Postal mail works for musicians. It worked 100 years ago and it still works today. In fact, it works even better today than ever.
Why? Because almost nobody is using it!
According to the annual survey done by the post office, in 2010, the average household only received one personal letter every seven weeks. This is "primarily driven by the adoption of the Internet as a preferred method of communication."
But that doesn't mean the Internet is the best form of communication when it comes to your music career...
Emails are quick, but they get deleted easier...if they get opened at all. And, like text messages, Facebook updates, or messages on Twitter, they're a lot more impersonal than a hand-written letter or postcard.
If you want to form quality relationships with fans, you're missing a big oppotunity by not using postal mail.
I was thinking about this the other day actually! Remembering the days of signing up to a fan list via the post. I've been thinking of ways I can implement such tactics, after all I get postal addresses from everyone who buys my stuff. A little follow up thank you, or even exclusive links and stuff would much more likely result in action than an email nowadays. Great thoughts.
Do you have any ideas about how to collect people's addresses? I know that I would be a lot less likely to reveal my postal address than an email address!
Posted by: Atlumschema | October 03, 2011 at 05:39 PM
Good question!
The best way to get a postal address is to send people something. It will cost you a little more, but will be worth it in the long term.
Something cheap to send is a postcard people can redeem for a drink. Gets people back, helps them to have a more enjoyable evening, and keeps the club happy.
Beyond that, a CD with a recording of the show. Will run you about $1/each, but you should be able to make that back the next time you play, if not before then.
Posted by: David Hooper | October 03, 2011 at 06:06 PM
You know what, I couldn't agree more. People don't realize that sending letters by post is one of the most effective ways to connect with prospects and get your message to them. Especially if you write their name and address by hand on the envelope! Your open rate will increase big time. This local artist management company I worked with www.livevision.ca does this and they get get many artists getting back to them.
Posted by: Pete Banicevic | October 19, 2011 at 04:59 PM