To today’s super tech-savvy generations of music fans, mailing lists may seem like a thing of the past. And to be fair, they are. At risk of aging myself, I remember being on a Blink-182 mailing list in the 90’s. But there is something to be said about the archaic mailing list, as their greatest strength may be that they haven’t really changed or adapted while everything else has.
The bottom line is that mailing lists continue to be an effective, independent way of growing your fanbase and promoting your music. If you’ve been involved in an internet business venture, you’ve probably heard the term “the money is in the list.” Basically, this means that the success of your business is largely due to the size of the list of potential consumers. Well, the same goes for music and mailing lists.
In addition to staying current with new trends in marketing and publicizing yourself, having a strong mailing list can be essential to growing your brand, and spreading your music. It’s a great, personalized approach to connecting to your fans.
Algorithms
It’s a word we hear all the time, but giving it a succinct definition can be tricky. For this matter, we can leave it at this: algorithms are used by social media platforms as a way to sort content for users based on relevancy and, in some cases, who has paid-to-play. While being framed in such a way that would suggest content is solely organized by time posted, the reality is that this content is doctored to favor that which you might find relevant. Furthermore, you can choose to have your content “sponsored,” which basically means you are paying a premium for your content to rise to the top. This can be disheartening, especially for newer bands, and musicians who don’t have the money to compete with others in this arena.
Not only does Facebook, and other platforms not work on a sliding scale to help out smaller artists, they constantly bump up the price for each subsequent post. You will find yourself paying more and more for the same type of content boost that you used to get for only a fraction of the price.
Mailing Lists are a way of sidestepping these incredibly competitive platforms like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Mailing lists give you access to a potentially huge list of individuals who have voluntarily given you their contact info so that they can receive updates on your music. Recipients will get your updates and their only competition will be boring daily correspondence. Your message will be a welcome break from the mundanity of their inbox.
Facebook Offers No Emergency Archive
For whatever reason, your Facebook profile can be disabled with little or nothing you can do about it. And with Facebook proving to be a more and more volatile and uncertain social media platform, this could mean through no fault of your own, your profile could disappear in an instant. This means all your content, and all your contacts too. Poof.
Be aware that if you are putting your content in the hands of one of these social media companies, you are putting your trust in a company that functions at the behest of its shareholders and market trends. This means that if their focus shifts to an avenue that no longer includes music promotion, you may be left friendless overnight.
Email Addresses Stay the Same
While not always the case, chances are you will have the same email address for a long time. They are less prone to the ever-changing attitudes of social media accounts like Instagram, or Twitter. Accounts pop up, disappear, change names, or change purpose at the drop of a hat. Email addresses do not. Everybody needs to be contacted in some way, and email is the most surefire way of doing that.
Make It Personal
Another great thing about mailing lists is that it makes the correspondence seem personal, and your fans will feel special as a result. Rather than seeking out information, it comes to them in the form of a personal email. Due to this, your message is bound to be paid higher attention.
How To Build Your Email List
• Put an email signup box on your website - Make sure your website is easily navigable and your signup box is easily noticeable.
• Have a “call-to-action” - Along with your signup box, explain what they get for giving you their contact information. The internet can be a scammy place, and users are increasingly protective over their information. By letting them know that this is for band updates, special offers, monthly newsletters, or whatever, it will give users an actual reason to sign up, and not fear that they are falling for some phishing scam.
• Incentivize- Fans will be more likely to give you their information if they are getting something sweet in return. This could be advance ticket sales, promo-codes to use at your webstore, or information about charitable causes.
• VIP treatment - Make subscribers feel that they are in the upper echelon of your fanbase. Invite them beyond the velvet rope and share exclusive content. Maybe advance tracks, or unreleased nuggets. Whatever it is, make them feel special.
• Direct fans to your email list - Post on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram that you have an email list and that fans should proceed to your website to subscribe. Use the new ways to promote the old.
• Host a contest/giveaway - Incentivize fans to sign up for your mailing list by automatically entering them into a contest. After the contest has run its course, you will still have their information and they will still receive updates unless they unsubscribe.
What Should You Include In Your Mailouts
You can get pretty creative here. There is no set of rules that you must adhere to, or any content you must include. This is your chance to let some of your personality shine, and make fans feel that they are part of the VIP part of your club. That being said, here are some things that may help you on your way.
• Promote upcoming shows, releases, news, etc. - These updates are the most important things to your career, so make sure you include at least some updates on what’s going on with your music.
• Tease unfinished material, B-sides, covers, etc. - Not everything makes the album, but that doesn’t mean that people won’t be interested in your creative process. Show them some stuff that ended up on the cutting room floor, or even just one-off/joke songs.
• Share media appearances - If you’ve recently done a radio interview, a TV spot or anything that can be found on YouTube, plug it!
• Diaries/Journals - What’s been going on in your life? Are you working on new material? Open up!
• Exclusive Competitions - While a competition may have led fans to your mailing list in the first place, exclusive contests will keep fans subscribing to your mailouts.
• Pre-sale eligibility - On concert tickets and releases, allow subscribers first dibs on your stuff.
(Related: Awesome Content Ideas That Will Grow Your Fanbase On Social Media)
Schedule
Again, there isn’t an exact science to this, but a good rule of thumb is around once or twice a month and to keep it regular. Anything to frequent, it will begin to seem like work and your emails will be deleted more often than they’re read. Too infrequent and you’ll be mostly forgotten and your emails will not trigger any sort of excitement. Regularity will give the idea that you are busy, relevant and worth keeping up with.
Email Service Providers (ESPs) to Check Out
All that stands in the way between you and your own mailing list now is finding a good ESP. First of all, make sure that your provider is in compliance with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations). This will ensure that yourself, and all your subscribers will be in good hands and not have their information compromised.
Your mail outs must look professional and they must also look good. If you are untrained in web design, get training or find someone who has the knack. Your mailing list won’t do you much good if it doesn’t look like there is anything of value to offer.
Some companies to check out are Mailchimp, Bandzoogle, ConstantContact and AWeber. Take a look at their prices and what they offer and how that applies to you and your needs. Take your time, and shop around, this could prove to be a huge factor in your success as a musician!
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