[This article was written by Jonathan Sexton, co-founder of Bandposters.]
So you booked a tour, 12 dates along the east coast, and you’re hitting the road in a couple months. You’ve added your tour dates to Bandsintown or Songkick, shot out Facebook and Twitter posts, maybe you even cut a short video to help advertise. You’ve double-checked your music is already distributed to digital retailers via CD Baby, and you’ve printed up a couple hundred CDs to take on the road. T-shirts are sorted by size, the van went to the mechanic, guitars are all strung up and ready to go. You’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes; it’s dark, and you’re wearing sunglasses.
But you’re forgetting something: posters.
Wait, what? Bands still make posters for their shows? You better believe it. And here are 5 good reasons why.
Your band needs to make posters for your next show or tour because…
1. Nobody in Poughkeepsie knows who you are. Sure, you sweet-talked the venue into booking you, but you better hope a couple dozen people show up to the show or you’ll probably have a hard time booking there next time. We’re assuming you’re not from Poughkeepsie, of course.
2. The venue expects you to do it. It might even say this in your contract, if you have one. At the very least, do it out of courtesy to the hard working folks who booked you. It’s the least you can do, and it makes them super happy.
3. Posters are far more likely to reach people than a Facebook event. Sure, social media is a great and cost effective option for promoting your shows, and you should absolutely utilize it. But unless you’re spending some cash, it’s tough to get seen on Facebook, especially in an area where you may not already have a bunch of fans. Posters are well-targeted at people who are already visiting the venue you’re playing, have great taste in music like yours, are likely to go to shows, and almost certainly live nearby.
4. It’s cheap. It costs less to poster for a show than it does to buy lunch for the band at McDonald’s. And you can design, print, and ship directly to all 12 of your shows in about 90 seconds or less. Seriously.
5. Posters are awesome. They’re collectible. They’re signable (you are doing that, right?). They’re even sellable (posters make kickass merch, with much higher margins than T-shirts). And if a fan hangs one on his wall, he’s advertising you to all his friends.
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All this to say that posters make a really great way to quickly, easily, and cheaply advertise your show directly to interested audiences, gain exposure in new markets, and make venue owners incredibly happy.
CD Baby artists get a 20% discount on printing your next batch of show posters
At Bandposters, we let you design, print, and ship posters directly to the venues, for just 15 bucks a gig in 90 seconds or less. Whether you’re playing a single gig in your hometown, or going on the next leg of your 100-stop tour, we can get you on the road faster. It’s one less thing to worry about, and more time for making music.
Take 20% off your first order when you use the code CDBABY20 at checkout.
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