Any person mildly versed in marketing or promotions will tell you that an online presence is necessary for getting noticed. However, it seems that the information superhighway is so gridlocked that your link might never make it on the acceleration ramp. Whether or not you’re blowing up online, it might be time to take your show on the road. You don’t need a hefty advance from a book publisher or an outrageous 360 deal from a major record label to turn your online presence into mobile success. With a little planning, you can organize a fun and rewarding summer tour.
Here’s are major keys in planning your own creative tour:
Consider your connections
The first time you thought about sharing your work with the world, you probably took to the internet. Whether you uploaded a song to SoundCloud, a sketch on DeviantArt or simply posted a poem on your Facebook status, somehow you knew the internet was the perfect venue. When you started spreading all those awesome links, you probably started with the people you know. This is a good place to start when planning your summer tour.
Think about who you know and where they’re located. Try to target cities where you have a familiar point of contact. Maybe you have a friend from college that has lots of connections in town and can help you set up a performance at a local bar. Maybe you have a regular customer that you’ve never laid eyes on, but who would be happy to help promote a pop-up shop in their city in exchange for a small incentive. Even if your local connection can’t help secure a venue or hand out fliers, couch surfing at a few stops could help save money on hotel costs.
Hop on the bandwagon
How many times have you seen a photo captioned with a completely unrelated but popular hashtag? Use this logic when planning when you’ll hit the cities you have mapped out. Looking for a unique way to gain new fans? Try shopping your music at the San Francisco International Hip-Hop Dance Fest. Take a bundle of your pro-black T-shirts to the Colorado Black Arts Fest, and do work.
You want to make the most of every stop on tour, so it’s just as important to find out what events won’t work for your brand. You don’t want to arrive in town selling sweet tea during the Lemonade festival.
Other things to consider
If you’re planning to set up a pop-up shop or sell your items on the street, be sure to find out if any permits are needed. You don’t want to end up being cited for violating city codes.
You’ll also want to make sure your method of travel is conducive for your delivery. If you planning on showing off your spoken word talents, you might need no more than a notebook. However, peddling large canvas artwork could be tough if you’re traveling by plane.
The bottom line? It’s possible. Organizing your own creative tour doesn’t have to cost a fortune, but it’s bound to be extremely rewarding.
