How to promote yourself online as a DJ

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If you are a DJ it is likely that the strain of standing out in a crowded music space might be interfering with your passion and creativity.

Today, your audience is already short on time and attention. On top of that, the online communication space (social media, web pages, blogs, email etc.) suffers from an overflow of marketing messages. So establishing your brand among the right music crowd can be a challenge. But, with the right strategy, the same online tools can be leveraged to promote yourself as a DJ with very little investment of time and money. They are also an excellent space for expanding the reach of your brand and music beyond the usual gigs.

Promoting yourself online is high on ROI, as many of the channels are free/come at a nominal cost, and extend your access exponentially. But it is not without its own challenges. Online communication space is not only overflowing with information, but the attention span of the audience is in seconds.

So, here are four online promotion strategies that will help you effectively establish your brand as a DJ and promote yourself -

1. Go back to basics

Email is still one of the most trusted and personalized one-on-one communication tool. It is also a cost and time effective way of getting your message directly and allows for a great degree of rationalization. Emails are a long term strategy - so the focus should be on building relationships and promotions/marketing messages should be an occasional occurrence.

Collect emails the right way - by requesting for subscriptions either on your social media pages or website. Make sure that your emails have a catchy subject line backed by a message that is intimate and exclusive. Sharing discount codes to your shows, free tracks etc. only to your subscribers adds real value to the subscribers and makes them feel special.

Add a call to action in your mail - directing the audience to your website, social media, or your gigs.

2. Gain the edge with social media -

Social media is an essential DJ promotion tool that is free and highly accessible.

Don’t forget to establish your presence on music applications and platforms like Soundcloud, Mixcloud, Mixcrate, and iTunes. Youtube can also be used to promote your mixes and create vlogs that give an insight into your creative process.

Make sure that you add ‘DJ’ in your profile name so that people instantly know that you are a DJ. Another smart idea is to create a fan page for yourself rather than than a personal page - this will boost your profile in the eyes of the local clients. Interactions with your followers is central to social media success - reply to their comments and share updates that encourage conversations.

3. Build yourself a website -

In spite of the wide reach and popularity of your social media, a website is a must if you want to succeed as a DJ. You website gives you an opportunity to create a central space that consolidates all your online content. It is the ideal brand building building space as it offers great freedom for creativity in design and content. It is also a secure space for hosting and storing your music files.

Your website should include your bio, a page to post audios and videos of your mixes/ tracks, a contact page, media kit, photos/videos from your gigs, a blog/vlog, and links to your social media pages. Don’t forget to add social media widgets that lets visitors share your pages. Another crucial element is the news/events page that contains updates about your gigs and has links to relevant websites and ticketing pages.

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4. Collaborate with event promoters -

If you are thinking beyond gigs like producing music, events are the perfect opportunity for testing your creations with a targeted audience and assessing their popularity. Even otherwise events are a great way of ensuring that you are booked around the year and build a fan following. Referrals from event contacts can also be leveraged as a powerful networking and business promotion tool.

An excellent way of becoming visible to event promoters and also finding the events that interest you is to list your services on an online marketplace like Onspon.com. Listing your services on the platform will help you find the right gigs without wasting time on market research and the hassle of price negotiations. Onspon has almost 100 events that get added daily, and at least 20% of these are entertainment kind of events which require a DJ or similar performer with specific expertise and skills. By listing yourself on this platform you can become visible to these events looking for such artists.

Being a DJ is a creative and exciting profession. Use the online tools like social media, website, and specialised platforms to ensure that you can pursue your passion without compromising on the commercial aspects of the job.