Success as an Event Organiser or Concert Promoter depends on communication with the world outside. Sadly, it makes little difference how good you are at actually organising the concert, if people are not impressed. On the other hand, there is little benefit in fancy marketing if you have a poor club venue or festival. In this chapter we will take a closer look at the realities of the organisation, compared with the public's perception.

Organising clubs and festivals is a puzzle with many components. Together the pieces must form a whole that is the venue's identity. This includes everything from Artists presented, stages and venues you use, to marketing, the public attending the concerts, ticket pricing, merchandise on offer, and more, which altogether make up the Promoter's profile.

Content is more important than packaging! A good product is the heart of all marketing. So, you must also have a very acute understanding of what you are presenting, where and when. The key partner here is your audience. Your audience are the people you are organising the concert for. If the public fail to attend the event, that is a serious failure.

Public preferences are not set in stone, but constantly changing. As a Concert Promoter you can influence this process by challenging and educating the public. To reach that position, it is important to be active and ahead of the game.

If you have not already made a thorough assessment of the goals and target audiences, now is the time to start. All marketing efforts are basically about knowing the audience you want to reach, and laying strategies for how to reach them.

Your graphic profile describes all visual materials presented by the Promoter. Graphic materials may include posters, flyers, program folders, press releases, advertisements, webpages, formal letters, and merchandise. Large organisations will generally have a settled design program, describing their entire graphic presence to the last detail, with instructions how to design all printed material. For many Concert Promoters this may seem unnecessary, but the idea makes sense. People must be able to see who the brochures are from, and immediately understand what they represent. The essential point is to recognise that design and language send out signals, about the venue, the music, and the organisation as a whole.

The main element in the graphic profile is the logo. A good logo is simple and clear, not too big, not too many colours, readily recognised on all types of printed matter.

Once you have established your name and logo, it should not be changed unnecessarily.

Basically, all brand-building consists of making a product name known, and creating positive associations with it. In the Promoter's world, this is the name of the Event or Club, or a relevant Concept. Only your imagination can set the limits here, but there are some classic methods. You should at least include your logo on all materials issued. That how the logo gets seen and hopefully recognised. The next step is to develop your own profiling articles, like tee-shirts, key-rings, lapel buttons and similar. Again, your imagination is the limit.

Obviously, the musical profile is an essential factor for any Concert Promoter. The music you present also strongly influences your other profile choices. Basically there are two ways to approach a booking process. In theory we can describe it from a product-oriented point of view, or from a market-oriented approach. The first is easily understood. You book quality artists and want to present them to your audience. Here you need a marketing apparatus to convince the public that the concerts are worth a visit. The other method is to study the market, and identify needs. If many people enjoy a given genre, then you offer Artists within that segment, regardless of what you like. Perhaps a combination of the two approaches is to be recommended. The clue is to challenge the public with something they have not yet learned to love, but also deliver a sure winner when appropriate. Give and take.

All communication with the surroundings helps shape people's impression of the organisation. The best way to ensure that the message is consistent and correct, is to develop a sound and comprehensive description of the organisation and the activities you engage in. As a minimum, this should be well understood by and accessible to company directors and should be restated in licensing applications, your Annual Report, press release packs, and so on. Combined with a clear graphical profile this will make sure you are recognised and that people gradually learn what you stand for.

It is important that everyone who communicates with the public understands the common profile and strategy for marketing. All spokespeople must be on the same page to make it easier for the public and partners to share the message you want to impart.

Whenever possible, it is a sound policy to involve volunteers, crew, partners and the general public. Sharing information before publication is a good way of building ownership among volunteers and stakeholders. Positive statements by Artists who have visited previously, vendors and audiences are at least as valuable as all other marketing channels. Therefore, it is vital that all involved act with professionalism and are well informed.

You must always provide your affiliates with the information they need when they need it. Once you have made a booking of an Artist, let the fact be known. If you run into economic difficulties or have cash-flow problems, tell your vendors and other affected parties. If you want to reallocate public grants, ask first to make sure that it is acceptable to do so. Inform, be honest, and work as a team, that is the way to mitigate against unnecessary irritation and distrust.

The traditional form of marketing for concerts and events is via billboards and flyers, and these remain key elements in a comprehensive communication strategy. In combination with digital marketing and nurturing the press, printed material can raise the profile of the event to catch people's eye. Think strategically when putting up posters and handing out flyers: Who do you want to reach? When and where will your target audience be present?

