Using Gorilla Marketing To Grow Your Local Scene

Want to grow your music career? Combining your digital marketing with local marketing is essential to succeed. I like to refer to local marketing as Guerilla marketing.  Your hometown crowd can be the heart of your career. testing ground, your squad, and your first set of hardcore fans. Here’s a down-to-earth guide on how to make your mark locally as a music artist.

1. Know Your Crowd

First off, figure out who you’re playing for. What’s their age? What other music are they into? Where do they hang out? This info helps you to tailor your tunes, gigs, and promos to what they like. Use social media stats, surveys or just chat with your fans to find out.

2. Get Out There and Play

The fastest way to win fans? Play live. Look for gigs at local venues, festivals, open mics, and community events. Besides showing off your tunes, gigs let you chat with your fans and turn them from casual listeners into die-hard followers. Use google to look up local venues or visit them to speak with the manager or the booker. 

3. Make Friends, Not Just Contacts

Networking isn’t just about swapping business cards. Go to local music events, industry nights, and artist meet-ups. Make real connections with other artists, venue owners, event organizers, music teachers, and fans. These 

friendships can lead to more gigs, collaborations, and word-of-mouth buzz

4. Social Media is Your Friend

Social media is your secret weapon for building and chatting with your fan base. Post regularly with behind-the-scenes pics, new music news, and gig dates. Reply to comments and DMs to make your fans feel part of your music family. Try live-streaming gigs or Q&As for real-time interaction.

5. Team Up With Local Artists

Working with other local artists is a win-win. It lets you share fans and helps you both grow. Collaborations can be anything from co-writing songs, gigging together, featuring on each other’s tracks, or bigging each other up on social media.

6. Be a Part of Your Community

Get involved in local events, volunteer, or sponsor local activities. It shows you’re about more than just your music. This goodwill can win you fans who appreciate you giving back to the community.

7. QR Codes, Merch and Other Cool Stuff

Tech like QR codes can give your promo a boost. Make QR codes that link to your tracks, website, or social media, and slap them on stickers, posters, or flyers.

Setting up a merch stall at your gigs can also build your profile. Plus, it gives fans a way to support you directly. You can sell anything from t-shirts and CDs to unique items that show off your brand.

8. Brand Yourself

Your brand is what makes you, you. It’s your sound, your style, your attitude, your values, and the experience you offer your fans. Consistency across your music, visuals, gigs, and social media can help establish your brand and make you stand out.

9. Local Media Can Be Your Megaphone

Local radio, newspapers, magazines, and TV can amplify your sound. Reach out to them with news about your new tracks, upcoming gigs, or community work. Getting featured can boost your visibility and credibility.

10. Emails – The Good Kind

Collecting emails from your fans is a great way to keep them in the loop. Set up a signup sheet at your gigs and on your website. You could also create a QR code that links straight to a signup form.

Once you’ve got a mailing list, you can send them updates about new music, gigs, or just share your journey. Always ask before you add anyone to your list – it’s just good manners (and it’s the law).

11. Artists Who Made It Big Starting from Their Hometowns

Before becoming one of the most influential rappers in the world, Jay-Z was a local sensation in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York. He used his experiences from the Marcy Houses projects to fuel his lyrics and connect with his audience. His local success eventually caught the attention of major record labels, leading to his international fame and influence in the hip hop industry.

Chance the Rapper is a shining example of local success leading to international fame. Born and raised in the West Chatham neighborhood of Chicago, Chance used his experiences growing up in the city as the basis for his music. He independently released his music, gained a huge following in Chicago, and eventually grabbed the attention of the music industry at large.

Country-pop superstar Taylor Swift got her start in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. She performed at local events, fairs, and karaoke contests, gaining a following with her powerful voice and heartfelt lyrics. This local success caught the attention of industry scouts, leading to her move to Nashville and eventual global stardom.

Wrap Up

Building a local fan base as a music artist is all about knowing your audience, playing live, making genuine connections, using social media, teaming up with other artists, giving back to the community, using cool tech, branding yourself, using local media, and sending out cool emails. Do all that, and you’ll have a solid local fan base ready to support you as you take on the world.