What is email marketing for musicians? Learn how to use email marketing to grow your fan base, promote your music, and boost your music career.
WHY SHOULD MUSICIANS USE EMAIL MARKETING?
One of the best promotional strategies for musicians is email marketing. Email marketing allows you to connect with your fans and followers directly. Email is also the most effective way to get your fans to take action!
Social media is also a primary marketing tool for musicians. However, it’s harder to reach all your fans through social media. Your message gets buried in all the noise, you’re fighting for attention against the competition, and platforms restrict post reach. Plus, your fans are more likely to see an email before a social media post.
It’s also essential for musicians to connect with their fans regularly. That’s why it’s vital to build an email list of fans you can reach and engage with directly. Moreover, email marketing is an effective way to promote your brand, announce new releases, tour dates, merch, music videos, and other important news.
However, maintaining an email marketing campaign can be challenging. Here are email marketing tips for musicians.
1. EMAIL MARKETING SERVICES FOR MUSICIANS
Before you collect emails, you must first choose an email marketing platform. Email marketing services provide features that collect and manage email lists, send bulk emails, collect analytics, support integrations, and provide other emailing tools. Many also offer newsletter templates and an integrated editor to customize professional-looking email campaigns.
There are various email marketing services. It’s important to choose one that offers the email marketing features that meet your needs. Here are five email marketing services for musicians:
1. HubSpot 2. Mailchimp 3. ActiveCampaign 4. FanBridge 5. AWeber
There are a ton of other benefits of using an email service instead of your personal email account. We encourage you to research the various benefits and email marketing features.
2. HOW TO BUILD AN EMAIL LIST?
Once you choose an email marketing service, start building your email list. There are several strategies for collecting email addresses. Here are five ways to collect email addresses:
ADD AN EMAIL SIGNUP FORM TO YOUR MUSIC WEBSITE
An email signup form on your music website provides visitors with a quick, convenient way to subscribe to your list. Embedded opt-in email forms are also easy to add to a site and are proven to work.
Mailchimp users have seen their list growth rate increase by an average of 50.8% after adding a pop-up form to their site.Mailchimp
Make your email signup form stand out so your visitors will notice it. For example, embed the signup form in a prominent area on your site that’s visible on all pages. Or, create a pop-up form your visitors will immediately see once they visit your site.
Moreover, add an effective ‘call-to-action’ that will persuade people to submit their email to your list. Also, tell fans what they get for opting in. A generic “signup to my newsletter” will not convince anyone to subscribe. List benefits like regular music updates, tour dates, exciting news, and other exclusive surprises.
Finally, keep the email signup form simple. The easier it is to fill out, the more subscribers you’ll get. A name and email address will suffice.
OFFER INCENTIVES FOR EMAIL ADDRESSES
Persuade people to give their email in exchange for an exclusive incentive. Offer a free music download, discount on merch, exclusive access to content, etc.
In addition, your email signup form will perform better if you reward fans for subscribing to your email list. Also, most email marketing services offer an autoresponder feature that will deliver details about the exclusive offer.
COLLECT EMAILS IN PERSON AT GIGS
Print out a mailing list signup sheet and place it on your merch table. After the show, add the email addresses to your mailing list and email your new subscribers thanking them for coming out.
Also, don’t place the list at your table and hope for signups. Offer an incentive in exchange for emails like a discount on merch, free stickers, or a button. Moreover, encourage fans to sign up for your mailing list on stage during your set.
USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO GROW YOUR EMAIL LIST
Social media is a valuable asset for musicians. A strong social media presence is essential for promoting your music, engaging with fans, and expanding your fan base. Having an effective social media strategy also connects you with music industry peers and presents new opportunities.
Utilize Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SoundCloud, YouTube, and other platforms to connect with fans. Leverage your social media accounts to collect emails with these tips:
Add a call-to-action button on Facebook to drive traffic to your site. Facebook’s call-to-action button also offers a ‘Sign Up’ option to grow your email list.
