Is email the killer app for selling music & gig tickets?
Blog by Music Business School under Artist Managers, Live, Selling & Distributing Your Music
Having a social media presence is a must-do activity in the music business today, however the returns from social media in terms of selling tracks and getting fans to gigs is being questioned by some. In this article, course leader at the Music Business School in London, Steve Melhuish gives us some tips on digital marketing that might offer you a higher return for your investment of time and money that all that tweeting and FB updating...
A new report out just this week will have many in the music business scratching their heads for the way it turns much of what we’ve been told in the last few years about online marketing upside down. Distilling the report from US research firm Custora down to one line: A well run and managed email list and a great website of your own are the killer tools you need to connect with new fans that will buy your music and attend your gigs.
Relating the report to the music business, it showed that people on an email list click through to make a purchase at a rate of 11 percent higher than via social media and that they go on to being long-term fans. Another interesting statistic was that music fans are more likely to find you via a search on Google than via your social media efforts.
Relating the report to the music business, it showed that people on an email list click through to make a purchase at a rate of 11 percent higher than via social media and that they go on to being long-term fans. Another interesting statistic was that music fans are more likely to find you via a search on Google than via your social media efforts.
So let's focus just on your email list, as this can be one of the most effective and yet most inexpensive forms of marketing your music and your live shows. I’m going to assume that you already use a service like MailChimp and that the email sign-up on your website is clear and easy to find. If not then these are the first two things that you should deal with. Now let’s get on with giving you some quick and simple ideas to get things moving for you and help you grow your mailing list.
Use A Graphic Designer
Having a great looking email is paramount for grabbing your fans attention. You can get the services of some talented graphic designers that won’t cost an arm and a leg online. It’s really worth getting them to set up the look and feel of your sign-up forms and the template of the email that you are going to use during a campaign. You want fans to click through and buy your music and attend your gigs and great graphic design can make a difference to how successful a campaign can be.
Having a great looking email is paramount for grabbing your fans attention. You can get the services of some talented graphic designers that won’t cost an arm and a leg online. It’s really worth getting them to set up the look and feel of your sign-up forms and the template of the email that you are going to use during a campaign. You want fans to click through and buy your music and attend your gigs and great graphic design can make a difference to how successful a campaign can be.
Create a Schedule
Creating a schedule of when you are going to send stuff to fans allows you to plan enough time to prepare the text that is going into an email, plus it allows your designer time to get things laid out to best effect. Allow at least two weeks between starting on your design and text and when you want to send it. That way there is enough time for checking that everything is as it should be, all the links work ok and you’re not panicking the week before a tour about getting your email out to fans.
Creating a schedule of when you are going to send stuff to fans allows you to plan enough time to prepare the text that is going into an email, plus it allows your designer time to get things laid out to best effect. Allow at least two weeks between starting on your design and text and when you want to send it. That way there is enough time for checking that everything is as it should be, all the links work ok and you’re not panicking the week before a tour about getting your email out to fans.
Offer Something Different
Swapping an email for a track is great but we all have an email address that we use for sign-ups that we don’t check too often, right? Make it clear that you’ll be sending stuff out that they will want to hear about. Perhaps occasional free tickets to gigs or even a secret gig just for people on your mailing list. One campaign I know of asked fans to pick their favourite t-shirt design with one person who voted winning a VIP pack. On that particular campaign one design was a clear favourite with fans and sold out in short order.
Swapping an email for a track is great but we all have an email address that we use for sign-ups that we don’t check too often, right? Make it clear that you’ll be sending stuff out that they will want to hear about. Perhaps occasional free tickets to gigs or even a secret gig just for people on your mailing list. One campaign I know of asked fans to pick their favourite t-shirt design with one person who voted winning a VIP pack. On that particular campaign one design was a clear favourite with fans and sold out in short order.
Your Mailing List Fans Must Come First
If fans give you the email address that they check daily then they place high value on you. Reward them by making sure that they always are the first to hear about live shows and new music. Create limited offers that they get first access to and always allow a couple of days for them to respond. You’ll be amazed how they will respond.
The Music Business School in London teaches a new accredited qualification called Managing a Music Business Enterprise (MMBE). In units 11 & 12 of the MMBE at Music Business School we look closely at digital marketing and we dive into these strategies and issues in depth with detailed teaching and specialist guest speakers. Our next course commences 4th September 2013. You can organise a visit to Music Business School and a chance to meet course leader Steve Meluish now.
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music business school, music industry training, music business, music qualification, steve mulheish, music courses, email marketing, music promotion
