#138: How to Find Your Target Audience, Music Marketing Strategies for Independent Producers

Have you ever wondered how do you identify your ideal client? Maybe you're seeking answers to topics: how do I identify my ideal client profile, what is a target audience, how to find your target audience, how do I know my music genre, what is my genre of music? Then check out EP 138 of the Inside The Mix podcast.

In this episode, I  tackle the burning question from listener FastEddy856 on how independent music producers can juggle the marketing maze across multiple genres. With over ten years of industry wisdom tucked under my belt, I'm laying out a roadmap for you to pinpoint your niche and stand out in the crowded music marketplace. Follow along as I trailblaze through the strategies that work.

Get ready to amplify your music and your brand with the insights from today's episode, and don't forget to check out FastEddy856's journey on Instagram for some real-time inspiration!

Submit a music production or mixing question and feature on the podcast: https://www.speakpipe.com/InsideTheMixPodcast

CLICK HERE to follow FastEddy856: @fasteddy856

Transcript

FastEddie856: 0:01

You're listening to the Inside the Mix podcast with your host, Mark.

Marc Matthews: 0:04

Matthews, Hello and welcome to the Inside the Mix podcast. I'm Mark Matthews, your host, musician, producer and mix and mastering engineer. You've come to the right place if you want to know more about your favorite synth music artists, music engineering and production, songwriting and the music industry. I've been writing, producing, mixing and mastering music for over 15 years and I want to share what I've learned with you. Hello, folks, and welcome to the Inside the Mix podcast. If you are a new listener, a big welcome. Make sure you hit that follow button on your podcast player of choice. And if you're watching this on YouTube, make sure you hit subscribe and that notification bell so you get notified anytime there's a new episode. And also, to my returning listeners, a big welcome back. So exciting times here at the Inside the Mix podcast.

Marc Matthews: 0:50

I have finally mapped out a limited series podcast dedicated to mixing in Logic Pro just using Logic Pro plugins. It's going to be entirely free. It's going to be separate to the Inside the Mix, so it's going to be dropped all at once, all episodes. I'm looking at about 18 to 20. So I'm going to release all the episodes on all podcast platforms and also there's going to be video to accompany it and a workbook and stems as well. So you're going to be able to download the stems of the project I'm going to work through in this limited series podcast and follow along and create your own mix. As I say, it's going to be entirely free. Some of it I want to give back to the listeners and the audience of the podcast, so keep an eye out for it. I've been planning this for a while now. I started planning it before Christmas, so I've given myself a deadline to get all the videos and all the production side of things finished by the end of June. So I want to release it in July, so keep an eye out for it. I'll be doing various announcements between now and June and obviously I will announce it on here when it's going to go live as well. But if you want to know more about it, hit me up at Inside the Mix podcast on Instagram and I'm happy to answer any questions. But exciting stuff, exciting times. I can't wait to get this limited series podcast out there. I've been itching to get this done.

Marc Matthews: 2:01

So this episode is an episode that's going to continue, a format I introduced earlier this year. It may have actually been in 2023. I can't remember now. I think it might have been in 2023. Anyway, it's basically where I answer your questions on the podcast. So you submit a question and then it forms the basis of the podcast episode, because I want to get you guys involved in the planning and the creation of these episodes. I want to answer questions that you are experiencing right now. I was going to say in real time. It's not really in real time, but anyway I want to answer questions and have you contribute to the creation and the production of the podcast.

Marc Matthews: 2:39

So if you want to submit a question, you can do it via audio, via SpeakPipe. So there's going to be a link in the episode description that you can click on and you can just record it using your mobile phone. You don't need an account, you don't need to have an external setup with a microphone etc. You can literally just use your phone.

Marc Matthews: 2:58

But if audio isn't your thing and I have done this with previous episodes you can just hit me up on Instagram, like I mentioned just now at done this with previous episodes. You can just hit me up on Instagram, like I mentioned just now at Inside the Mix Podcast, and just send me a message and then I'll repeat it on the episode and also make sure, if you're recording audio, give yourself a shout out where the audience can find you. Maybe you're releasing a song and you want to give that a shout out as well, and also, if you're submitting it via Instagram, just make sure you put in there what link you want me to say on the episode as well. So this question was submitted by my friend, FastEddy856. And he submitted this via SpeakPipe. So we're going to listen to the audio shortly, but before we do that, I just want to give him a shout out and say that I want you to go and check out his work on Instagram at FastEddy856. So this is FastEddy's question.

