reels or carousels can tap into algorithm advantages. For example if you use trending music then your post might be shown on discovery
If you’re a music producer and have music registered in these apps then absolutely reuse your music with posts!
SINGLE IMAGE posts are still valid but it has to be so strong because this is the weakest tool that will gain you very little reach, engagement and impressions.
COLLAB TAGS are the best thing to happen since slice bread. It means one person needs to do the work and the rest can reap the reward (sad but true). But the advantages of that is if you tag all 5 (maximum allowed) then you’ll tap into all 5 of the account audiences
When designing posts for collab tags, be considerate!!! This is important because you can’t just post a photo of yourself and expect someone else to have it on their own grid.
MARKETING FUND
Use your £50 credit wisely and creatively.
Ask yourself as a DJ and raver, what sponsored content has caught your attention?
Is it the colours or design?
Is it because it’s a moving image or video?
Is it because it had keywords that grabbed your attention such as type of music, vibes and demographics?
DO NOT boost your poster artwork as advertising. I can guarantee you that it will fail and you will waste that money. Flat artwork with a random title and random DJ names that no one knows about will lead you absolutely nowhere.
PAST FS PRESENTS
Here are some IG stats provided from one crew who used their creativity to boost.
Boost 1: Collab post design
Plays 2511
Likes 60
Reached 1739
Boost 2: Reel
Reach 14986
Impressions 15875
Website visits 82
Other than Instagram, there are other ways to use your credit. Think outside the box!
Here are some suggestions from past projects:
Free drink credit giveaway competition
Online DJ competition to fill the warm up slots (tag, comment, share, submit etc)
Prints such as flyers and posters, set times and any other QR code prints for call to action (CTA) to follow your event or accounts during the event
You can even get creative and print some posters then go film yourself putting it up in areas near the event or well-known locations. You don’t have to put it up and waste your posters, just have a few to show and then reuse them for the next location
Make sure that all of your prints have the accurate CTA, so website or instagram handles or QR codes to get to a link quickly
Paying a flyer person to hand out flyers on the street
GOOD LUCK!
One of the biggest lessons that I’ve learnt from my work and this industry is that you CAN be your own individual DJ and be unique but you CAN’T build a community with a population of one!
Collaborate. Amazing things happen when people come together!
Cat aka Faded Society x
WANT TO UP YOUR MARKETING GAME AS A DJ & COLLECTIVE?
Build an online following and increase engagement on your account
Promote yourself authentically without the dreaded thought of having to “be on social media”
Promote newly self-released Singles, EP or an event with a well-planned marketing campaign
Create a professional presence to show off to potential bookers, promoters and venues
Get help with artistic digital content, edited reels and creative carousels