Should artists run ads?
Five simple questions to avoid unnecessary expenses.
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Let’s dive into today’s topic:
Should artists run ads?
Five simple questions might help artists decide about running ads and avoid unnecessary expenses.
Why it matters
Navigating the world of social media advertising can be daunting for artists, with conflicting advice on its effectiveness. While many recommend running ads on platforms like Meta, Google, or TikTok, artists must discern when it truly adds value to their careers. While there are certain scenarios where social advertising is a great strategy, it’s mostly a waste of money.
How it works
Artists could ask themselves five questions to decide whether they should run ads or not:
What’s the objective of the campaign? Rather than running ads for superficial metrics like likes or views, artists should focus on campaigns with clear objectives, such as boosting sales (tickets, merchandise), soft conversions like newsletter sign-ups, or supporting a significant album launch. Artists should reserve their advertising budget for initiatives with tangible and actionable results. Rule of thumb: Only spend money on ads when there is something to sell.
How good is the ad’s creative? The heart of any successful ad campaign lies in its creative content. Artists should have a video edited, tailored to the desired platform dimensions, and subtitled. It should be appealing enough to make people stop scrolling and seamlessly align with the artist’s brand values and positioning.
Is there enough budget? It’s called paid advertising for a reason. Artists should allocate sufficient funds to their campaigns to yield meaningful results. Additionally, artists should look at tactics to lower campaign costs.
Does the landing page convert? The landing page is considered a quality indicator when incorporating hyperlinks in ads. Since the ad is used for conversion purposes (see 1), much attention should go to the ease with which a landing page converts visitors.
Does the campaign return its investment? Ultimately, the success of an ad campaign hinges on whether it generates more revenue than it costs. Artists should consider their willingness to pay for the desired result if the campaign loses money. For example, when running ads to increase newsletter subscribers, establish a clear understanding of the value of each new subscriber.
Yes, but..
Following this method, artists might reconsider running ads solely to generate streams. They pay about €0,10 per click for an estimated return of €0,003 per stream—obviously, a very bad ROI. However, if the advertisement serves a broader and longer-term album campaign, it could be a justifiable expenditure.
Take action now
Artists could apply this five-step method to both ongoing and future campaigns. They could assess their campaigns using these questions to strategise their next steps, and possibly diversify their investment into other strategies and tactics beyond social media advertising.
Further reading
How artists can lower the costs of their ads (The Fanbase Builder)
Four steps to strategically improve artist campaigns on Meta (The Fanbase Builder)