Introduction & Brand Overview
This marketing plan focuses on the development and promotion of myself, a writer-producer with a practice rooted in analogue inspired production and authentic creative processes. The aim is to draw attention to multiple aspects of my creative output, including production for other artists, original music and wider collaborative projects.
The campaign is structured around a series of short form videos, showcasing new musical ideas as well as collaborations with other artists and producers. In doing so, the campaign aims to respond to an increasingly polished and AI assisted music industry by presenting raw and ‘unfinished’ sounding tracks in an engaging and accessible format (Aristake, 2025). It seeks to position the creative process as a central part of the brand identity, emphasising the importance of the human aspect of the creative process and to display unconventional and natural approaches to the creative process.
The brand identity is built around three core values.
- Authenticity – prioritising raw and honest creative output.
- Transparency – sharing works in progress as well as documenting the creative process.
- Imperfection – embracing flaws in the creative process and as a fundamental aspect of artistic development.
The primary audience of this plan will be young creative practitioners within the independent music niche, particularly those with an interest in DIY or Lo-Fi production. Due to social media’s reach, this could extend to a broader audience of music fans and emerging artists from a diverse set of backgrounds. The campaign aligns with a growing social media trend towards independent content, where audiences engage with both the final product as well as the behind the scenes development of the artist’s music.
Competitor & Market Analysis
Across social media platforms, there is a growing niche of music creators using hybrid analogue and digital recording setups, such as Tascam Porta-studios or vintage microphones to portray an authentic representation of one’s music (DevelopDevice, 2026). This space is characterised by an emphasis on DIY production aesthetics and short-form content formats that highlight creative processes.
Within this space, creators such as @zoesbrothersband and @milaculpa operate as relevant competitors. This is due to their embracing of DIY aesthetics and use of analogue recording equipment, as well as their implementation of short form content as a method of advertisement. Another relevant example of analytical performance within this niche is Leeds based Lo-Fi production company Contact Buzz. The brand centres around recording stripped back, Lo-Fi renditions of artist’s music, using analogue tape and Lo-Fi aesthetics. As a relatively new brand, it provides a useful benchmark for expected reach and audience engagement.
Benchmarks are based on an average derived from the first 10 TikTok videos of comparable creators within this niche, excluding clear outliers to avoid skewing the data with anomalous viral content. This data was taken on 11/05/26.
| @milaculpa | @contact.buzz | @zoesbrothersband |
| VIEWS ~ 519.3 LIKES ~ 50.3 COMMENTS ~ 1.7 ENGAGEMENT RATE ~ 10% | VIEWS ~ 609.9 LIKES ~ 23.2 COMMENTS ~ 1.2 ENGAGEMENT RATE ~ 4% | VIEWS ~ 2528.2 LIKES ~ 224.6 COMMENTS ~ 8.1 ENGAGEMENT RATE ~ 9.2% |
The use of a consistent visual identity and series format is also expected to improve the audience retention and recognisability, as demonstrated by @nuffermusic’s ‘New Riff Everyday’ series. This series significantly increased his view counts and engagement rates, and has since allowed him to use this platform to promote original music, as well as collaborations, both of which this campaign also aims to achieve.
Based on these analyses, consistent content formatting, visual identity and authentic representations of ones music appear to be key factors in audience growth within the niche I aim to operate in. These insights serve to inform the development of the initial strategic goals, as well as the projected KPIs.
Strategic Goals
Drawing on the calculated engagement levels identified in the competitor analysis, the projected analytics will be positioned within the observed range, interpreted in relation to key structural differences in my campaign such as the series based content strategy as well as collaboration driven content.
To calculate Key Performance Indicators a forecasting method will be used, using both quantitative and qualitative datasets, as a result of a lack of previous campaign data. This method draws on the calculated engagement levels identified in the competitor analysis, alongside observed performance ranges in comparable digital content. Rather than presenting fixed datasets, the KPIs for this plan are presented as predicted performance ranges, informed quantitatively by industry datasets, and qualitatively by the non-linear nature of early content creation.
The overall views range from ~519.3 to ~2528.2, with projected performance expected to sit towards the lower to mid-range, due to a lack of an established audience base as well as limited platform engagement history.
| Objective | KPI | Target | Measurement | Timeframe |
| Increase audience awareness | Total video views | 500-2,500 average views per post | TikTok & Instagram insights | 8 weeks |
| Build audience engagement | Engagement rate | 8-10% | Relevant platform analytics | 8 weeks |
| Grow follower base | New followers | 100-250 | Social analytics | Campaign duration |
| Strengthen Brand identity | Posting consistency | 3 weekly posts across platforms | Content schedule tracking | Continuous |
These goals are intended to establish clear and measurable indicators of audience awareness, engagement, growth and brand development during the initial campaign phase.