Event calendars online and in the printed media are another important platform to remember. Just like posters that you walk past, event calendars provide information you may hardly notice, but the more you see the message about an event, the more likely it is to stick in your mind and persuade you to attend.

Internal communication about the event can provide positive results, for example in a closed Facebook group, or on shared forms in Google Drive or Dropbox.

Try not to underestimate the importance of having a website and newsletter. A well-functioning webpage should be as uncluttered as possible, easy to navigate and informative. The public, your booking agents, the Artists themselves and others visit the site to get addresses, contact details, programs, timings and tickets. The newsletter can work well to spread information about program release dates, changes, and to send out reminders for upcoming concerts. A wide range of social media can be used to link up with the newsletter.

Remember to document your events with video and photo posts, for your own channels but also to share with Artists and press on request.

Nurture firm contacts in the local and relevant press. Personal contact makes it much easier to penetrate through the mass of news tips and press releases, especially now that cultural news receives ever less space and getting your voice heard is so much harder. Take into account that reporters are pressed for time, and look on them as partners. Pitch your message well in advance, and try to think like a reporter when promoting issues.

Many reporters want exclusive scoops of news stories, so it may be smart to have an open dialog with different media about that. Most traditional media have editorial meetings every Monday morning, so try to time your pitch comfortably before this happens. Don't be afraid to telephone to follow up on press releases and pitches by email. While it is okay to be persistent, always remain friendly and understand that the press have their own priorities, too.

The five classic news criteria can provide a good starting point for a press release or media pitch. If your story includes several of these criteria, there is a bigger chance that you will be received with open arms by the press:

• Conflict: Conflict will generate emotions and reaction, often resulting in people choosing sides and thus becoming involved
• Significance: meaning that the matter is interesting to your target group, and it affects people
• dentification: the more we can recognise ourselves in a story, the more interesting it will be
• Sensation: a sensational story will often garner much attention. A story that surprises people will expand organically.
• Topical: the story must be topical and agenda-setting.

When pitching news it is useful to have the journalist's basic rules at the back of your mind:

What is happening?

Who is it happening with?

Where is it happening?

When is it happening?

Why is it happening?

How is it happening?

Typically, the structure of a press release is reminiscent of an upside-down pyramid. The key message is at the top. If anything needs to be trimmed down, this is usually done towards the end, leaving the key information in place. A press release should have the same layout as a regular news flash, with headline, introductory paragraph (kicker), and several paragraphs organised under subheads. Be as concise as possible, polish the content, and give prominence to quotes from your Press Officer/ Board Chairman/ Booking Manager or organisational Spokesperson. Remember, too, the contact details and brief details about the Promoter/ Organisation. Attach high-definition press photos and logos, for instance using a link to a drop-box or other file-sharing means, so as not to swamp the recipient's inbox.

Headline (conclusion)

Introduction/ Kicker (most important)

Paragraph 1 (next most important)

Paragraph 2 (less important)

In 2016, almost everyone has one or several accounts in social media. In this segment, we will examine the channels we believe most important for Event Organisers and Concert Promoters, and assume you already know something about the channels in general terms. If you run more than one channel, and have a presence on multiple platforms, it can be useful to download sophisticated software, such as Hootsuite, to simplify keeping track of all channels, and assemble statistics. Remember that different platforms need different, tailor-made modes of communication. All platforms must be elements in a larger campaign strategy, so you can align the announcements that work best on each platform.

Facebook

Facebook is by far the most accessible channel for most people. Some 81 % of Norwegians have a profile on Facebook, and 86 % check their feed daily. Even among the over-sixty age group, more than 60 % have a Facebook profile.

Facebook statistics (insights) is a useful tool for anyone wanting to get the most out of the channel. It provides information showing when your followers are logged on, when they respond to posts, what posts they respond to, who they are, and where they are. To build a faithful band of followers, and to be sure that Facebook's algorithms assist your posts to reach out and get shown, you need to be consistent when publishing. You should never forget that public engagement engenders the greatest reach, so do not underestimate comments and shares. To garner the interest you crave, you must give the public what they like.

Don't forget to update the pages you use on social media with the latest versions of the graphics specs. Facebook constantly changes format and sizing. Here are the most recent specs for Facebook graphics: https://www.facebook.com/PagesSizesDimensions/

Native video on Facebook always results in great reach because it is a priority on the system. Posts with your own photos generally also get greater reach than simply posting links to news items or sharing other people's pictures.

This past year, live-streaming on Facebook has become steadily more prevalent among musicians and Concert Promoters. This is a simple way to tease the public by showing what they are missing, and can be broadcast directly from a smart phone camera.

