Speaking to Your Fans Through More Than Your Music
By FanBridge
We all know the experience, whether it’s the time you were sitting by the
open window on that stormy Sunday and spent hours writing that song about
your ex (who you just had a feeling was also watching the rain), or that
other time when you finally quit (or got fired) from that part-time job
with the jerk manager, and just spent the entire evening focused on
finishing a song you started a couple months back, before work took over
your life.
These are the moments that transform your life and add depth to your
music. These are the moments that your fans can connect with, and are
willing to give their time and money to hear. These are the moments that
define your message to the world.
This said, your music alone is just one way that you can get your message
to the world heard. It’s just one way to keep people interested in what
you have to share. The problem for most musicians though is keeping their
fans interested in their music outside of live shows and CD release
events. This is when taking the time to manage and communicate with your
fans proves to be just as valuable (if not sometimes more valuable) to
building your music career then the time you spend writing and playing
your music.
Are all your fans listening, or just some?
This question has two parts. The first part is to figure out what your
fans actually care about knowing when it comes time to communicate with
them. The better job you do in creating messages that include content fans
really want to know about, the higher the chance they are going to want to
open and read your messages. In the next section below we have included a
mini-checklist that you should always keep in mind when communicating with
your fans.
The second part to answering this question is to figure out if you
messages are actually getting to all your fans in the first place. Your
fans could be more dedicated to you than U2 fans are to Bono, but if your
emails aren’t getting past SPAM filters and are not getting sent through
reliable servers (the tech hardware that send out emails) then you might
as well write your message on a piece of paper and throw it directly into
the trash bin.
So, it becomes vital that when you send your messages you send them
through a company that can ensure the highest levels of deliverability
(which is something that many indie-bands forget, but none of the major
labels overlook).
Think about it like this, you can get 40% more fans to go to shows or buy
your music just by switching to a company that can get you 40% higher
deliverability. You don’t have to get a single new fan, and yet just by
being smart about regularly communicating with your fans using the right
email list management company you can make much more money!
What do fans want to know?
The answer to this is pretty much exactly what you might think, with a
twist. Fans already like your music, so there’s no need focus only on
selling them on it. Remember, fans don't just want to know where to get
your music, they want to know where YOU got your music...
Here’s a basic checklist that we have created for what all musicians
should be communicating to their fans about once per month throughout the
year:
- Tour schedule/info (even if you’re not on tour, info about future tours)
- Any other event info related to your music (or other good bands)
- Latest music release schedule/info/links
- Places to buy your music
- Photos from the road, the studio etc.
- Any stories from the road or studio (or anywhere else)
- Any other topics that you are interested in (remember, just like
friends, fans will typically have the same general interests as you)