Theoretical Framework
The campaign is informed by both the STP (segmentation, targeting, positioning) model, and the AIDA (attention, interest, desire, action) model. These theories allow for the identification of intended audiences and the developing of a content strategy which encourages engagement and growth across all relevant digital platforms.
STP
Rather than targeting a broad mainstream demographic, the campaign focuses on digitally engaged independent music communities who value authenticity, experimentation and transparency.
Demographically, the campaign is aimed at a predominantly gender neutral audience of emerging musicians and independent music listeners. (Audiencenet, 2018) Behaviourally, the audience is characterised by active engagement with music discovery and short form creative content, with Audio network blog suggesting that independent music culture has grown significantly with the advent of digital platforms, where audience engagement is often driven by accessibility and artist interaction. (Audionetwork, 2024)
Although the target market is smaller than mainstream commercial music audiences, niche communities can display stronger engagement rates and higher brand loyalty. Lewis suggests that smaller audiences can result in higher engagement and sustained community development. (Lewis, 2025) This is as a result of niche creators catering deeper relationships with their audiences, as well as the nature of the independent genre focussing around the artist and their experience rather than any one style of sound or direction. This makes the segment more accessible through reducing reliance on a high advertising budget, and prioritising direct artist to fan communication.
The campaign’s positioning is primarily symbolic and experiential. Symbolically, the brand being founded upon authenticity and creative transparency allows the campaign to focus on enhancing the ego or self image of the customer, by allowing the consumer to perceive oneself as supporting independent, grassroots music. Experientially, the intimacy, imperfection and collaborative aspects allows audiences to feel involved in the creative process. By prioritising transparency and collaboration, the campaign aims to establish an emotional connection and improve audience engagement, differentiating the project from more curated and polished music marketing approaches. This approach also borrows from guerrilla marketing, utilising low cost, unconventional marketing tactics to further develop engagement. (Square, 2020)
AIDA
Within the AIDA model, audience attention is generated through visually and sonically distinctive short form content designed to stand out in algorithmic social media feeds.
Through a blend of analogue aesthetics, raw visual presentation and unconventional production clips interest is maintained, allowing audiences to observe the development of songs and creative ideas over time.
Desire is created through the presentation of authenticity and human imperfection within the music and visuals. By foregrounding unfinished works and collaborative experimentation the campaign aims to develop a strong emotional connection with fans who value perceived authenticity and creative independence.
Finally, the campaign encourages action by promoting audience collaboration, reinforcing the campaign’s community focused identity as well as supporting long term audience growth.
Planning & Campaign strategy
The campaign rollout will occur over a 5 week period, and is outlined in the Gantt chart below. Once the rollout period has concluded the campaign will move into a regular content schedule, posting content three times a week across the relevant platforms.
The campaign will start on TikTok and Instagram, with room for expansion onto platforms like Youtube further into the brands lifespan. This is because TikTok supports broader audience reach, whereas instagram is more focused on cultivating a consistent following and developing a core community.(Vytas, 2026).
The content will be structured around variations on the short form content format, including but not limited to
- Work in progress music to serve as an advertisement of my brand.
- Collaborations with other artists, including original music, covers and production work.
- Production breakdowns of original music and showcasing unique production tips or methods.
In order to keep the brand identity consistent, all visual media will focus around vintage aesthetics, indicative of both early digital cameras and film.
Following the brand setup period, a consistent content posting schedule of 3x a week will be maintained by using a batch recording method. This allows for efficient scheduling of posts, as well as acting as a contingency through the creation of a content backlog
Promotional materials
All displayed promotional materials are placeholder and act more as samples than post ready content.
An example of the potential setup for collaborative content. The top down angle and warm, saturated tones leans into the authentic aspect of the brand, whilst the laptop on display indicates transparency. This would further be improved prior to posting by higher quality editing, captioning as well as the utilisation of analogue equipment.
Simple webcam footage of a work in progress idea, recorded through repurposed headphones as opposed to a microphone. This would serve the attention aspect of the AIDA model well, as it is an atypical approach to recording. This would be further improved by improved colour grading, correct aspect ratios and additional musical layers.
Printing of Cassettes, would be improved by the creation of custom cassette tape cases, likely by hand to integrate within the DIY aspect of the brand identity.
Financial Planning
Costs
| Category | Item | Estimated Cost (£) | Notes |
| Content Production | Decor + Lighting | ~200 | One time purchase to allow for consistent visual identity |
| Audio Equipment | Tascam Porta-Studio or adjacent DIY Recorder. | ~350 | Contributes to brand identity + could improve reach by aligning with niche audio community. |
| Branding | Canva Pro / design tool | 10-12 a month | Canva pro subscription approx. 10-12/month |
| Marketing | TikTok/ Instagram paid ads | 50-200 | Based on meta ads and TikTok ads minimum budgets |
| Merch | Cassette production | 100-300 | Long term financial option encompassing both original music as well as being a service for others. |
Costs are estimated using a combination of industry standard pricing ranges, publicly available subscription fee information and typical UK consumer market averages. As this is an independent campaign, figures are presented as flexible ranges rather than fixed values to reflect variation in the scale of production and promotional intensity.