Live-streaming on Facebook automatically gets broad range because the algorithms are designed to push live events up the feed. In this sense, Facebook is competing with YouTube for publication of video content, and therefore it is smart to publish videos on both platforms, or perhaps post short clips on Facebook (max. 15-30 sec recommended), with links to YouTube using bit.ly or similar. By using bit.ly or smart.url, clicks on the link can be tracked, and you get an even better idea of how the posts engage with the audience.

The chat and message system on Facebook also works well for communication with the public.

Competitions on Facebook can be an attractive way to get people involved, and give something back to the audience. However, you should be aware that rules exist for such competitions. The legislation has been amended recently (in 2015) and you can now:

• Invite people to enter competitions by publishing on the company's timeline, or by commenting or liking a post on a company timeline.
• Invite competitors by sending a message to the company page on Facebook.
• Use the number of "likes" to determine the winner of a competition.

On the other hand, you are not allowed to tag or invite people to tag themselves in content in which they are not pictured or discussed.

Instagram

It is now a long time since Instagram passed Twitter as one of the most important platforms to be present on, and now Instagram is also owned by Facebook and the two are well integrated. Instagram has now also developed a direct messaging (DM) system that can work well in communication with the public.

You should use your profile description to state what you are currently offering, with a link to the program, latest news, etc. Both videos and stills work well on Instagram, but you need to experiment to determine what content works best for your audience. Still, there are a few general tricks that all should know. Professional photos with clear colours, clear contrast, authentic content and faces attract the most likes. Good examples of photos that work well include meetings with Artists, audience snapshots, behind-the-scenes shots and more. Other cheap tricks to garner likes and engagement are to post animals, nature shots, celebrities, memes, GIF images, and more.

Both Facebook and Tumblr enjoy excellent interaction with Instagram, meaning that you can enhance your broadcast range by sharing selected Instagram content on those two other channels.

Hashtags are well established in Instagram and represent a powerful means to add a lot of additional interest in your images. Casual Instagram users may discover your pictures by searching hashtags. Here is a list of the most popular hashtags on Instagram: https://top-hashtags.com/instagram/

Also, check whether relevant, pre-existing hashtags exist in the local community that would be helpful for what you are offering. These must be used with caution, too many hashtags will soon irritate your followers. You can establish your own hashtags to get the best possible interaction with your audience and arrange for their pictures of your festival or venue to be displayed when the App search function is used, making them easy to identify for others.

Geotags are another easy way to appear in the feeds of casual Instagram users, to induce more followers and likes. Remember also to tag bands and people in the photos, to generate greater spread, since that photo will then also appear in their profile.

InstaStory is a fairly new function in Instagram that is almost identical to the MyStory function in SnapChat. InstaStory is shown to many more users than actively follow you, and has great reach.

There are many Apps on the market that provide simple ways to improve your posts even more. Popular examples are VSCOcam, Snapseed and Adobe Photoshop Express. Other Apps, like Repost, Followers, Latergramme, WhenToPost and Prime can be useful to optimise the timing and see the statistics for your profile. Instagram's own Layout, Boomerang and Hyperlapse, are excellent for cool effects. For relevant analytics, visit the websites Iqonosquare or PicStats, which both work well.

Posts from Instagram can also be embedded and used on other websites.

Advertising in Instagram is done via the Facebook Ads Manager.

Twitter

Twitter is still popular among many and for that reason it is important to have an account, so others can tag you, and enable links to other platforms. The average lifecycle of a tweet is 18 minutes, so clearly much time and resources are needed to keep an account alive at all times. In recent years, Twitter has mostly been the province of journalists, politicians and commentators. Even if you do not use Twitter actively for debate and to stay engaged, it is still a platform for the dissemination of news about programs and current events. You need to have about 5000 follows to draw benefit from creating your own hashtags in Twitter. For that reason you should use existing relevant hashtags. Check what's trending and make use of trends whenever relevant. Posting photos directly on Twitter occupies a large space on the feed and therefore the impact is impressive. Do not link to photos posted on Instagram.

Twitter Polls: This function is fairly new and can be used to ask the public to give an opinion about your event, or vote on the Artists they would really like to see in concert, by using Twitter.

Snapchat

The most relevant public Snapchat profile for a venue or festival is MyStory. Posts in MyStory are available for 24 hours. Make sure you have an open profile so that everyone following you can view what you publish. Try to limit your Story to one or two minutes at any time, as this is the maximum time that people will pay attention. Personal content, personal meetings and behind-the-scenes photos and videos are attractive to viewers.

