It goes without saying that the two most important ingredients a band needs to start building a strong fan base are great music and kick-ass live shows.
But a third skill, knowing how to keep fans engaged, is almost equally important.
Every day music lovers are bombarded with tons of content from thousands of content providers. Fans are listening to online radio, checking in with bands on social networks, reading music blogs, watching videos, reading e-mails from their favorite bands, and talking to friends about new music they are listening to.
So it isn't surprising that music fans can quickly forget the band they saw three months ago at a local venue. To ensure that a possible new fan doesn't forget your band, the key is to make contact with new fans almost immediately after they first see you live.
It is crucial to reach out to new fans within one week of when they first discovered you.
Sooner is better. If I see a band on a Wednesday night, then wake up Thursday morning to an e-mail from said band, saying “Thanks for coming to the show," it would make me feel important.
That e-mail becomes even better if the guitarist I talked to about traveling across Europe refers to that conversation specifically. And maybe to top it off, he attaches a free song or two.
As a fan, I can say that I would probably be hooked. Instead of working on the project my boss assigned me, I'd probably download the tracks, listen to them, and then go find the band on whatever social networks I use. I might even send the tracks to a couple friends of mine.
But once a band has grabbed new fans' attention, keeping those fans engaged becomes the main challenge. There will be two, three, or four month stretches (hopefully not longer than that) where you won't be playing in certain markets, so during that time you have to do two things: get creative in creating new content, and stay disciplined in delivering it.
While new content is essential, be sure you don't overdo it. Sending an e-mail once a week, for example, is definitely overkill. Staying on schedule is more important. For instance, you could let your fans know that on the first Monday of every month, you will post a video of an acoustic version of one of your songs. Or maybe every Friday, you write a blog updating fans on what happened the past week.
The key is to have a hub—your website, Facebook, Youtube, MySpace, or whatever else—that you consistently direct people to. Your fans can check in whenever they want, and as long as you consistently have new content being posted, they will come back for more.
What form the content takes is entirely up to you. Even goofy stuff that isn't music-related, like photos of some band members feeding a goat at a petting zoo, can give your fans a smile.
Videos are always cool, and they don't have to be expensive or high quality. One of my favorite singer-songwriters is always posting little videos of acoustic versions of songs. They might be simple—it looks like she uses her computer's webcam to record them—but they are also engaging.
A lot of bands do webisodes to keep fans up to date on what is happening. One band I follow has been in the studio for a few months, and so they release a 5 minute montage of their recording sessions every two or three weeks.
Of course, simple music stuff is great, too. I've come across bands that filmed themselves playing unique versions of “Happy Birthday," and they would send the video to fans on their birthdays. Talk about making your fans feel special! Or maybe, with Christmas around the corner, your band can cover a holiday song and record it at a friend's home studio. Covers, of course, are great engagement tools.
Whatever you decide to post, just make sure you can keep it up. If you stay on schedule, I promise you that when checking your monthly online statistics, you will see spikes in page views and clicks on the days you release new content.
But a third skill, knowing how to keep fans engaged, is almost equally important.
Every day music lovers are bombarded with tons of content from thousands of content providers. Fans are listening to online radio, checking in with bands on social networks, reading music blogs, watching videos, reading e-mails from their favorite bands, and talking to friends about new music they are listening to.
So it isn't surprising that music fans can quickly forget the band they saw three months ago at a local venue. To ensure that a possible new fan doesn't forget your band, the key is to make contact with new fans almost immediately after they first see you live.
It is crucial to reach out to new fans within one week of when they first discovered you.
Sooner is better. If I see a band on a Wednesday night, then wake up Thursday morning to an e-mail from said band, saying “Thanks for coming to the show," it would make me feel important.
That e-mail becomes even better if the guitarist I talked to about traveling across Europe refers to that conversation specifically. And maybe to top it off, he attaches a free song or two.
As a fan, I can say that I would probably be hooked. Instead of working on the project my boss assigned me, I'd probably download the tracks, listen to them, and then go find the band on whatever social networks I use. I might even send the tracks to a couple friends of mine.
But once a band has grabbed new fans' attention, keeping those fans engaged becomes the main challenge. There will be two, three, or four month stretches (hopefully not longer than that) where you won't be playing in certain markets, so during that time you have to do two things: get creative in creating new content, and stay disciplined in delivering it.
While new content is essential, be sure you don't overdo it. Sending an e-mail once a week, for example, is definitely overkill. Staying on schedule is more important. For instance, you could let your fans know that on the first Monday of every month, you will post a video of an acoustic version of one of your songs. Or maybe every Friday, you write a blog updating fans on what happened the past week.
The key is to have a hub—your website, Facebook, Youtube, MySpace, or whatever else—that you consistently direct people to. Your fans can check in whenever they want, and as long as you consistently have new content being posted, they will come back for more.
What form the content takes is entirely up to you. Even goofy stuff that isn't music-related, like photos of some band members feeding a goat at a petting zoo, can give your fans a smile.
Videos are always cool, and they don't have to be expensive or high quality. One of my favorite singer-songwriters is always posting little videos of acoustic versions of songs. They might be simple—it looks like she uses her computer's webcam to record them—but they are also engaging.
A lot of bands do webisodes to keep fans up to date on what is happening. One band I follow has been in the studio for a few months, and so they release a 5 minute montage of their recording sessions every two or three weeks.
Of course, simple music stuff is great, too. I've come across bands that filmed themselves playing unique versions of “Happy Birthday," and they would send the video to fans on their birthdays. Talk about making your fans feel special! Or maybe, with Christmas around the corner, your band can cover a holiday song and record it at a friend's home studio. Covers, of course, are great engagement tools.
Whatever you decide to post, just make sure you can keep it up. If you stay on schedule, I promise you that when checking your monthly online statistics, you will see spikes in page views and clicks on the days you release new content.
