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On the street teams I have been on they ask me to come up with a Marketing Plan. They want to know what I am going to do with the promotional materials they send (or don’t send) and then make sure I follow through with it.  In other words, only put in the plan what you are really going to follow through with. A good example of this would be “I will check into and in store performance” rather than saying “I will get them an in store performance”. Also, you really want to think about what type of music your artist plays and gear your marketing plan accordingly.

In your marketing plan you will want to outline specifics, like where you will hang posters. What you will do with social media sites. Who and how you will get someone to hear the artist’s music. Record stores, music stores, book stores and coffee shops are really good places to start.  You will also want to come up with an “out of the box” idea for promotion. We will highlight on a few of those ideas later.  So think posters, handing out flyers, if there are stickers, and you will wear your band t-shirt every chance you get. Put all of those simple things in your plan, you can always add more to it later. But make sure your plan stands out. You don’t want to sound like you are going to just do the basic promotion, as they may not pick you to be on the team.

Always type a marketing plan as you are typing it to impress. Always use professionalism!! They will see that you mean business that way. If you do a great job with your plan and show them that you accomplished everything you outlined. In the end, it will not matter how many tickets were sold, they will see that you are serious and next thing you know….someone else will be contacting you to be on their street team!

Is your artist/band an independent or are they signed to a record label? Once you answer that question you will need to find out how to sign up for their street team officially. Don’t just assume that because you say you are on a street team that you are going to get the recognition for promotion you have done. You need to find out if there is an official sign up. If there is an official sign up then you can ask for things, such as official posters, hand bills, stickers, etc.  If you don’t sign up or they don’t know you exist and are doing it you will have to pay and print for those things yourself. Now, we are not trying to discourage you from telling your friends about an artist you like, but if you really want to get in there and help them make it, you will want to do it the right way.

So are they independent or signed? If they are independent check their website for contact information. A management company or PR agent, anyone that will help you get the things you need to promote them properly. Don’t be afraid to call or email. Just tell them you want to help out and will do so without compensation! Most artists are starving anyway, and cannot afford to pay you. Do not get into street teaming for the swag….you will be disappointed. But do it because you want to help them succeed. If you get swag because of your efforts then it will be a nice surprise!!  So, back to the independent artist. Once you have contacted someone let them know you want to help and ask what you can do to help in your city to promote them.  Make sure they have your name, phone number and address so they can contact you and send you the promotional materials.

If you are going to promote for an artist that is signed with a record company, get on the record company’s website and find out who to contact there to get signed up.  I know a great record company is ATO Records, they have a link that sends you right to their street team application. They actually have you apply to be on the team, they take it that seriously! So pretend you are filling out a resume, and BE PROFESSIONAL!! They do not want fans that are in it for fame or just to meet the artist/band or to get swag. They want fans that have their heart and soul into the music, because they make the best street teamers!

Welcome to Streetteamtips.com!!! What is a street teamer?? A street teamer is a dedicated music lover who would like to help his or her favorite musician/band develop a bigger fan base. Being on a street team is a great opportunity for a fan that would like to get more involved to help. Responsibilities can be from as simple as hanging a poster or to actual tour coverage in their home city. This is a blog about how to street team effectively and help your favorite artist/band get more fans.  Hopefully this blog will give you some insight on how to use the social networking sites (Twitter and Facebook), posters, print media and other out of the box promotional ideas to bring attention to the artist. We will show you how to connect with local businesses and how to get them to help you spread the word!!

First things first, you MUST have a Twitter account and you MUST have a Facebook account! Now, I don’t care if these are separate accounts or you use your own personal accounts, the point is you need one of each. The more followers you have on each the better!  So, If you do not have Twitter and Facebook accounts set up, go and do it now! Then come back and we will have future posts about exactly how to use these two sites to work for you and your artists.