FastEddie856: 3:46

Let's give it a listen. Hey, mark, how you doing this is uh. Indie producer, fast eddie 856. Um, I had a question as far as um, how do you market yourself if you're an independent producer? Writer, recently started mixing and mastering um and the genre of music with me. I use anything and everything to make a track sound good, which could be synth or um, hip-hop, samples or sounds or instruments, so I'm basically I don't know what to market myself as what I'm using. So if you can do an episode of how to market yourself as an indie producer, artist, writer just all around, I believe, artists that would be an amazing episode to hear. Appreciate it Once again, this is Fast eddie 856, any producer. Appreciate your man and keep on doing good work with your show thank you, lovely stuff.

Marc Matthews: 4:51

Thank you fast, eddie. 856. So let's dive in and answer this question. So, essentially, to answer this question, I've got four top tips surrounding sort of how to position yourself and, ultimately, how to market yourself as a producer, mix engineer, mastering engineer, whatever it may be, a creative in general, to be honest. So these four top tips are going to be taken from my experience over the last 10 to 15 years as a freelancer in the music industry. So let's dive into tip number one.

Marc Matthews: 5:20

So my first top tip is called sharpen your focus. The idea being, to put it simply, is to pick a service and dedicate your focus to that service. What you don't want to do is become sort of like a jack of all trades and offer everything. So in the question fast eddie has, he mentions about mixing, mastering, production as well. So my advice here is, when you're starting out, is just to pick a particular service that you're going to offer whether it's mixing, mastering production, post production, it might be podcast production, and you could think of this outside of music as well and focus in on that. Become the expert in that one area and then, once you've sort of developed a name for yourself and you're known as an expert in that area. You've got those clients coming to you, then you can look at expanding, expanding rather, look at expanding what you offer as a service. What I strongly encourage you to think about is this don't fall into fear of missing out, okay, don't think you have to offer everything to everyone for fear of missing out on opportunities. You're much better just focusing on one service and then becoming an expert in that particular service. So that's tip number one sharpen your focus, select a service that you're going to provide, become the expert, and don't fall into the trap of fear of missing out.

Marc Matthews: 6:43

So tip number two is called this it's called craft, your ideal client profile, or you could say, avatar. The idea is this you create this avatar, this client profile, and you can refer back to this anytime. You create any content, do any marketing, you're revamping your website, whatever it may be, and you can refer to this avatar and think, okay, does this appeal to my ideal client? So when you're creating this avatar, you need to think about this. So we're talking about the music industry here. What music do they listen to, what are their goals, what are their pain points and what are their challenges? And by understanding these needs and challenges. You can tailor your marketing and all of your content and your messaging so it resonates with them.

Marc Matthews: 7:26

Now, the way I do this is I have a whole sort of avatar set up. So there's a name, there's an age, there's a marital status where they live roughly the area keywords, and there's also a key quote for them as well. So think of it that way. You need to build up this whole avatar, this person. I give them names as well. Each one's got a different name depending on what service it is. For example, there are particular avatars for the podcast, for who I'm trying to appeal to, and there's particular avatars for the mastering that I do as well. You can also create avatars for an audience for your own music as well, and I do this when I release my own music. So I've got an idea of the audience that I want to for want of a better word target my music to. So whenever I'm creating content or any sort of messaging surrounding my own music, I'm going to think, okay, will this appeal to my avatar that I've created so you can use this in terms of your service industry? I use it for the podcast as well. So I get the right listeners. I've got the correct messaging for the podcast, so it's resonating with the right audience, and also with regards to your own music as well. So that's tip number two create your ideal listener profile.

Marc Matthews: 8:36

So here's tip number three folks, you're going to become a genre guru. So you have sharpened your focus. You've identified your ideal client profile. Now what you're going to do is you're going to hone in Once again. You're going to narrow your focus and pick your particular genre of music that you're going to focus on, for example, synth music. Mastering is focused on synth music, so the idea is you become an expert in that particular service, in that particular genre. You're really narrowing your focus down and becoming an expert there. The idea here is that you join online communities. You can network with producers, artists in this particular field, and you can also think about watering holes. Okay, from one of a better way of putting it, where do these musicians, these creatives, these producers hang out and then become a known member of that community?

