By Andrew Jones, Canada-based Artist Manager & Artist Development Advisor. This post originally appeared on Andrew's personal blog, CheckeredOwl.com
Everyone should know at this point that e-mail better be a part of youronline marketing strategy. While social media sites can suddenly change their terms of service, re-evaluate their algorithms or lose they user base, e-mail is always there. Not to mention the fact that WAY more people actually BUY things from e-mail than any social media site.
There is a ton of great advice out there for e-mail lists so I don’t feel the need to write “TOP 8 E-MAIL TIPSMARKETERS DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW”. My main two pieces of advice are simple:
#1. Use Mailchimp to blast out your e-mails. They make your life so easy AND IT’S FREE until you have over 2000 subscribers!
#2. Speak genuinely. People want to connect with you not just get a flyer.
Which brings me to my third piece of advice. Something a little different than most of the articles I have read recommend.
#3. Don’t “personalize” the “to” field
On any decente-mail service there is a section to “personalize” the e-mail with a tag, so you type in “Hey [FNAME]!” (or something similar) and the person opening it sees: “Hey Andrew!”.
Sounds great right? Here is the problem, EVERYONE KNOWS IT’S FAKE! It’s like those sweepstake letters you get in the mail, you know the ones; they have your name on them, they look like they were written in blue pen from the desk of the CEO, occasionally they will even use non-glossy paper or even pretend to cross out a word. But…they don’t make you want to enter.
Instead, at least for me, they turn me off, they are laughable.
If you want to be personal, be personal.
Write me a personal e-mail, I appreciate that. OR Fire me a nice lookingHTML update that goes to 500 people and say “Hey Everyone!”.
I’m not offended that your band (or brand) doesn’t write me a personal letter every month, who has time for that? What does bother me is seeing something that says “Hey Andrew” and I think I have gotten a personal note only to discover it’s a mass blast. Just be honest.
Make the personal personal, make the e-mail blasts communal.
A communal blast has it’s advantages too! It (if executed well) can help begin to form a community, talk to everyone, together, as a unit. The KISS army approach works! Let people join your tribe!
And then when a key moment hits that’s worth a personal message, send that, personally. There are no shortcuts to relationships.
Andrew Jones is an artist manager and artist development advisor based in Canada. He has also worked as a promoter, booking agent, tour manager, music video director and almost everywhere else in the music industry. You can find his blog at www.checkeredowl.com or follow him on twitter: @checkeredowl
Everyone should know at this point that e-mail better be a part of your
There is a ton of great advice out there for e-mail lists so I don’t feel the need to write “TOP 8 E-MAIL TIPS
#1. Use Mailchimp to blast out your e-mails. They make your life so easy AND IT’S FREE until you have over 2000 subscribers!
#2. Speak genuinely. People want to connect with you not just get a flyer.
Which brings me to my third piece of advice. Something a little different than most of the articles I have read recommend.
#3. Don’t “personalize” the “to” field
On any decent
Sounds great right? Here is the problem, EVERYONE KNOWS IT’S FAKE! It’s like those sweepstake letters you get in the mail, you know the ones; they have your name on them, they look like they were written in blue pen from the desk of the CEO, occasionally they will even use non-glossy paper or even pretend to cross out a word. But…they don’t make you want to enter.
Instead, at least for me, they turn me off, they are laughable.
If you want to be personal, be personal.
Write me a personal e-mail, I appreciate that. OR Fire me a nice looking
I’m not offended that your band (or brand) doesn’t write me a personal letter every month, who has time for that? What does bother me is seeing something that says “Hey Andrew” and I think I have gotten a personal note only to discover it’s a mass blast. Just be honest.
Make the personal personal, make the e-mail blasts communal.
A communal blast has it’s advantages too! It (if executed well) can help begin to form a community, talk to everyone, together, as a unit. The KISS army approach works! Let people join your tribe!
And then when a key moment hits that’s worth a personal message, send that, personally. There are no shortcuts to relationships.
Andrew Jones is an artist manager and artist development advisor based in Canada. He has also worked as a promoter, booking agent, tour manager, music video director and almost everywhere else in the music industry. You can find his blog at www.checkeredowl.com or follow him on twitter: @checkeredowl
