Facebook advertising for bands – what you need to know

All (smart) music distribution companies have a strong presence on Facebook. Why? Despite losing a portion of its “cool” factor in the last several years, Facebook is still the most popular social networking site in the world. In this age of social media, you’re just a few clicks away from connecting directly with an ostensibly infinite audience of listeners.

That’s why Facebook advertising is so appealing to many music distribution companies like Spotify, Rhapsody, and even us, SongCast – the potential to reach millions of new ears is just too appealing and lucrative to pass up.

You don’t have to be a marketing pro to utilize Facebook advertising to promote your music online – especially if you already have a band profile on which you actively post, share pictures, videos, etc. Familiarity with Facebook’s interface is half the battle. So let’s start with the basics of the advertising world.

1. Solidify your end-game. What do you hope to get out of this Facebook campaign? Facebook offers two pricing models for paid ads: pay-per-click (you’re charged whenever someone clicks on your ad) and pay per impressions (you pay for a set number of views of your ad, regardless of interaction). If you’re running a branding campaign to get your logo out there, impression-based spending might make sense. Otherwise, we recommend pricing on a pay-per-click basis. Choose your pricing model based on your personal long-term goals.
2. Target your audience. Facebook offers a wide variety of demographic and behavior-based targeting options. You can select your ads’ audience based on their gender, age, interests, job, groups, income level and more. If you have a solid fan base that already “likes” your Facebook page, target those folks and create a list of “similar audiences” to reach other Facebook users with comparable demographics and tastes. Because if a Facebook user already likes your page, they’re probably more likely to purchase your music than a “cold” lead who hasn’t already qualified themselves.

3. Create a compelling ad. Facebook has a variety of different advertising options depending on your goals. If you’re advertising a new EP, for example, try utilizing a Promoted Post or Sponsored Story. Promoted Posts appear in your audience’s newsfeed, looking like any other post they might see but to a new fan base of people who haven’t already liked your page. Use your very best band photos, a catchy headline and language that speaks to your unique audience. Pro tip: Promoted Posts and Sponsored Stories tend to perform significantly better than right column ads.

Stick with SongCast for more news on how your band can leverage Facebook advertising and other online platforms to sell more music and engage more listeners! If you have any questions or want to publish your songs directly to music distribution companies like Spotify, Rhapsody and more, drop us a line.