AfricanABC

Week 8 (music success in 9 weeks)

2010-12-13T08:24:00.001+02:00

Networking tips

Week 8 is about networking IRL (in real life).

Best tip: (from the music success in 9 weeks book) “The more they talk, the more memorable you are”. People love to talk about themselves, so asking them questions about themselves & what they do makes you more memorable to them…
BUT: I’m not selling a dodgy used car to someone I hope never to see again. Networking is about building relationships. I truly believe in my music (I still find it difficult to call it my “product”). That said, when I’m at a conference/gig/event etc where there are networking opportunities I try to make real connections, and therefore ask people real questions about themselves that I am really interested to know the answers to.

Follow up: When I’m networking with people I ask if they would mind me contacting them, and when would be convenient time for them. This way I make sure that they are expecting my call.

Graeme Sacks

Week 7 (music success in 9 weeks)

2010-12-10T20:31:00.001+02:00

How to build your mailing list

This weeks’ chapter goes hand in hand with week 6, which was about writing newsletters

Firstly, some of the previous ideas have already helped to grow our mailing list: Giving away free songs on our website and getting a blogs review our CDs and/or host CD giveaways. Our Facebook page has grown from by about 40 fans in the past two weeks!

I am slowly trying to mine my email inbox, CD Baby sales reports and Facebook page for prospective mailing list recipients. I’m planning to start sending out the first emails towards the beginning of next year. I feel that some planning is needed first, and am also brainstorming ideas for a kids fan club.

I love the idea of devoting a set time each week to growing the list. In fact my creative partner and I have realised the necessity of a weekly meeting to plan ahead, and to divide the marketing/P.R. and distribution work up accordingly.

Graeme

Graeme Sacks

Week 6 (music success in 9 weeks)

2010-11-25T19:17:00.001+02:00

Connecting with fans via newsletters

As the weeks go by, I’m getting busier, and the tasks are becoming more difficult.

This weeks’ chapter is titled “Connecting with fans via your newsletter list & conducting surveys”.

Until now, I’ve only contacted fans on my mailing list to announce specials or new releases, once or twice a year (AKA “Spam”?). I now realise we have a long way to go. Firstly we need to build up a substantial “fan base”. As a direct result of ideas garnered from “Music success in 9 weeks” this is actually slowly happening via these blog posts, our Facebook page and the “freebies” on our website.

My creative partner and I have spent hours discussing this chapter and how to go about writing engaging newsletters that will be read by fans, and will be interest/value to them. Since there isn’t much of a live aspect to what we do we struggled to find ideas to write about, but eventually hit on something:

As a kid, in pre-Internet days (no comment on my age here!) fan clubs were the thing. You’d write in to an address on a cereal box/newspaper/magazine (and perhaps have to send a small fee) and receive a parcel in the mail a few weeks later. There would be stickers, badges, a colouring in book and various other odd-and-ends. But aside from the free gifts, you were now part of a special, members-only club. Then there would be the writing/drawing/colouring-in competitions to keep members engaged. Prizes were often a just a poster and a certificate with the winners name hand written neatly with a calligraphy pen.

So the kids fan club is one of the ideas we’ll be pursuing in the new year.

I also love the idea of creating surveys: I’d love to know more about how teachers use our songs in the classroom, which songs kids enjoy and which ones they don’t. There are many things we can learn from surveys that will help us with every aspect of our business plans.

We have some more brainstorming and planning to do regarding the ideas listed above, but look forward to implementing them in due course!

Graeme

Graeme Sacks