May 24, 2024
How can you ensure that your digital marketing campaigns cut through all the online noise?
In this age of multimedia content, delivering a mix of value-driven content and head-turning visuals is a given—but what about music? Adding well-chosen music to your marketing campaigns can help you strike the right notes and set you apart from the competition.
With short-form videos growing in popularity on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, choosing snappy compositions that grab attention and spark engagement has never been more important.
But picking music for your digital marketing isn’t always a case of simply picking a song you like and laying it over a video marketing campaign, digital ad, or piece of social media content. You need to be mindful of the legal rights and boundaries.
Here, we’re going to look at the right ways to source music that can bring your campaigns to life.
“Music is the great uniter. An incredible force. Something that people who differ on everything and anything else can have in common.” —Sarah Dessen, Just Listen
We all love a good piece of music. And it’s amazing how a melody or series of notes can have such a profound effect on us. Music can evoke a strong sense of emotion and is proven to sharpen our cognitive health, and help you relax and feel more motivated.
Add the right track, melody, or sounds to your digital marketing content and not only will you breathe fresh notes into your messaging, but you’re also likely to create a stronger brand connection.
This can also lead to:
This powerful piece of video marketing from outdoors brand Decathlon, for example, was enhanced by its emotionally driven choice of instrumental music. The piece earned huge engagement and amplified its core message in the process.
Also, Starbucks’ ‘Every Table Tells a Story’ campaign video rang out clearly with a soft yet meditative musical backdrop that perfectly complemented its visuals and storytelling. This informed choice of music cemented the ad's gentle yet evocative feel, really driving the brand message home. Choosing the wrong piece of music would have undermined that ad’s visuals.
Now that you know how powerful a force music can be when it comes to your digital marketing efforts, let’s look at how to source the right sounds for your campaigns and content.
Before you start sourcing music for your digital marketing campaigns, consider your aims, goals, and audience. This will help you narrow your search for the right sounds while ensuring you end up with music that enhances your content.
Before sourcing music for your digital marketing content, ask yourself these questions:
First, see if you can source music from Creative Commons libraries and public domain sites. You can often use public-domain music as long as you credit the artist or pay a small fee.
A wide range of composers and musicians distribute their music for free through Creative Commons music licensing, and there are several platforms to explore.
Creative Commons (CC) music and stock music serve similar purposes. They both enable marketers to find music for their campaigns without having to compose or license original music.
However, there are some key differences between the two:
So, while both CC music and stock music provide options for finding music for projects, the main differences lie in licensing terms, cost, quality, and attribution requirements.
Tip: You should always double-check the specific licensing information for each piece of music you consider using. Each platform will provide information on the specific type of licensing related to each piece of music.
Some will offer licensing for a small fee, while others will simply require you to credit the artist clearly within your marketing content or campaign.
To understand each specific piece of music licensing in more detail, check out the official Creative Commons website.
In addition to being touted as the new search engine for GenZ, TikTok boasts an extensive library of music, foley, and sound effects to add to videos.
However, while there are over 500,000 pieces of music you can potentially add to your videos, you need to carefully navigate the advertising restrictions. To ensure you’re able to legally use a piece of music from TikTok’s ever-growing sound library, you need to apply the right filters for commercial use.
Tip: Visit TikTok’s Creative Center to discover the most popular audio for commercial use to tap into current trends and earn more engagement with your content.
Patagonia, for example, makes consistently cohesive commercial music choices to fit the theme and tone of their video ads on TikTok.
Instead of sourcing music from libraries, you could consider approaching artists directly for a possible brand collaboration.
Use the same approach that you’d use when working with any other influencer. For example, make sure you choose artists who align with your brand image and values.
If you find the right artist, you might secure high-quality music that invigorates your brand and extends your reach. And you could tap into the artist’s existing audience.
By reaching out to micro music influencers who you feel would fit your campaign, as well as your brand image, you’ll help your marketing campaigns stand out while tapping into communities that are likely to engage with what you have to offer.
Iconic guitar brand Fender, boasts a long list of collaborations with musicians (it does fit the brand mission after all), including this one with Bruno Mars.
Sometimes, you just can’t find the exact piece of music that you need for your content. In these cases, why not commission a brand new piece of music? This gives you greater freedom to ensure the music complements your message.
If you’re specifically looking for a relatively short piece of instrumental music, explore talent marketplaces such as Fiverr, Twine, Bark, or Upwork. These are cost-effective places to source talented composers for your marketing needs.
To help ensure that you get the very best return on investment when working with composers, here are a few tips to consider:
Once you’ve found a suitable composer (or a small pool of composers), you can commission completely original music to use at your leisure.
American Eagle commissioned popular solo artist Katherine Li to recreate a version of her hit song ‘Happening Again’ for an ad campaign to tap into the hearts and minds of its target audience.
To summarize, here are some top tips to consider when sourcing music for your marketing efforts.
Always make sure the music you use aligns with your brand image and the emotions you want to evoke from your audience.
What kind of music resonates with them? Research popular music genres within your demographic.
Always check licensing terms before using music. Find out if attribution is needed for a song or arrangement, and if you can use it for commercial purposes.
Grainy or unprofessional audio will only serve to derail your campaign or content. So, take your time and get your music from reputable sources.
Copyright infringement can lead to legal trouble. Only use music with the proper licensing.
Music should enhance your message, not overpower it. Choose music that complements your visuals and messaging. Your music should work in harmony with every other element of your campaign.
Consider where the music will be used. For instance, an upbeat composition that is musically busy might not work well for a long explainer video, but could be perfect for a punchy social media ad or more visual video piece.
If you follow these tips and carefully explore all the avenues available to you, you should be able to find the piece of music that strikes the perfect note for your campaigns!
“Where words leave off, music begins.” Heinrich Heine
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