One of the things that we’ve stressed in this blog is the importance of knowing, communicating with, and considering your audience. As an independent musician the benefits of knowing your audience cannot be overstated.

Ideal fans – fans that essentially work as ambassadors of your music—are one of your most valuable assets. They will share your music with their networks on your behalf in an organic, grassroots way. This type of marketing is the most effective and the leastexpensive.

So, it’s time you asked yourself: “Who listens to, promotes and LOVES my music? Who is my ideal fan?” Take a moment to identify your ideal fans and their key demographics. Consider the following:

• Age: Are your ideal fans in high school and college or are they in their 50s? It’s important to know the ages of your ideal fans and target your marketing, and even the locations of your shows, to them.
• Location: Note the regions where your ideal fans live and keep that in mind when booking tours. They’ll help you build a fan base in their local area, so be sure to make tour stops to their towns.
• Interests: What other interests do they have? Are there other brands (clothing, food and beverage, lifestyle) that your fans identify with that you can consider partnering with for added exposure and cross marketing?

In addition to identifying the overall demographics of your ideal fan, it’s helpful to keep a list of your ten biggest supporters. Reach out to them to see if they’re willing to help you with marketing in their area by spreading the word about your shows to their network. Chances are, if your ideal fan likes you, their friends will have similar interests, as well.

Be sure to regularly communicate with your top ten fans. As your fan base grows, they will be immensely helpful to you.

What do you think? Have any tips about identifying your ideal fans? Have you done so yet?

Up next: The Fan wants to know: what’s in it for me?

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