Choosing the Right Times to Design and Display Tour Concert Posters
When an independent musician is designing a tour where the goal is to perform and engage with fans to promote the music, one of the important aspects of promotion is designing concert posters for each show. Tour posters are colorful graphic displays that provide information on your event to fans and evoke interest in the event among people. But what is the right time for getting these posters, designed, printed, and posted in different parts of the town? Below is a breakdown of some guidelines regarding the idea of the ideal timeline.
About two to three months before the tour
For the best result, it is advisable to design your tour posters some months before you begin your first show. This means that you have lots of time before the actual creation of designs not only for the art of creating designs but also for hiring a professional graphic artist if you wish to pay someone for his/her artwork. It also makes it possible for the team to avoid a stressful search for posters to be printed and displayed at the last minute.
If you already have in mind what each of the posters should look like and what kind of images should be included, share this information with your designer at the beginning of the project. Make sure to give them band photos, logo files, and any other visual content you would wish them to be added. In case you agree to let them go creative, you should provide them with some information about your music style, your music genre, your influences, etc to base their design on.
For this design stage, it is reasonable to allow 2-3 weeks for the designer to work on concepts and create a complete folder with the final poster for every show. This explains why you give feedback and ask for several cycles of iterations to fine-tune the designs.
6-8 Weeks before each show
Printed posters that you need to have are the ones to be handed out about 6-8 weeks before the concerts you have planned during the tour. Adding two weeks for printing and delivery time means that final poster files should be submitted to your preferred printing company 4-6 weeks before the show.
It is recommended to order about 4-6 weeks ahead so that if the printers have a load now or any other hold-up in completing the work then it will have time to get done. Climbing posters 6-8 weeks before the event means you have ample time to gather a team of people from your street team or volunteers from the music community to help you put up the posters.
This way, having your posters up for at least 6 weeks also makes people see them multiple times – they will be constantly reminded of your branding, name, and look. Consequently, repeated impressions build up the probability of getting a favorable recall when people come across other advertisements related to your show at a later time.
Where to Place the Tour Posters
You might be thinking – where specifically should volunteers focus 6-8 weeks posturing before each concert? Some of the highest visibility areas to consider include:
• Bars, nightclubs, and concert halls • Some of the current well-known local retail stores and eating places. • Coffeehouses and cafes • College campus buildings • Bars and pubs • Music stores • Other streets and roads when other events such as musical shows are being held • Telephone polls • Community bulletin boards
If your music has a more aggressive feel to it try using areas like lit street lamps, subway, or alley for that extra effect. For folk or country artists, interaction at country fairs, farms, or other rural community points can increase the artist’s visibility to its core audiences. If the goal is to maximize the number of posters displayed, the number should be estimated about the amount of foot traffic each location is expected to generate.
Continual Promotion Till the Shows Commence
You shouldn’t stop concert promotion just because you have put up your posters 6-8 weeks prior to the concert. Among the guidelines, in the 4 weeks preceding the tour stop, it recommended that team members go through the high-traffic areas to repost or replace any torn or taken down posters. Just print extras for replacements only so the first impressions aren’t worn out.
For each show’s week, intensely increase your exposure level via attention-grabbing methods such as sidewalk painting, giant posters at the entrance of the venue, and vertical banner stands. These will grab the attention of the people who attend the actual concert at the last moment and pedestrians nearby.
Besides, employ social media advertising and e-mail campaigns as the most active in the last few weeks before each performance. Do not use a single method of promotion as this will not have the desired effect.
Advertising for Extra Performances and Other Dates
Even as your tour picks up pace and you are making your rounds, there could be new cities in which you may include new concerts or shows that were previously postponed. Hurry up to repeat all the steps of postering making use of these new dates to the extent possible as soon as possible. At least sometimes it can help give awareness with just 3-4 weeks of lead time.
Place stickers on top of the existing posters that read ‘New show details’ and order small reprints of the existing posters for the quick batch. Reuse your printed documents if the dates are changed. Or it is useful to create, for example, posters as pre-formed “shells” with slots for replacing information labels. This makes it easy to change the dates.
Use the home printers or the local copy center for instant poster printing if you have last-minute requirements and just want simple text-only posters. Notably, they lack images but give fans essential details on events to be updated soon.
Post-Tour Merchandise and Memorabilia
Do not throw away more stacks you or your assistants had used in the previous times after your tour is complete. Band merchandise is always a must-have, and the tour posters are also some of the most sought-after souvenirs after a show has been done. It might be useful to sell prints to clients on the Internet or at future exhibitions.
Also, people derive value from postering in terms of retaining memories and in the use of posters as wall decoration. Autograph some for the loyal members of the street team who contributed to the marketing of each event.
Summary and Final Tips
Music marketing often involves the involvement of the musician and a limited market with fans on social media or in the community. While using good graphics to capture the attention of the target group, tour concert posters need to be placed at the right time and in the right area.
When preparing posters for your shows, ensure that you give enough time for design and printing so that you do not rush through the process. Then mobilize small bands of loyal supporters in the local territories 6-8 weeks before the showtime. Integrate postering with social media, emails, and other means to enhance the coverage.
Plan on changing your poster art on a whim for alterations to your touring schedule, and then use prior tour posters as another way to rekindle a feeling of nostalgia among your fans.
Through hard work and strategic timing, DIY postering will help the artist with little funds to promote his or her music in a way that always fills the venues each night. Here is a simple guide to follow when planning the optimal phases for the creation of excitement.
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