Sound Marketing

helping music brands be heard

Category: Digital Marketing

The Year in Review – A Roller Coaster Ride in the Musical Instrument Trade

To say that this year has been tumultuous would be quite an understatement. We started 2022 with many manufacturers still struggling to get product into the country, especially fretted instruments. The cost of shipping a container had skyrocketed throughout the pandemic, and the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach had seemingly endless backups. Finding inland transport was also … [Read more...]

Push Me Pull You in Musical Instrument Sales

At a company corporate meeting what seems like a lifetime ago, then VP of Sales Dan Garrett questioned the assembled Ensoniq District Sales Managers. At the time it felt like something of an inquisition, as each of us was asked quite directly “how do you increase sales?” The answers ranged from more training, in-store clinics (big at the time), more sales calls, to other … [Read more...]

Do You Know How Your Music Brand Is Perceived?

How to monitor and manage online conversations about your brand.

The internet gives music manufacturers 24/7 access to the opinions and complaints of customers via online platforms like Twitter, Facebook, forums, and even videos. Potential customers listen to what’s being said about your brand, and you should too. Brand perception affects purchasing decisions—and … [Read more...]

Four Reasons Music Brands Should Be Rocking Customer Reviews

Tuning in to customer feedback can drive more sales.

Your music brand is awesome, and you want everyone to know it, but today’s customers are extremely skeptical about marketing messages. Reviews, feedback, and testimonials are an effective way to offer unbiased opinions that can motivate potential customers to act and, ultimately, increase sales. Here’s why … [Read more...]

Five Basic Things Not to Do to Your Music Brand’s Website

Digital promotion through websites is essential for any business these days, no less so than in the music manufacturing industry. We wrote about basic tactics for building a more engaging music website for your brand, so it’s time to talk about five things that you should NOT do to your music brand's website. Your musical instrument or equipment manufacturer site is the … [Read more...]

What Can An App Possibly Do For Music Brands?

Create strong customer connections to your music brand with the right app.

A musical instrument and equipment manufacturer needs an app because the average U.S. consumer spends 86 percent of their cell phone time using apps. An app can engage your customer in many different forms: It can be a completely new kind of experience (Uber, Instagram), it can be … [Read more...]

Music brands with history need to be marketed with an eye toward tomorrow

Learn to balance the past and present of your music brand for future success.

Brands with a long history require a tricky balancing act. For example, if a brand gets too weighed down by the past, it will have difficulty moving forward. If it has a legendary history that’s buried under layers of new products, new technology and management turnover, then an … [Read more...]

Are music brands annoying their social media fan base?

Five things you might be doing to piss off your audience.

Social media is, without question, one of the most powerful weapons in a marketer’s arsenal, especially when you’ve got a rock-solid content strategy to back it up. A successful social media presence doesn’t come overnight, of course. It’s an ongoing cycle of testing, measuring and finessing the program to … [Read more...]

Basic Tactics So Your Music Brand’s Website Won’t Suck

Five simple website tips for music brands.

If you don’t have a great website, you are missing new customers, growth opportunity and more revenue. But before you hire a web team, you need clear goals and strategies. Here are five basic considerations to keep in mind as you develop your musical instrument and equipment manufacturers website. 1) Convert or … [Read more...]

Five Ways Music Brands Can “Brandcast” with Periscope

The power of live streaming.

Full disclosure, I was quick to minimize Periscope when it initially launched. As a lover of social media in my personal life, I thought it was pretty cool—another fun way to post personal content and interact with friends and followers. I didn’t really appreciate its potential impact as a marketing tool. Then I took a look at the … [Read more...]