Are Facebook Ads the New Touring? Podcast Episode #19
In episode #19 of the Music Marketing Manifesto Podcast we are going to take a look at Facebook advertising and the notion that it is to modern independent musicians, what touring has been in decades past.
Now before all you road veterans get yourselves all worked up in the comments below, I am not hear to suggest that touring is a bad thing, or is somehow no longer effective. Far from it. Touring is a healthy part of any career.
That said, in decades past, touring was really the only path to market. Because of platforms like Facebook Advertising, that is no longer the case. Moreover, because touring is simply not an option for many artists because of financial, familial, medical, or career related considerations, Facebook advertising represents an opportunity for more musicians to get their music heard and be the artists they ultimately aim to be.
That said, Facebook Advertising is not as easy as many make it sound. And if not done correctly, it can be a fantastic way to throw good money down the drain.
In this episode we are going to take a look at many of the potential profits and pitfalls of the platform, and discuss the many different ways Facebook advertising can be used to ultimately grow your fan base and generate more income.
To listen to the interview just go to iTunes >> Search “Music Marketing Manifesto” >> and subscribe. The episode should start to download immediately. You can also click here to find the MMM podcast on iTunes.
You can also listen right here on the site. Just click the play button below. (Note*** For more player control please listen in iTunes)
[display_podcast]Or if you prefer, you can download the episode directly to your computer. Just right click and save.
And as always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Does Facebook Advertising represent an attractive alternative to a life on the road or is it just another opportunity to lose money promoting your music career.
The MMM is based on facebook paid advertising, am I right? But now more and more people use different adv blocks software. Personally I use. Does it mean that Facebook adv.campaigns would become less and less effective?
Hi Ihor,
Great question. MMM is based on several things, but when it comes to traffic, specifically paid traffic, yes I prefer and recommend the Facebook ad platform.
While there will be a few people using ad blockers, this wouldn’t necessarily make your ad campaigns less effective. For one, I imagine that anyone within your audience targeting who is using an ad blocker, will never have the ad displayed for them, which means that it won’t count as an impression in your stats, and therefore not have any effect on the stats you are tracking. Which means that you’ll have accurate stats from the people in that audience, who aren’t using ad blockers.
Let me know if I can ever help with anything else.
Very interesting article John, you should make your podcast available on Google PLay as well for us Android users 😉
Thank you for this, John, it’s definitely opening my eyes to the potential, which has felt out of reach for so long!
Hi Nate,
Great! I’m really happy to hear this has sparked some new ideas for you. I really appreciate your interest as well.
Let me know if I can ever help at all.
John, its been a while since I opened up MMF and have lost my log in details, have new email, etc.. How would I go about recovering all my membership info to watch the tutorials, etc? Please advise.
Hi Don,
Steve here from MMM Support.
Please drop us a line at support@mmmanifesto.com .
When you write in, please tell us which email address you ordered your membership(s) under and we’ll gladly either locate the member accounts for you, or send you links to register new accounts with your new email address.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you John….Recording new album at moment….will get back to you when ready to promote again….Cheers.
Sounds good Andy. Good luck with the album.
I used FB advertising once, w zero conversions. I’ll be interested in your views.
Hey Dale,
Many people struggle with Facebook ads, and there are a number of reasons why this can happen. I am putting together a video about this now and will post it in the next few days. Keep an eye out for it.
FYI– The last two podcasts are not working in iTunes. They come up as being only 1 sec long. That may just be a temporary problem (or something only I am seeing) but I thought I’d give a heads-up just in case something was really wrong.
Hi EKS,
I can see that they are coming up as 1 second long for some reason. I think the feed is just pre-populating that field with an error. But the podcasts itself is working fine in iTunes for me and the many listeners that have written in about it. Are you not able to listen to it in Itunes? Thanks for the heads up.
Hello John,
Again helpful information, thanks fo that!
Looking forward to Music Ads 2.0..
Kind regards,
Clemens Hoffman
Thanks for listening Clemens. Catch you in the MAW members area 🙂
John, it sounds like helpful information. Not being a techy, I couldn’t make it come up, but I read and appreciate allyour posts.
Hi Janet,
Where were you having trouble accessing the Podcast? You can listen to it by searching Music Marketing Manifesto in the iTunes store, or you can listen to it via the player above. Let me know if you’re still having problems.
I know you say Facebook advertising is easy but it confuses the hell out of me and I, for one, can’t wait for your workshop.
Hey Scott, not at all trying to say it;s easy. There are a lot of moving parts there and it can be confusing when you’re just getting going. But once you do have a handle on it, it is pretty painless. I more mean to suggest that the traffic itself comes easy, as compared to every other option out there. Thanks for listening and for your interest in the Music Ads Workshop.
I will take a listen! My band has done some advertising with Facebook. We have seen a lot of results in website click etc…BUT no conversions..that’s a toughy!
Hey Paul, Thanks for listening. That’s definitely the challenge. Traffic is easy, conversions are key. I will be posting a new video in the next few days in which I address exactly the problems you are describing. Keep an eye out.
Good to hear this. Hope it will burst out to better results for musicians.
Thanks for listening Cohoumlan.
Thanks, John! I’ll be exploring this more deeply. While I still tour, there are times when it is simply not financially sustainable. We all face an “interesting” future, don’t we? :>)
I definitely hear you there. An interesting future indeed. Thanks for listening Scott.
Hey John,
Thank you for another great Podcast Episode – I will def. be attending M.A.W. 2.0
Thanks Brian. Glad to hear it!
John, you are doing fantastic to get 300 people to your shows! I’m doing well to get 7 people to show up! Hal Merrill
http://www.halmerrill.com
Hey Hal,
Yeah, it can be rough out there. I’ve had my share of sold out shows, and I’ve had my share of empty rooms in the middle of nowhere. It’s all fun in hindsight, but not always so fun when you just realize you have driven 300 miles to play for 6 people 🙂
Thanks for listening.
very informative. I will be participating in Music Advertising 2.0 before I start creating ads
Happy to hear it Bruce. Catch you in the workshop.
Hey John, this was helpful. These ads work but I see how to better dial these in now. I was just fooling around with it and the reach is amazing, and I was not even doing these correctly. Thanks for the tips.
My pleasure Matt. Thanks for listening.
thanks so much for the advice i think i see where i have been going wrong with the adds.
invaluable advice!
Happy I could help Stephan. Thanks for listening.
Wondering how this would apply with a niched market like the blues circuit?.. festivals… connect the dot clubs….roots concerts….We do NOLA music, no youth oriented R&R…FB is for an older audience for sure! great stuff…
Hi James,
In my experience, the more niched out you are, the better your ads will do. Some of the most consistently successful genres I have seen go through my programs are blues and jazz, specifically because it is so much easier to get the head of a blues fan, as apposed to something as broad as “singer songwriter” or “rock and roll”.
Thanks John. I definitly see the potential with Facebook ads. This has given me a lot to think about. Looking forward to Music Ads Workshop.
Glad to hear it Charlotte. Thanks for the interest in MAW.