Promoting Club Nights in a Digital Age

Promoting Club Nights in a Digital Age: Marketing Tips and Strategies From an Independent Club Promoter

Words by Harvey Todd

Keywords:

• Differentiation 

• Branding

• Authenticity

• Personal Connections

Charlie Holmes of Mi Casa Glasgow delves into industry tips and secrets behind promoting club nights through various media channels within a rapidly growing digitalisation of marketing strategy and events promotion. Sharing insight to the power of personal connections, branding/ identity and networking, Charlie explains how he and the Mi Casa Glasgow team have been able to consistently promote their welcoming and fun DJ nights at an abundance of Glaswegian venues.

Having hosted familiar names in the form of Tommy Villiers (piri & tommy), Céleste and DJ Streaks (who boast a collective rate of over 1.1 millions monthly listeners on Spotify as of Feb 2024), Mi Casa are no strangers to providing the streets of Glasgow with electrifying underground sounds that run late into the night.

https://open.spotify.com/track/5mfGEs5n647v4WE3K5YmBy?si=b271b0dc972a4e08

However, these nights would not exist without the hard graft of raising awareness and creating excitement as a result of careful promotion from the team. Charlie unveils the methods of leafleting/ flyering at University halls of residence, social media advertising and traditional networking as the most effective means of packing out their monthly club nights. 

“I’ve found that you can achieve a much larger reach with social media ads for the same price (£40 for 300 flyers or £40 for 4,000 Instagram accounts reached). Having said this, flyering in public allows for personal connections to be made between the flyerer and potential consumer.”

Having a recognisable brand and identity is crucial to stand out within a competitive environment. Charlie comments on how Mi Casa have been able to achieve a consistent communication across their social media channels to create a familiar image:

“Unfortunately, nowadays just playing good music won’t get you far in the scene. Your brand is what draws people in, a strong clear brand message with appealing artwork will always help.  With Mi Casa we’ve always displayed what we’re about, making sure to have a photographer at each event to capture the madness. People know what they’re getting with us. That seems to work well too.”

Charlie mentions that ensuring a club night has a clear and consistent message is important too in terms of differentiating from the vast options of nightlife available within a vibrant city like Glasgow, where promoters need to let people know why they should choose their event:

“We have always kept Mi Casa’s brand ethos to be inclusive, safe, and welcoming, and don’t take ourselves too seriously. This offers people an alternative to ‘thumping techno’ nights that seem to have become very popular over the past few years, especially in Glasgow. Mi Casa is a good entry level club night for those wanting to get into dance music and get away from commercial clubbing.”

 “A lot of new club nights seem to come and go, mainly due to the fact that they’re playing the same tunes and booking the same acts as everyone else. You need to stand out and give people a reason to trust you. Especially in the middle of a cost of living crisis where consumers are very selective with their spending.”

Being a DJ as well as a promoter, Charlie notes the role of authenticity in encouraging crowds to fully buy into a brand, likely leading to higher engagement levels on social media platforms. In terms of making connections and expanding your network within any music-related industry, Charlie recommends attending events and physically meeting people as a much more meaningful and effective method:

“It simply comes down to connections, a lot of people sit behind their phones, posting content on social media, reaching out via DMs, this can help but the best way to start is to go to local events. Meet the promoters, DJs, introduce yourself and be sound. Personal connections with people in the industry will go further than emailing a mix/club night proposal to your local club.  Find a niche, there are hundreds of people all wanting to throw the same club night. Make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons, not for ‘clout’ or cash. People will recognise this quickly”.

Catch Charlie perform at Mi Casa’s next event as part of Glaswegian duo ‘Knees Up’ at their St. Paddy’s day event on Sunday 17th March in La Cheetah, Glasgow. This event sees a collaboration between Mi Casa, Club Serotone and Hold On tight! Tickets available from Resident Advisor.

Takeaways:

Try and differentiate your brand and club night, what can it offer that competitors don’t?

What can it provide for people emotionally? (Togetherness, inclusivity, intimacy, connection, an all round good night of fun and energy?) 

The best way to get your foot in the door is to attend similar events and meet people, grow your network by introducing yourself to other industry members and showing that you have an interest to get involved with the scene. Next, it’s always a good option to follow them up on social media/ e-mail as a reminder and incentive to get chatting.

A mix of traditional marketing methods including posters, flyers and leaflets can be most effective when paired with a clear and consistent message across social media channels in the form of paid advertising and brand building on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

Most importantly, being authentic to yourself and your own values will take you a long way within not just the nightclub industry but across all genres, where you will always inevitably meet like-minded people that share the same passion, goals and mindset as you.