How To Use Merch To Engage Your Fans

Fan engagement and direct-to-fan are hot topics these days because it’s finally come to light that fans are the real gatekeepers in the music business. And by now we should also know that merchandise is one of the surefire ways that artists can make solid money today. Like most other revenue streams for artists, being successful at your merch biz is highly dependent on your fans. The good news is that in addition to being a cash generator, your merch can actually be used as a fan engagement tool. When you’re using your merch to engage your fans, they’ll feel connected to you.  When they feel connected and as if they are part of your journey, they will be likely to buy more. So how exactly can you use merch to engage your fans? Here are five ways:

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How To Sell Merch & Music At Shows Without Being Sales-y

When it comes to selling merch and music at live shows, it’s not uncommon for musicians to feel uncomfortable and out-of-their-element. This unsettling feeling usually causes musicians to avoid sales altogether.

After all, we musicians are creatives. Deep down, we believe that the quality of our creative products should speak for themselves.

And yes, it should…

But only if people know about it.

That’s where marketing comes in.

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7 Tips To Improve Merchandise Sales

A big reason why fans purchase music merch is to connect with others that share a common interest, and to show off their musical tastes.

Merchandise is also a great way to advertise your artist. We find that items with the artist’s name included tend to sell better than items without it.

It doesn’t have to be splattered in huge letters across the front, but including the artist’s name visibly on the item helps.

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6 Ways To Make Sure You’re Leaving Nothing On The (Merch) Table

This post was written by Brian Buchanan and originally appeared on the Bandzoogle Blog.​

It’s 2017! Here we all are in the future, and what do you know - the music industry hasn’t collapsed!

Sure, CDs aren’t selling the way they used to in stores. Neither is digital music, thanks to the explosion of streaming services. But those of us living the nose-to-the-grindstone, unglamorous life of the touring musician know a secret: people still buy stuff at shows.

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Frugality On DIY Tour: Some Simple Suggestions

A DIY tour is expensive. There are ways to be successful, but for a band just starting out, I would recommend trying to spend as little money as possible. Here are some suggestions on how you can do that.

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Band Merch: Breaking Away From T-Shirts And CDs

Recently, I jokingly tweeted that bands should capitalize on fingerboards as a form of merchandise. Surprisingly, some people from my fairly low amount of Twitter followers seemed to agree with the sentiment. Merchandise costs money of course, but it’s specifically how bands make money on the road. This is especially true in today’s internet age, but I’ve also learned that the more merch you have at your table, the more you’ll sell, as you appeal to different tastes. I’m not saying your DIY, independent band has to have six plus tee-shirt designs. I’m saying don’t be afraid to step outside of the box. Here’s some merch ideas I’ve seen artists - some platinum-selling, some who can’t sell more than 100 copies of their records - do before that struck me as particularly interesting.

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