Here is the follow up of this article about how to achieve a successful digital music strategy, from social networks to SEO and viral marketing. Stay tuned : the last article will be published soon !
By Virginie Berger (@virberg, www.digitalmusic.tumblr.com), former head of marketing at Mypace France and now music marketer.
We are now showing that becoming a geek is now necessary for musicians willing to achieve a successful digital strategy…
The complete article is available in PDF and on Slideshare
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4 - Do become a geek, be obsessed with your stats
Don’t be afraid to use as many data analysis as possible in order to focus on what will produce the best rates. That way you will be more efficient. You have to analyze every single action, so that you get rid of the less productive ones and improve the others.
Those free data analysis from Google or Soundcloud will show you where people listened to your music thanks to a specific action, where they came from, where they went, if they shared it, bought it and what are their tastes. You should be able to analyze the opening and click rates on your newsletter and email links.
What tools can help: FB Insights: You will know what your fans do on your Fan Page. You will be aware exactly of your impression numbers at specific times. It’s like segmenting per gender, age, country of your fan. To know more: FB Insight.
FB Insight is alright, but in comparison to Google Analytics, it won’t get you far since those Stats are only about fans. So, if you are not afraid to get your hands into the dirt, you will use Google Analytics to analyze your FB stats. Yep, it’s possible. Follow the guide.
FanBridge: Regarded as the best email management tool at present. You’ll be able to appreciate its real efficiency on your email campaigns. Who opens them, who clicks on links, who forwards… Service charged!
ReverbNation: Regarded as the second best email management after FanBridge. It gives you a sort of stats summarize when you log on your account. You will access “All Areas”: how many new fans, daily listenings, widgets uses…
Next Big Sound(free): This free of charge service will track down how millions of fans interact with your music on a daily basis. They will keep a record on the number of plays, views, comments, mentions, etc. on over 400 000 FB, MySpace, Last.fm, Twitter artists… On the top of it, Next Big Sound will send you daily emails to let you know what’s up around you.
Band Metrics: Gives the opportunity to groups / labels / managers to identify its fans, measure their regularity and commitments as well as identifying new markets, tracking down online radio listening and discovering new hypes
Sound Cloud: Online platform. For stocking, saving and sharing your tracks. It also offers widgets as well as gives you access to stats in regard of your tracks. There are many more to try (which I am at present). You will quickly see how you’ll get excited about your stats on your site, charts about your visitors.
5 - Email/newsletter : the holy Grail
You have to retrieve all your fans email addresses from your website and social networks. It’s your only way to build a Database of your fan/future consumers.
> Ask them beforehand if they agree to receive emails and newsletters
> Offer them a free track in exchange of their registration on the newsletter
> Ask them as well to mention their town. You will be able to let them know via email if you play a gig nearby.
> Remember that only if you do have some content to offer, should you send emails and newsletter.
> Don’t be pushy! If someone wants to be withdrawn, do it!
Look at what Jonah Matranga does on his homepage. It is simple and basic. The viewer has a choice to accept or not. Then, via some cookies Jonah Matranga will recognise you.
You can use emails as well for your business deals like offering some merchandising, or a special offer on your albums, or integrating an iTunes link.
But your newsletter content has to lead to the deal offer. Not the other way round. Emails and newsletters shouldn’t be a pretext to offer constantly albums and other merchandising to be purchased without any content in it.
Analyse each emails and newsletter results. Look at what made your viewer click or not, and improve them thanks to these analyses. Try not to overwhelm your viewers with too much info, and relieve your emails and newsletters by inviting them to contests, surveys, quizzes, photos and videos.
A simple figure: 30% of artists’ income using Direct to Fans Topspin platform comes from an email. Http://tinyurl.com/ydjb7cq.
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Stay tuned ! The very last part of the article is to be published soon !
The complete article is also available in PDF and on Slideshare
Email : virberg at gmail.com
Twitter : @virberg