Music Marketing [dot] com

Marketing with Online Audio

Are you talking to your online fans?

And by "talking," I mean that literally!

You're in the music business.  You know how powerful audio is.  And online, it's fastest, easiest, and most economical ways to increase album sales and get more people to your shows.

You can go WAY BEYOND just music. Check this out...

* Collect audio testimonials from club owners and fans, then post them on your online press kit.  Let these testimonials get your next gig for you.

How to you get them?  If you use a service like Xiosoft Audio, you just email your best fans (or happy club owners) a link.  Then they follow a 4-step sequence, and you have an audio testimonial - complete with photo - to add to your website.

* Send audio in an email.  An "audio postcard" will help to build a real relationship with fans, using the power of your voice.

* Add audio to your order pages, thank-you pages, and other secure areas with Xiosoft Audio's SSL publishing feature.

One reason I like Xiosoft Audio is that you can add audio to your website in two simple steps, using the phone or your computer's microphone.  The phone service is great if you're on tour.  You can do an "audio tour update" by calling a toll-free phone number.  Everything is posted automatically, so you don't need to touch a computer.

You can also upload previously recorded audio files, such as mp3s.  This is what we do with Music Business Radio and it works great.

Try it out for 7 days for just ONE DOLLAR, and if you like it, you can keep it for just $29.95 per month.
There are no long-term contracts, and you can cancel at any time.

Does Your Personality Come Through via Email?

Email is a funny thing when it comes to communicating emotion.

I emailed a guy earlier today about sending me a bio and here is what he replied...

i sent this on to the folks that have such things. I must admit, I don't have my bio laying around the house---shit, I lived it....and my wife hears enough about it she doesn't want to read it either...

Mission accomplished.

Your Email List - Do It Right

If you're sending people emails about your music, and you should be, do it right.

1. Get a service like Aweber to send for you. 

They'll handle managing the list and making sure that your messages get through.  Not using something like Aweber can get you banned by your ISP.  And many ISPs limit the number of messages you can send.  You may think you're saving a few bucks, but it's costing you when your messages don't get through.

2. Have an unsubscribe link. 

Don't tell people to "respond with unsubscribe in the subject."  People don't want to hurt your feelings.  But if they're just junking your emails, ignoring personal emails from you, or hitting the "spam" button, you're wasting your time and may be worse off than if you didn't send them.

Aweber handles unsubscribes with one click as well as address changes, by the way.  Again, worth the money.  You're in the business of music, not list management.

3. Don't sign people up, let them do it.

I'm sure you'd be pissed if I sent you something that you're not interested in.  And that is how people feel about emails you send regarding your music.

It's amazing how many bands think that I want to get their updates.  I don't...at least not to my main email.  I send all mailing lists I'm on to a special box, so I can go through everything and look for good marketing ideas and things to post here.  Clogging up my main box gets your on my ignore list, because I know I didn't sign up for what you're sending. 

4. Have your list segmented.

There is no reason to let somebody in Nashville, like me, know you're playing this weekend in Los Angeles.  Again, this is another thing that gets people to ignore you.  It's like activating your turn signal a mile ahead of the exit you want.