Marc Matthews: 9:26

So, to refer back to FastEddy856's question, he mentions about synth music and also hip-hop. So my advice there would be think about where you are most comfortable. Where do you perceive yourself to have your expertise? If it's synth music, roll with that. If it's hip hop, then roll with that one. Become an expert in that. Really narrow that focus.

Marc Matthews: 9:49

Then, once again, once you become known as an expert in that service, in that genre, you can then expand beyond that. So then you can think, okay, I've nailed for want of a better way of putting it hip hop. Now I'm going to move into synth music and see what I can do there. Okay, that would be my advice. Think about okay, what have I been? I was going to say, what have I been doing the longest? But you could do something for a shorter amount of time and become an expert in it, more so than something you've been doing for a long time.

Marc Matthews: 10:15

It all depends on where your focus is, I guess. So pick the one that you are most comfortable with, maybe one that you've released the most music with, you're most experienced with, and then roll with that. That would be my advice there. So that's tip number three. You're going to become a genre guru in your chosen genre of music. So here's tip number four, and this one's called level up your expertise.

Marc Matthews: 10:35

So the idea here is it's that CPD, that continued professional development, as they call it. You're going to continuously learn and refine your skill set, so invest in your development, as they call it. You're going to continuously learn and refine your skill set, so invest in your development. Pay for courses if you need to there's lots of free stuff as well and also get coaching and tutoring as well, and off the back of that, what you can do is, with that knowledge that you have, you can then share that as content. The idea there is, for example, a podcast is a really good way to do it. You are providing social proof of your expertise and once again, it's the idea that you become known as an expert in your field. So you're putting this information out there. You're sharing it with your audience.

Marc Matthews: 11:14

So think about it this way there is a producer or artist who's thinking, actually I could do with professional mixing, and they're thinking, oh, who could do this? Okay, xyz could do this, because I've been following them for a while now. I've got that social proof that they know. And they're thinking, oh, who could do this? Okay, x, y, z could do this, because I've been following them for a while. Now, I've got that social proof that they know what they're talking about and they are focused in on the service I want and the genre that I'm in, so you can see how it all works together. So that's tip four. The idea is to continuously learn and then share it online, be a go-giver, give it away for free and then develop that social proof and expertise.

Marc Matthews: 11:46

So here's a bonus tip, and it's this Collaborate with other experts in your chosen field. Say you're a mix engineer, reach out to other mix engineers, network, show interest, support, share ideas. I think from my experience the worst thing you can do is to see them as competition. So that's my bonus tip Don't be afraid to collaborate, network, share ideas with other experts in your chosen field of expertise. So there we go, folks, my four top tips, plus bonus tip in reference to FastEddy 856's question. So let's have a quick recap.

Marc Matthews: 12:19

Tip number one sharpen your focus. Don't be a jack of all trades. Pick a service and don't suffer from fear of missing out. Tip number one sharpen your focus. Don't be a jack of all trades, pick a service and don't suffer from fear of missing out. Tip number two craft your ideal client profile or avatar. Tip number three become a genre guru. Pick a genre of music and become an expert in that in your chosen service industry. Tip number four level up your expertise, continuously learn and refine your skillset as creatives, I think, think personally we never stop learning. Take what you've learned and then share it. Become an expert through messaging and content. And then tip number five, or rather the bonus tip, was all about don't be afraid to collaborate with other experts in your chosen field of expertise folks. So if this has resonated with you and you're thinking actually I could do with some help and guidance with my own service that I'm offering, book a free 20-minute discovery call with me and we'll look at what you're offering at the moment and then we'll go through some tips and strategies to help you kick on. So click the link in the episode description or head over to synthmusicmasteringcom and book a free 20-minute discovery call.

Marc Matthews: 13:19

So if you have a burning question with regards to mixing, music production, mastering the music industry or maybe offering a service like we've been through today, like my friend FastEddy856, make sure you do follow him at FastEddy856 on Instagram Click the link in the episode description and record an audio message via SpeakPipe. Remember, you can just use your phone. You don't need any fancy recording software or a microphone. You can just use your phone. You don't need any fancy recording software or a microphone, you can just use your phone. Alternatively, if audio isn't your thing, you don't want your voice on the podcast. It's totally fine, understandable. You can just submit a message via instagram at inside the mix podcast and just send me a dm with your message, and also make sure you include in there the link that you would like me to read out on the episode. So that wraps up this episode and I cannot wait to have more of your questions on the Inside the Mix podcast.