A couple of big ideas here... Do either one of these things with your music business and you will make money, but do both of them and you'll make 10x the money.
We're all creatures of habit and we like a good deal on things. We like to know what we're getting into.
An example...
Normally, if I need shoes, I order them from Zappos. Unfortunately, Zappos doesn't have Vibram Five Fingers, so I had to find another place that did. And I'm way too lazy to actually get in the car and go to a shoe store...
Ended up going with REI. $85 for the shoes and $10 to ship them.
But they gave me the option of becoming a "member" and getting free shipping. Cost of a membership is $20 for life.
I know of REI. I had bike tune-up there once. Bought a water bottle there a few years ago. I'm not exactly membership material though...
Still, I took the membership. At $20, my order was $10 more than it would have been otherwise, so that's a good deal for REI's bottom line, since a "membership" costs them nothing. That alone is a great reason to add something like this to your music business. A deal like this goes way beyond an additional few bucks on a one-time sale though.
When you're a "member" of something, you're more likely to use it, even if the price is the same as the next place, it's a little farther to get there, or the service isn't as good. And once the habit is built, it's very hard to break it.
But it goes way beyond this...
The concept of "membership" is extremely powerful because everybody likes feeling like an "insider" and getting something other people aren't getting. We love the feeling of exclusivity and letting other people, especially those that aren't on the inside, know we're one of the chosen ones. It doesn't matter if it's letting a friend use your Costco membership or getting them a guest pass to the country club you belong to, the feeling is the same.
You don't have to have the equivalent of an American Express Centurion Card to take advantage of the same psychology with your music business. Right now, using "exclusive content" such as acoustic versions of your songs, rehearsal tapes, or a video of your last time in the recording studio to start giving benefits to fans for being "members" of your organization. You can give discounts of shows and merch, free drink vouchers, guest passes, VIP seating, and any number of things that won't cost you much, but have a huge perceived value and will increase loyalty and "usage" of your products and services big time.
Even something like a simple email, like this one I just got from REI (click on it for a full-size version), builds relationships in a big way and encourages people to continue to use them.
This email is great, since it basically says, "Hey, you're on the inside now and you're one of us." But also note how a lot of the exclusive stuff, such as the ability to connect with people that love the outdoors, photos, videos, reviews, and opinions, isn't even provided by REI. Another idea for you to take and use in your music business...
If nothing else, you should have an exclusive community where fans can upload photos of shows, videos, cover versions of your songs, and other content. It's easy and it builds connection, not only between you and the fans, but between the fans themselves.
And that's the final thought for the day...
Nobody really cares about your music. People listen to what you have because of the way it makes them feel and how it connects them to other people.
Fans of Justin Bieber aren't just into him because of his music; they like him because all their friends like him also. It has nothing to do with him and everything to do with them connecting to people that get them.
And it works the same way "outsider" relationships...
"YOU DON'T GET IT, DAD!! JUSTIN BIEBER IS THE BEST SINGER EVER!!!"
Is a crazy relationship between a tween girl and her father really about Justin Bieber? No. This is just the outward expression of it.
It's the same feeling of class-consciousness that hold the gay softball league, the church, the swingers club, and the vegan meetup together. We're different than you, only we get that, and the difference is how we're connecting.
When you can associate yourself with this class-consciousness, you're in. You''ll sell a lot of stuff, get a lot of people to your shows, and have a great career.
So what are you doing to create something "exclusive" for your fans and help foster the relationships between them? Post comments below...
Fantastic article. I could definitely see applying this to my group.
Posted by: Greg | July 04, 2010 at 07:43 PM
Okay, I see one idea here (the "insider/membership" idea), where's the other one? You said "a couple of big ideas here..." and I am just not seeing anything other than the "insider" concept. Or are you counting the concept of actually giving the insiders something exclusive as another idea?
Posted by: CrankyWanker | July 11, 2010 at 04:22 PM