Include a call-to-action in your social media ‘bio’ sections. Also, include a link that goes to a landing page with an email signup form. For example, “download my exclusive single free here.”
Schedule posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to promote gated content. Offer exclusive content on your music website or a platform like Bandcamp in exchange for email addresses. For example, free music downloads, merch discounts, music production tutorials, etc.
Create a lead-generating Facebook Ad. You can target an exact demographic, and direct your message to the right people.
Run a contest or giveaway. Announce the contest on social media. Describe the contest, add a catchy hashtag, and link to a landing page that requires an email address to participate.
Create YouTube tutorials with a call-to-action link and an end screen. You can also add a call-to-action link in the video description.
Host Twitter Chats. Twitter chats bring like-minded people together to ask questions and discuss particular topics. Use this feature to engage with fans and collect emails. Also, incorporate Twitter Lead Generation Cards. These cards allow you to collect email addresses straight from Twitter.
Install Facebook Page Apps that direct traffic. Direct fans to your music website or another place that offers incentives in exchange for email addresses. Also, explain to people why they should sign up to your list.
Cross-promote with other artists. Cross-promoting with another artist can double the exposure of your release and fan following.
There are several other ways to use social media to grow your email list. We encourage you to research different strategies. The key is to grow your social media following, and then convert those followers into email leads.
START A MUSIC BLOG OR PODCAST
Posting quality content to a music blog is a sure way to attract visitors and grow your email list. Engaging and informative content also gets fans visiting your website regularly.
Every blog article or podcast you post is also an opportunity to promote your mailing list and brand. Moreover, encourage fans to sign up for your email list with a call-to-action.
3. EMAIL MARKETING BEST PRACTICES
Like any email, the golden rule is to keep them simple, concise, straight-to-the-point, and polite. Below are best practices:
Craft an enticing subject line that will persuade someone to open your email.
Personalize the email with the subscriber’s name. Most email marketing services have meta tags that will insert the subscriber’s name.
Keep the email short. Attention spans are short these days. Express your message in a short and concise way.
Each email should have one main purpose or goal. Make sure your subscribers know exactly what your email is about.
Tell your subscribers what you want them to do. Don’t beat around the bush. For example, “watch this new video of my hit single.”
Make the email experience meaningful, engaging, and personalized. The voice, tone, and imagery in your emails should reflect your brand. Also, stick with an email template theme fans will recognize.
Have clear titles and a clean look. Make it easy for readers to spot links, the call-to-action, and other valuable information.
Always include a call-to-action. It can be a button or hyperlink that drives fans to take action. For example, a message saying “listen to my new album” and a “buy the album” button.
Provide exciting and valuable content your fans will appreciate. Give them a reason to stay subscribed to your email list.
Include links to your social media and website. Also, include your contact information.
Utilize email marketing automation. Most email marketing services offer automation features. For example, send an automatic welcome email when someone subscribes to your list. A welcome email can also include a free music download link or discount code.
Know your audience. Use Google Analytics to figure out your target audience. Also, engage with them on social media. Then, use the information gathered to adapt your emails.
Make sure your newsletter is mobile-friendly. Many people access their email on phones. Also, test your emails on different mobile devices!
Send exclusive emails. Make sure your subscribers are the first to hear about new releases, tour dates, and other news.
Schedule your newsletters. Contacting your fans once a month is a good start. You can also send more if you have news like new tour dates or an upcoming release.
People like consistency. Try sending emails on a particular day of the week each month.
Finally, thank your subscribers. Include a sincere thanks for being a fan and a part of the community.
CONCLUSION
Your email list is like an official fan club. Email marketing is an effective way to connect with fans, promote your brand, and stay relevant in the music industry. To emphasize, email marketing is an essential promotional strategy that will boost your music career. Good luck!
Credit: Icon Collective