Senior graphic designer, Olly Clapp, tells us how the lessons learnt from marketing his own music and understanding the importance of knowing your audience help shape the work he does for We are Fred’s clients

Tell us a bit about what you do: 

About 10 years ago I started dabbling with music production. I’m in no way a musical person, but I found an artform in being able to sit in front of a computer and direct data and information in a way that harmonises and creates a song.

With no real strategy in mind I started posting my tracks on online platforms. This was back in 2010 when most artists were working hard to monetise their music. I spotted a gap in the market and decided to break the mould by posting my music for free. I designed some pretty impactful artwork to market the tracks and put them out there on various platforms.

This set me apart from other music creators and the tracks quickly gained momentum. They were picked up by a team of developers who wanted to use them as background for online games in South East Asia – you can still hear my tracks on arcade dance games and mobile apps.

How did you make this happen?

Gaining so much exposure in Korea and across South East Asia is not at all where I envisaged my tracks ending up. But what it did was open my eyes to a huge untapped market that I had no idea existed before.

I spent months doing extensive market research, getting to know the industry and becoming part of an online collaborative community. Not only is the language barrier a tough one to overcome, but there are also significant cultural differences to understand.

Marketing is something that is driven by the end user. Right from the start of any project it’s important to consider who you are tailoring it for. If you haven’t identified who your audience is, then it’s never going to work. You also need to map out where the marketing strategy needs to go. As a designer, marketing changes how you think about the user journey and experience and this has a huge impact on the final design.

How did you decide the most effective way to reach your audience?

Once I had spent quite a bit of time identifying who my market was, I found that using really bold and colourful designs and using flashy animations was going to be the key to resonating with my audience. Rather than trying to tell my story in words, I found that in Asia using this fast, quick-moving imagery was the sure-fire way to capture attention.

Timing was also key. Understanding the various cultural nuances to know when my audience was on and off line. Essentially my genre is dance music, a weekend-event driven genre, so posting during the week was far more effective than putting up content on the Friday or Saturday. 

How has your marketing strategy evolved over time?

All of the efforts with my music have been very much focused on digital marketing. But over the years the platforms that pack the biggest punch have changed and evolved along with my music.

When I first started out, Facebook was my biggest focus. It was the best way to tap in to these introvert communities. But now, thanks to hefty monetising of the popular social media channel the efforts are heavily diluted and not as its as lucrative for opportunities as it once was.

The pace of social media has stepped up a fair few gears in the 10 years that I’ve been doing this. The ability to be able to jump onto things quickly and intercept trends and conversations is much more prevalent now. You need to be savvy, engaging with the right people at the right time and getting them to share your posts. I’ve learnt that it takes a lot of leg work to get social media right.

How does this help you advise We are Fred’s clients today?

I have no doubt that my music success has been driven by my decision to share my tracks for free in the beginning. I’m not suggesting everyone should offer their product or service for free. But for me, making such a bold move instantly undercut everyone else in the industry, set me apart from the competition and helped me gain a loyal following.

My strategy has changed and evolved over time but what I have learnt on this journey is that before you even put pen to paper, you need to understand the parallels between user profiles and user journeys. The importance of knowing this when it comes to marketing and transferring the skills to my clients is paramount. If you don’t understand this user experience, then a marketing campaign is doomed from the start.

Doing your market research and really stepping into the shoes of your clients to determine what makes them tick helps you create a great marketing campaign that builds loyalty and engagement. You know who your end user is – their interests, their likes, dislikes, the way they like to consume information right down to the best time of day to reach them. The product is determined and it’s roll-out strategy formed from the very beginning using this information.

Finally, there is no one size fits all model when it comes to marketing. Every company we work with comes with its own unique message, story and audience. We spend a lot of time at the beginning of any relationship deciding what the most effective channels are going to be. Whether its digital, including websites, social media, video; or print, brochures, leaflets or advertising.

Nine times out of ten it’s a combination of all of the above and more. But the more time we spend at the beginning, working out the best way to reach your audience and the story we want to tell them, the more effective your campaign is going to be.