The big social networks should be seen as the top of the funnel in converting your followers into dedicated fans. Here are the top 8 reasons you should use a GigRev Powered direct-to-fan micro-community platform to build a digital fan club and bring fans closer.
There’s just not enough ways for a fan to support their artist.
Giving fans an easy and convenient way to subscribe to your fan club lets them show their appreciation. Not every fan can get to a show, and it’s not always cool to wear a t-shirt with the name of your band on it, but when a fan wants to play your music, they are stuck with either CD, Vinyl or playing it from streaming services. Even with a physical copy they still end up streaming it – It’s convenient.
Social media networks have become a place to share your thoughts but who wants to share the same photos and comments with family, friends and also business acquaintances. We all have separate parts of our life that we want to confine to specific groups of friends. That’s not what happens of all major social networks.
Fans want to feel special. They want to feel like they know something not everyone else knows. When artist’s post to mainstream social networks where’s the exclusivity gone? How can fans feel like they know something others don’t? Don’t give everything to everyone. Don’t you agree that that’s what fans really want?
You’ve probably got lots of live recording and demos that don’t belong on streaming services. To fans these moments are precious. The alternative to putting them out in a fan club app is sticking them on YouTube or SoundCloud but what’s the point? Keep them for the fans that really appreciate it, and they’ll feel special.
Fans love nothing more than getting exclusives, and you’ve probably got a lot of performances that need a place to live. Making this exclusive to a fan app is by far the best use of this kinda material. Fans will love you for it.
Go live backstage and give only your biggest fans a glimpse in to live on the road or in the recording studio. They’ll feel part of the life. Never forget that fans never get to see what really happens behind the scenes. It’s another feature that’s great at building fan loyalty.
Giving your work away on social networks is not always the best thing to do. We’re not saying don’t use social platforms, in fact, they compliment a fan club app, but they should be used as the top of the funnel and to gather fans.
Think of them as the way to reach fans and the app as the bottom of the funnel. There’ll be less of them, but these are the fans that support you through good and bad and stick by you. We find that at least 15% of social followers will download an artist app even after the first initial announcement, which of course is on your Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter pages.
Not everyone wants to hear about you, but your fans would talk about you all day every day if it didn’t make them sound like a weirdo. In a community of other fans, they can be as weird as they want.
Kevin Brown is CEO of GigRev.com and provides direct to fan apps to artists.