According to the study published by eMarketer.com, email was still the medium that people most used to share. And I do not question their findings. Personally, I pay more attention to promotion and marketing that I find in my e-mail than in the overcrowded social networking sites. So what does that mean for musicians? It means you should not focus all your energy in building a kick-ass Facebook profile. You should also make sure your newsletter is really, really good.
Here are some tips how:
Categorize
Do not send invites for your concert in New Orleans to everybody in your list. Not all of them live or live close to New Orleans and those who do not will probably get pissed right away and unsubscribe. Make sure your lists are very specific. Make a list for hardcore fans, for new fans, for fans for specific locations, etc. And make sure that when you send specific e-mails, you only select the ones that won’t get annoyed to receive such newsletter.
The Right Tools
Here are some of the best online tools that can help you create and organize your e-mail list: FanBridge, Mail Chimp, and Constant Contact. They allow you to segment lists, construct great looking e-mails with graphics, and track all sorts of data about your e-mail list.
These tools will allow you to see which people open your e-mails the most, which links they click on, if they forward to things to friends, and much more. By using these tools, you can track which strategies are most effective. If you notice that one fan opens everything you send and clicks on all the links, maybe that person would be a great addition to your street team, or maybe they deserve a free ticket to your next show. Always reward active fans.
Call to Action
So what’s the goal of your newsletter? What do you want your readers to do right after reading it? Do you want them to purchase your new single? Say so and give a link to your iTunes or website. Other examples of call to action are: inviting them to click a link to your Youtube video, selling concert tickets, buying your discounted merch, etc. Don’t have more than two Call to Actions in one e-mail to make it more effective.
Don’t Overdo it
Unless you have something very important to share (you just got invited to Coachella or you reached $12million in 3 days in Kickstarter), don’t share more than once a month. Because seriously, what more interesting news can you give them? Don’t annoy your loyal supporters.
Give Something in Return
So how do you get more e-mails? Most of us want to keep our e-mails private. Nobody wants to receive spam, or worse, get his e-mail hacked. That is why most of us are very hesitant to give our e-mail addresses. The best way to convince your fans to write down their e-mail addresses is by giving them a token for doing so. During concerts, you can give stickers and other cheap collectibles in exchange for their e-mail addresses. You can also announce mid-set that anyone who signs up for your e-mail list will have a chance to go with you during a tour…or something. For your website, you can just give them a free download, app, or game in exchange for e-mail address.
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