Interested in Email Marketing For Musicians?
Trying to build a sustainable music career has always been a challenge, and remains a challenge as we speak.
It’s never been easier to create and share music, which means more new music is released today than at any other point in history.
If you think back to the days of cassette tapes, CDs, and the dominance of radio, it was incredibly hard for artist to get there music distributed to the masses. Fast forward to today and the consumer can be reached in so many ways almost instantly.
While this has been great for artists in many ways, It has also created some obstacles because artists need to be creative in how they reach their target audience.
It is incredibly hard to get music in front of listeners today without a smart promotional plan and, believe it or not, email lists are still one of the best tools in an artist’s arsenal for marketing their music.
You might think email lists are boring or even archaic, but in today’s constantly shifting tech environment, they’re one of the most reliable ways to reach fans with new music, share information about what your doing musically, and news about your upcoming projects.
While you may dread the endless amount of spam that piles up in your email I urge you to think about the type of emails that you are excited to open. I am not sure if you are subscribed to one of your favourite artists email lists, but if you are then I am sure that when you get an email from them you are extremely excited to open it and see what they have sent you.
You instantly feel a connection with that artist even though you are not face to face with them. This connection through email that we are talking about is very simple and easy to create but also very powerful.
In this article, I’ll tell you why email lists are crucial for your music marketing strategy and will show you how to get the most out of them.
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Why is email marketing still one of the best ways for musicians to promote their music?
1. Social media trends come and go, but email holds steady
The old social media networking company Myspace recently made headlines for accidentally deleting millions of songs that artists had uploaded to its platform. Though most musicians now promote their work through Instagram and Facebook, Myspace’s embarrassing debacle shows how unreliable social media platforms are not just for sharing music but also as marketing tools.
Believe it or not, Myspace used to be one of the most effective social media platforms for musicians to share their work and connect with audiences. But in a few short years, Myspace went from the most popular social media platform around, to being seen as a joke.
Despite a myriad of growing controversies, Facebook and Twitter remain hugely important for musicians. But between widespread public disenchantment with social media and new algorithms designed to limit an artist’s free organic reach over these platforms, the biggest names in social media aren’t delivering for musicians like they used to.
Email marketing is a phenomenal marketing tool because personal email isn’t going to go out of fashion anytime soon. Everyone from your grandma to the most avid music fans depend on personal email, making it a great way to connect with your fans.
2. Email lists give you a way to reach your most devoted fans all in one place
When you post something on social media, what are the chances your fans will see it? Whether it’s a fan taking a break from social media or the platform you post on intentionally limiting the number of users who see your post, getting your audience to pay attention to what you share online can be tricky.
Email marketing lets you send engaging messages to the most attentive parts of your fanbase by grouping them all together in one cohesive list. The amazing thing that you can do with email marketing is segment this list further to key in on specific demographics within your fanbase.
So, how do you build a stacked email list for your upcoming project? A great Bandzoogle article recommends tactics like writing interesting subject lines and offering incentives like free music or merchandise discounts for signing up.
>>> Related Reading: 5 Ways To Use Your Music Website as a Tool for Your Next Release
3. Email marketing lets you connect with your audience authentically and on your own terms
Whether it’s character limitations, strict content regulations, or having to cram your messages into bland homogenous boxes, promoting music through ads or over social media can be limiting.
Email marketing, however, lets you speak to your fans in ways that are true to your unique identity. If you’re an artist that makes music free from limitations, the way you connect with audiences should reflect that creative philosophy through authentic and uninhibited communication.
4. Email is clear and direct, and people check their email constantly
According to a 2015 Business Insider report, 98.4% of consumers check their email daily. One of the biggest drawbacks with the big social media platforms is that they’re trying to become everything to everyone.
Email, on the other hand, is remarkably straightforward. If someone loves your music and wants to be kept in the loop about it, email is one of the most clear and direct ways to keep audiences engaged and informed.
Not only do the vast majority of people check their email daily, but email marketing provides a direct link to your fans. Posting on social media or even forking over your hard-earned cash for ads means jumping hurdle after hurdle in order to speak to your fans. Digitally, there’s no link as personal and uninhibited to listeners as someone’s personal email account.
5. Email helps drive traffic to your social media channels and streaming platforms
If you think about it, having a fan entrust you with their personal email address represents a lot of enthusiasm for your music, so it’s safe to assume that the fans who sign up on your email list are probably the most devoted and engaged parts of your audience.
One of the best things you can do with an email list is to urge your fans to follow you on social media and over streaming platforms. Sure, likes and followers don’t mean as much as they used to, but the music industry still accounts for those numbers when it comes to measuring an artist’s success.
But where numbers are beginning to matter more and more are the streams and follower counts over streaming platforms like Spotify for example. Spotify’s algorithms are designed to detect traction of an artist’s music and reward them with coveted spots on their playlists.
Email lists show you who cares about your music the most. It’s up to you to translate that enthusiasm into momentum over social media and streaming platforms.
Email Marketing For Musicians: Are You Ready To Start Your Own Email List?
Whether you’re a new artist or a seasoned vet who has been doing music for a very long time, you NEED to start building an email list and this should be one of your top priorities when it comes to your overall marketing strategy.
So, how do you grow your email list as an artist?
If you’re interested in starting your own email list, the first order of business is to sign up with an email service provider like Constant Contact.
What can an email provider do that you can’t? Well, for one, they make the process of obtaining, organizing and managing all of those new emails that you collect very seamless. They’ve also got powerful analytic tools that can show you who’s engaging with your messaging the most.
Email service providers also offer easy ways to help connect with your fans through sleek design templates and a platform that makes segmenting your lists by location, gender, age, etc, a breeze. Segmentation is very important especially if you ever are trying to sell something to your audience.
After you’ve got a solid email service provider lined up, you can gather email addresses from your fans through a designated contact form on your website or through the old fashioned way with a paper sign-up sheet on your merch table at shows.
Once you’ve got a decent list going of your fans, it’s up to you to engage them with show announcements, new music releases, and other news about your projects.
Constant Contact incorporates some of the best features of social media like photo and video sharing but without any of its drawbacks like curbed reach and limitations on what and how you want to connect with fans. With over 100 templates and no content limitations, Constant Contact lets musicians frame their messaging exactly the way they want.
The amazing thing about Constant Contact is that they allow you to try their services FREE for 60 days allowing you to test drive the platform and see if it works for you.
Getting the promotion aspect of music right is tough in 2019, but email lists can be a huge help and will be a huge boost to other important areas of your marketing strategy.
So, when it comes to getting started with email, we recommend giving Constant Contact a try.
We would love to here from you, comment below and tell us some tricks and tips you use when growing your email list.
Kevin is the founder of Music With Flavor, which joined Whipped Cream Sounds in 2023. He is a seasoned musician turned industry expert. His passion for music goes beyond melodies; he delves deep into the intricate world of music marketing, striving to unearth the most effective strategies for indie musicians. However, Music With Flavor isn’t just about Kevin’s knowledge; it’s a network of industry experts handpicked to provide the most trusted advice. Kevin’s role is to pose the right questions, not just answer them, as he and his team tirelessly research trends, connect with artists, and gather valuable insights.
