Shifts in COVID Season Self-Marketing
by Wendy Hamilton
As soon as many creatives, especially musicians and lyricists, were forced into lockdown because of Coronavirus (COVID-19) they grabbed guitars and keyboards, pen and paper and took out their frustrations in the best way possible and created songs. Others have paced their way through the process and are now coming back into the swing of songwriting and, perhaps, feeling like themselves again.
In the normalcy of a not-normal and never-before-encountered situation as COVID, artists across the board are wondering what to do to market themselves and how-to self-market in a COVID season. Tackling the task feels a bit like a traffic circle or a roundabout or rotary or road circle, depending on your country of origin. In a traffic circle there is a steady stream of traffic coming into and out of the circle, entering and exiting, with no traffic lights. Navigating these traffic circles feels a bit harrowing of an experience. Same is true for self-marketing. There is much to consider.
Amount of Traffic
When marketing, take note of the number of other lyricists and songwriters in your social media and in-person “circles”. If you are in circles with multiple or many songwriters and lyricists and musicians, then work on creating collaboration with your tribe. The allies you form with other lyricists and musicians will go a long way to helping you market and promote your work. As you work with others to help them promote their projects and as they work with you to help you promote yours then there is mutualism or a positive symbiotic relationship happening which brings about a win-win situation for more than yourself. More traffic does not mean you have to become fearful or afraid of your place. Each lyricist has a unique way of expressing his or her take on the world and the situations affecting us all. Partner bravely with your individual style and be yourself. Even in a crowd, a confident person is like a light in a dark place and uncertain times.
Flow of Traffic
When there are multiple lyricists going the same way this creates a situation much like a school of fish or well-stocked fishing pond. At PremiumLyrics.com, clients wanting lyrics explore the well-stocked site and search for what they want. If you want to get noticed either on this site or on your personal or professional social media pages you will need to find a way to make yourself stand out from the crowd. The best way to do that is to develop your craft and write excellent lyrics. Do not stop until you’ve created the best version of your song lyrics as possible – test the lyrics out by speaking or singing them and see if the lyrics work well for you. If they work well when you take them for a spin, then likely they will work well for others when they “test drive” your lyrics.
Destination
What you hope to get out of your role as a lyricist will shape how you market yourself. We will talk about need in a moment but overall a lyricist who writes for fun or as a hobby will have a completely different level of dedication to marketing across their social media platforms than a professional lyricist that considers songwriting to be a fundamental part of who they are and how they breathe life into this world. Both types of lyricists and the full range of lyricists in between are necessary, perhaps more than ever before. Do not get hung up on the destination or be critical of other lyricist hobbyists or intimidated by the professional lyricist producing a plethora of content. Find your lane and pace yourself to navigate well the next steps of this COVID season. There is a place for you. Do not be timid and afraid to merge into the “traffic” as a lyricist.
Your Time
How much time you have available to market yourself will determine how much marketing you can do. The key to marketing well is consistency. People connect to steady updates that are timely paced – not too much, not too little – and provide a “just right” amount of detail about you and what you are doing. Consider at first once a week at most twice a week on letting people know about your new songs or projects you are working on. Find your sweet spot for marketing that does not create a drain on your time or you as an individual. If you are not enjoying the process, then likely you are marketing in a way that is not suited for your personality type and/or your audience.
Your Need
Think about why you feel you “need” to market your lyrics. If you are hobbyist and it is a nice thought to think about getting a song published how, why, where and when you market will be a bit different in urgency than someone who is using writing lyrics as a primary or side hustle to support themselves or a family. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be published as a songwriter/lyricist for the sake of being published. Over time, what you do “for fun” can turn into a residual income stream from royalties and/or can lead into other lyricist writing gigs or other speaking or teaching opportunities to cultivate and encourage other creatives and artists. There are some people that need to preserve the sanctuary of lyrics writing as a hobby. Know what you need out of writing lyrics and stay true to what you need.
Your Talent
Your talent or gifting will make a way for you. The more you market your talent and ability, the more your friends and family and others will notice what you do. You will become the “songwriting” friend and when someone mentions that they need a lyricists, your people in your circles will think of you and recommend you when they hear of a need that matches your talents and your abilities. This “word of mouth” advertising is the positive return on the investment of your marketing, in a way that promotes you while not overwhelming the people in your circles with your lyrics, your needs or too much content.
When it comes to self-marketing, watch the traffic, be mindful of others in your circles and you won’t miss your opportunity to get where you want to go.
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