December 08, 2009
Three Key Fan List Strategies You Need to Know
Used by a wide range of performers, from developing artists to international superstars, FanBridge is the leading provider of Fan Relationship Management services for musicians. With FanBridge, it is incredibly easy to manage email lists, mobile lists, and all your social networks from one place. FanBridge helps you get more fans, excite your fans, and keep fans engaged. FanBridge is free for small/developing artists and paid accounts start at just $7 for people with larger fan databases. ASCAP members also receive special discounts on paid accounts.
A mailing list is a powerful tool that many bands and artists don't take full advantage of. From maintaining an accurate list and creating great-looking email blasts, to regularly communicating with fans and directing them to the right places, there are many subtle and not-so-subtle strategies that can help artists develop successful and lasting relationships with fans. By following just a few fan list basics, artists can use their fan lists more efficiently to build a constantly growing mailing list of engaged fans.
#1. Own YOUR List! Social Networks are NOT a fan list.
We can't say this enough to musicians: Your friends/followers on MySpace, Facebook or Twitter aren't a real fan list! They are real people, but how much of their real info do you actually have? Can you easily view a list of everyone's real name, email address, location, phone number, etc.? The answer is no. MySpace, Facebook and Twitter are all great services and each has a different purpose, but when it comes to providing accurate, detailed information about fans and targeting specific groups, they fall short.
You should have a presence on these social networks, but they should be used to get fans to sign up to your fan list. Then you can use the networks as an additional messaging channel. Fan Relationship Management services like FanBridge enable artists to grow their own lists and also manage social networks all from one place. FanBridge clients are given html code that lets them put signup forms on their MySpace, Facebook or any other site so their fans can sign up directly to the band's own list.
Once you have built your own list, you can do amazing things with it that you can't on most social networking sites:
• Target messages by zip code and radius (so you don't need to blast your whole list about shows that aren't nearby)
• Schedule messages to be sent at a certain time (great for tours)
• Group fans based on custom criteria (street team, bloggers, groupies, etc.)
• Track your messages to see who opens, clicks and much more
• A ton of other cool features that save you time and help build your career
#2. Communicate Regularly
Most musicians know they should regularly communicate with their fans, but are often at a loss for things to say. We're here to tell you that what you say to your fans isn't as important as how regularly you talk to them.
Why do fans signup for your list? To hear from you!
When we look at the fan list size and growth of artists who communicate regularly and artists who don't, it becomes very clear that the artists who communicate with their fans regularly (whether it is once every two weeks or once a month) have lists that are constantly growing and more engaged (opens/clicks/purchases). Artists who only send an email every few months because they otherwise have "nothing to talk about" are the ones whose list sizes either stay flat or actually decrease.
Let us say that again: If you don't communicate with your fans often, you will LOSE fans.
When you do communicate with fans, don't always try to sell them something by only telling them about this show, that show and your new album. Develop a relationship with your fans by telling them about YOU. They want to be fans of your music and you as a person. Talk about other artists' albums you've recently listened to, funny experiences you've had on tour or activities/interests you're into that your fans might not know about. Come up with a "special" city of the week/month and explain why.
Make sure to use a service, like FanBridge, that includes a "Forward to a Friend" link in the footer of every campaign. This lets fans easily pass your message on to their friends, and services like ours will allow you to track who's doing it. It's a good practice to take this info and reward the people who are spreading the word about you. They're likely your most avid fans, and rewarding them will incentivize them to continue to promote you and your music among their own groups of friends.
#3. Include Links to Places You Want Fans to Go
This one seems obvious, but you'd be surprised by how many bands don't include a call-to-action and link in each message. You should include a link to your own website, your MySpace/Facebook/Twitter/etc. profile, your merch store, a place where they can download your music, your tour dates and anything else that's important. You'll be surprised by how much more traffic you get when you include links. All of these links don't need to be huge and at the top of the message (in fact, they shouldn't, since you only want to emphasize your primary call-to-action), but you do want to make sure you include them somewhere.
A service like FanBridge will make it incredibly easy for you to include links in your campaigns. For example, by checking one box, you can automatically include links to buy your music. We also track every link you put in a campaign, so you can see EXACTLY who clicked on which link in your message and when they clicked it. This is very valuable info that will help you target future campaigns to specific people based on their past actions.
Bonus Tip!
#4. Go Professional
Don't try to do it yourself using Outlook, Apple Mail, Gmail, MSN, Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL, Entourage, or even custom web server scripts. Unless you are skilled and knowledgeable in computer programming and email/mobile deliverability (and have a ton of free time), you are probably better off leaving the fan list management to a professional service and focusing on what you do best (which is making and playing music, right?). You want something that's simple, intuitive and will help you to easily and efficiently maximize the relationship between your fans and your music. And you don't need to pay an arm and a leg these days to get that.
We hope these tips will help you build valuable fan relationships, and we'd love to help you. We have a super friendly and helpful client service team (via phone and email) that is looking forward to talking with you once you sign up with FanBridge. If you are still not sure, here are 5 reasons why you need FanBridge