Snapchat Geofilters works so you can establish geographical footprints and time slots for your event. Create a graphic based on your festival or venue, using the logo, and establish your own geofilter at: https://geofilters.snapchat.com/

Snapchat currently lacks a good way to generate analytics and statistics. But you can find out how many visitors have seen your MyStory.

Youtube

YouTube has become one of the most popular social media channels, especially for younger users interested in gaming and make-up techniques, but with growing numbers of YouTube users finding it a primary source of music. When used correctly, it can be a prime channel for promotion of events. Many festivals and clubs take pride in documenting events by posting videos afterwards, which are suitable for use on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube alike. YouTube also has an excellent live-streaming feature. Remember to clear performance rights with Artists.

For updated specifications about channel graphics, this is the link: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2976827?hl=en

The key to reaching the top of the search list is the number of views, number of likes and dislikes, name and description (the first two lines are what is displayed). Self-curated content can work well on YouTube, so it is important to be creative and reach your target group. Content containing relevant Artists for your venue, play lists with current music, and other readily-appreciated video content are good for building a channel of viewers. Use tags and detailed descriptions for your channel to entice more visitors. Advertising and optimisation of the channel are important in order to explore the full potential of YouTube. Embedding videos on your website is a convenient way to share videos on multiple platforms. 

YouTube is directly linked with Google+, so remember to keep your profile updated there. The channel is well optimised with YouTube, enabling you to share material in both channels automatically. The result is greater reach within Google, and your profile is visible on the right-hand side in Google searches.

Here are a few useful examples of how event organisers can tap into YouTube:

Primavera Sound: https://www.youtube.com/user/PrimaveraSoundTV

Ultra Music Festival: https://www.youtube.com/user/UMFTV

Sziget Festival: https://www.youtube.com/user/szigetofficial

Google AdWords

AdWords is Google's way to advertise in the search engine and an effective way to increase visibility on the internet.

Use Google's own Guide to get started with AdWords: https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/6349091?hl=no

Search Engine Optimization SEO

SEO is an abbreviation for Search Engine Optimization. It involves optimising in and around a webpage to reach a higher place in the search listings produced by Google and other search engines. Check how your webpage is performing by searching for simple phrases and keywords where you want Google to find you. Use the tools on this page to improve your search ranking: http://pusabase.com/blog/2013/01/22/2013-free-seo-analyzers-25-tools-to-score-your-website/

Google Analytics

To measure traffic to your website you can consult Google Analytics, a free program that gathers statistics about visitors to your webpage, showing where they clicked from, what pages they opened, and how long they stayed.

For further details of Google Analytics and how to use the tool, see: http://www.google.com/intl/no/analytics/

Advertising on Facebook and Instagram

Advertising is a large part of Facebook's user interface. Click on Facebook Ads Manager and try it for yourself. The advertising system in Facebook has a huge range of options for incisive targeting of audience segments. The most effective way to use the system is to boost a post or create specific ads in the Facebook feed. Now you can also enable conversion tracking, optimisation and remarketing in a Facebook pixel. Learn how to proceed at: https://www.facebook.com/business/a/online-sales/custom-audiences-website.

Use the Facebook statistics function to monitor how well your ad is faring, and retarget it later depending on the result. That will bring you the greatest possible Return on Investment (ROI), which is a highly prevalent expression in the marketing industry.

Read more about advertising on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/business/

Advertising in the printed media and other digital platforms, apart from your own, can have a positive effect, combined with other marketing strategies. The key thing is that the placement is relevant and you reach your audience.

Music streaming services

Spotify in particular is well designed for sharing in social media, curated play lists and optimisation of branded profiles. For more information about Spotify brands, consult: https://spotifyforbrands.com/us/

For useful case studies of how to use Spotify for brands, consult: https://contently.com/strategist/2015/03/20/5-brands-that-are-killing-it-on-spotify/

Musical.Ly: is an App that has exploded in use among the youngest followers this year. Youngsters are building social profiles by documenting lip-sync videos of famous tunes.

Flickr: This is an excellent tool for documentation and sharing of photographs with the press.

BUBBLES

• Panorama and 360 Photos and Videos
• Blockchain
• VR (Virtual Reality) technology
• Crowdfunding
• Direct messaging (WhatsApp etc)
• Periscope
• YouKnow, Twitch.TV og Chew.TV
• Shazam