Revenue
| Revenue Stream | Estimated Annual revenue (£) | Basis |
| Production / Collaboration work | ~200-1000 | Freelance production work generated through increased visibility and collaborations |
| Merchandise (Cassette tapes) | ~100-500 | Based on small batches of cassette duplication and direct sales to audiences in niche indie communities. Could be cassettes produced for myself or for others through my production work. |
| Sample Packs / Digital Products (long term) | ~0-300 | Long term monetisation opportunity through the development of a unique sound. Audiences can watch the development of a sound and then purchase the ability to recreate it. |
Revenue projections are conservative due to the campaign’s focus on long term audience cultivation as opposed to immediate financial return. Independent music marketing strategies often prioritise audience engagement, community and brand recognition in early stages before engaging in monetisation practices. As a result, projected income is presented as flexible ranges, similar to the expenses section.
Evaluation
Whilst the campaign’s emphasis on reaching niche communities is likely to improve engagement rates (Lewis, 2025), it could also limit the potential growth ceiling of the brand, resulting in a smaller but more engaged community. However this could also benefit the campaign’s aims as influencers with smaller communities averaging a much larger return in regard to brand endorsements (HBR, 2024). The campaign is also algorithmically led as well as independently managed, meaning in the event of a reduction in performance metrics, creator fatigue may reduce long-term campaign sustainability.
Overall, the campaign is likely to achieve the goal of promoting my work as a writer-producer to the independent digital music industry. The emphasis on authenticity and anti-AI stance positions the campaign within relevant social contexts, allowing for the alignment of the brand with the target audience. The short form, DIY content method also adheres to the AIDA model, as by creating a distinctive brand identity, the campaign is able to achieve and maintain audience attention and interest
Bibliography
Adobe (n.d.) Creative Cloud plans. Available at: https://www.adobe.com/uk/creativecloud/plans.html [Accessed 4 May 2026].
Aristake (2025) AI tools for musicians study. Available at: https://aristake.com/ai-tools-musicians-study/ [Accessed 11 May 2026].
AudienceNet (2018) Genre audiences and engagement. Available at: https://musicbiz.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/AudienceNet_GenreWebinar.pdf [Accessed 4 May 2026].
Audio Network (2024) Features of indie music. Available at: https://blog.audionetwork.com/the-edit/music/features-of-indie-music [Accessed 13 April 2026].
Contact.buzz (n.d.) Instagram profile. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/contact.buzz/ [Accessed 11 May 2026].
Vytas (2026) Instagram vs TikTok for creators. Available at: https://creatorflow.so/blog/instagram-vs-tiktok-for-creators/ [Accessed 4 May 2026].
Develop Device (2026) Latest trends in global music production: The 2026 producers guide. Available at: https://developdevice.com/blogs/news/latest-trends-in-global-music-production-the-2026-producers-guide [Accessed 4 May 2026].
Indeed Editorial Team (2025) AIDA model example. Available at: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/aida-model-example [Accessed 13 April 2026].
Indeed Editorial Team (2026) What is STP in marketing? Available at: https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/what-is-stp-in-marketing [Accessed 13 April 2026].
Jones, S (n.d.) How much do TikTok ads cost? Available at: https://thegoodmarketer.co.uk/blog/how-much-do-tiktok-ads-cost/ [Accessed 4 May 2026].
Lewis, S. (2025) The power of niche influencers: Why brands prefer smaller engaged audiences. Available at: https://www.foam.io/blog/the-power-of-niche-influencers-why-brands-prefer-smaller-engaged-audiences [Accessed 1 May 2026].
Milaculpa (n.d.) Instagram profile. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/milaculpa/ [Accessed 11 May 2026].
Nuffermusic (n.d.) Instagram profile. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/nuffermusic/ [Accessed 11 May 2026].
Oliveira, P. F. (2025) Canva pricing guide. Available at: https://wise.com/gb/blog/canva-pricing [Accessed 11 May 2026].
Phlanx (n.d.) TikTok engagement calculator. Available at: https://phlanx.com/tiktok-engagement-calculator [Accessed 11 May 2026].
Square (2020) What is guerrilla marketing? Strategies and tactics. Available at: https://squareup.com/gb/en/the-bottom-line/reaching-customers/what-is-guerilla-marketing-strategies-and-tactics [Accessed 14 April 2026].
ZoesBrothersBand (n.d.) Instagram profile. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/zoesbrothersband/ [Accessed 11 May 2026].
