| In an issue of the trade magazine Billboard,
columnist Chris Moore once expressed his
bewilderment over the avalanche of new releases from independent
labels during the months
of October, November and December. Obviously, these record companies
want to take advantage of the holiday buying frenzy. The only
problem, argued Moore, is that the major labels choose
these same months to release most of their heavy-hitting new albums.
And who do you think is going to get most
of the attention at retail stores and on the radio during the
fourth quarter every year? You can bet it won't be the indie labels.
Moore's suggestion: Independent labels
should save their biggest moves for times when the majors are
putting forth their smallest efforts. He cited January, a month
when major labels are catching
their breath after the big holiday push, as being the perfect
month for smaller companies to act.
And he added this gem: "In guerrilla
warfare, the insurgents always stand the best chance of making
a successful strike when the other side is asleep."
I knew right away that I had read these
sentiments expressed before. So I picked up my copy of Marketing
Warfare (McGraw-Hill), one of many fine books by Al Ries and Jack
Trout.
Within its pages I found more ammunition
for this viewpoint: "Launch your attack on as narrow a front
as possible," the authors write. "This is an area where
marketing people have a lot to learn
from the military. Where superiority is not attainable, you must
produce a relative one at a decisive point by making skillful
use of what you have. The marketing army that tries to gain as
much
territory as fast as possible by attacking all at once with a
broad line of products will surely lose in the long run."
The philosophy here is simple: When you
are not the leader in your field, you can't possibly win by playing
on the same turf and using the same tactics as the leader. Instead,
you use the leader's
strength to your advantage by focusing your efforts on areas too
insignificant for them to bother with.
Plus, you won't succeed by trying to be
all things to all people. That broad-appeal, shotgun approach
doesn't work for indie bands and labels 99 percent of the time.
Your music won't connect with any one group of consumers strongly
enough to matter. That's why pinpointing areas where the big players
are weak is the best strategy.
Now that you're beginning to absorb this
their-weakness-is-your-strength attitude, I encourage you to start
coming up with ways you can use your small size to your advantage.
Where else could you be playing live?
Through what alternate routes might you get media exposure? What
types of new retail outlets could you approach to sell your CDs?
How might you package your next release to make it different?
Stop complaining about your lack of resources,
and start reframing your current situation into a position of
strength!
Bob Baker is the author of "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook,"
"Unleash the Artist Within" and "Branding Yourself
Online." He also publishes TheBuzzFactor.com, a web site
and e-zine that have been delivering marketing tips and inspirational
messages to music people of all kinds since 1995. Get your FREE
subscription to Bob's e-zine by visiting http://TheBuzzFactor.com
today.
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