In today’s marketplace, artists, brands, and promoters have to get creative in order to stand out from the crowd and reach their target audience. The proliferation of free and cheap online marketing channels has made it easier for everyone to market their products and services, but this proliferation has caused an information overload.
Would be customers and buyers are bombarded with impersonal emails, Facebook invites, and display ads, and they tune out. What’s a promoter to do?
Enter the street team.
A street team is a group of passionate people who promote and market an event, product, etc… Working a combination of both online and offline tactics, street teams help get the word out on a much more personal and direct level:
- Hanging posters and other promotions materials around town
- Distributing flyers at relevant concerts and shows, and throughout local businesses
- Posting and sharing stickers with friends
- Inviting Facebook friends to events, and to like Fan Pages
- Sharing links and event fliers on Facebook and Twitter
On social networks, on the street, and on message boards – street teams work for you to generate buzz and hype on a peer-to-peer basis. It’s word-of-mouth, but organized and executed by you and your team.
Street teams typically work on a volunteer basis. Usually, it’s a passion for the artist, venue, or festival that drives a team to get involved and help spread the word.
To help inspire their passion, teams often work for non-monetary incentives, which can include things like free concert tickets, products, merchandise, meet-and-greets, and more. (For ideas on how to incentive your street team, check out our blog post on Street Team Incentives).
Street teams are a powerful way to engage your most passionate fans and help spread the word about your event. With the right combination of passion, action, and incentives, they’ll be a win for everyone involved.
Do it.
