Seattle’s culture is inextricably linked to its music scene, thanks in no small part to its great venues like the Paramount, Neptune Theatre, the Showbox, Neumos, Chop Suey and many others. The local industry is further supported by great organizations and nonprofits that provide services, practice spaces and equipment, training and skills for musicians young and old. These venues, organizations, touring acts and local musicians alike have long turned to posters to help get the word out about their upcoming shows. It remains a staple of the industry’s marketing tactics for shows of any size.

Polite Society is a specialized marketing agency that focuses on street and experiential marketing techniques, which can help musicians get their music and message out to the public in creative and innovative ways. We can help you develop a comprehensive marketing plan and then implement it in an effective and efficient manner, including everything from setting up and executing guerrilla marketing campaigns to forging partnerships with local businesses and organizations.

When considering options for outsourcing awareness efforts, here are some of the most prominent benefits for a musician partnering with a street marketing agency like Polite Society:

Reach a Wider Audience: A street marketing agency can help you reach a larger and more diverse audience than you would on your own. Through our marketing efforts, you can reach potential fans you may have otherwise missed.

Word-of-mouth and artist social media pages are often heavily relied on by artists to gain notoriety, but how can they reach people that aren’t already familiar with them in some form? A pole poster campaign is a great starting point. These campaigns are cost effective and are a direct way to grab the attention of people who frequent the area.  People looking for weekend plans or fun things to do will be intrigued by a strong poster design that jumps out to them. Awareness is a huge part of getting people in the door for local shows, so this form of street marketing can help artists easily see a return on a small investment by reaching a larger audience than other methods they may currently employ on their own.

Wheat pasting is another medium to consider in tandem with, or instead of, a pole poster campaign. Wheat pasting has the added benefit of dedicated locations on utility boxes, meaning an artist’s event is featured alone instead of with a grouping of other shows and events on a pole. While this service has a slightly higher price point, the possibility of added benefits is worth considering if it’s in the budget.

Create Lasting Connections: Street marketing campaigns create a more personal connection between you and your fans. By engaging with them in a physical space, you can create a more direct response that will last much longer than a digital connection.

Messaging can easily be lost on the endless feeds of social media. However, street marketing is a direct approach to reaching an audience while creating more unique and personal engagement. In addition to pole posters and wheat pasting, hand-to-hand flyering is another great way to create this memorable connection with an expanding audience. Street team members can ensure that messaging is getting directly into the hands of consumers who may be less receptive to other forms of marketing. This more personal touch can have a greater influence on people by giving them a reminder to take with them rather than relying on their memory of a show date on a poster or social media feed.

Leverage Location: Street marketing campaigns allow you to target specific locations and tailor your message to that specific audience. This can be very effective in reaching potential fans in a certain area of the city or a specific demographic.

Street marketing offers the flexibility of giving musicians the ability to target specific neighborhoods close to music venues where they’re performing and reach people who are already frequenting or living in the area. These people are more likely to attend shows close to home or work, and posters can very easily remind them about upcoming shows and venue schedules. We regularly post in and around neighborhoods where prominent music venues are situated, reinforcing the local music culture and keeping awareness high.

Using a street marketing agency can be a powerful and money-efficient way to get awareness about your music out there and connect you with your fans. Polite Society can suggest a specific service or mix of services and suggest campaigns that are well within your budget. You can trust us to create an effective marketing plan and get your message to the right people in the right locations. If you’re looking to expand your reach and develop meaningful relationships with your audience, consider using street marketing for promoting your next show.