With election day tomorrow, I figured that now would be a good time to comment on what I see as one of the most brilliantly run campaigns ever.

Barack Obama's campaign this past election cycle has demonstrated just how effectively digital marketing can work and be used to effectively and efficiently organize, expand, and deploy a fan base. Without getting into the specifics of the campaign message, the campaign itself has been nothing short of spectacular in its methods and effectiveness.

Let's start simple. The website. The website is organized great, with easy subscriber forms located conveniently and clear and concise calls-to-action around the site. Take note artists, events, and venues: clear messaging that leads to a convenient call-to-action works.

Next, you have the emails and subscriber profiles. Here they do a great job of getting permissions then building a relationship with their subscribers by targeting their messages to them based on their profile. Full disclosure: FanMail is in no way involved with the Obama campaign, so all of this is speculation on my part based on my experience in digital marketing. By collecting pertinent information about subscribers (location, gender, income bracket, etc.) the campaign can deliver targeted messages that are relevant to the subscribers life. They don't remind a California subscriber about a rally in Florida, but they do have Women's' Rights supporters contacting women and lay out their health-care plan to those who are least likely to have health insurance. The lesson: understanding your subscribers is the key to maximizing message effectiveness by delivering the info that they need to hear.

Finally, there is the voice/sms/social-network-site integration. Not only has the campaign connected itself to the subscribers, but it has built a ubiquitous digital presence that creates a community that connects the subscribers to each other. Facebook groups, text-message updates, phone calls from real people are all tools that can be used to foster a sense of belonging to something greater than one's self. We have seen clients, like Elise Estrada and the Dandy Warhols, who have managed to do this reap untold benefits in many areas. Not only is it easier to get the members of your fan-community to make purchases, but they are also the single greatest source of promotion and marketing that you could ask for. People don't listen to commercials, they listen to their friends. So find a way for their friends to become your friends so they will listen to you.

A lot of what we talk about in this blog is pretty idea/scenario specific, but in the Obama campaign I couldn't help but see a reminder of how effective the underlying meta-idea of all that we do is. Building real relationships with fans is the key to surviving and growing in the new digital marketplace.

Oh, and isn't my niece the cutest thing ever?

Labels: Barack Obama, community, digital marketing, fans, relationship management

Today at the annual CMJ Music conference in New York panelist after panelist cited the new music marketing mantra: It's About The Fans! Well, they didn't actually chant or roar, but many consistently endorsed thinking about individual fans as artists try to build a strong fan base.

Independent Success Stories panel included several artists and managers and artists acting as managers of their own music venture. Creating quality music is the requisite for being successful, but all agreed that hard work, determination, and never taking no for an answer were the keys to finding paths to success. Sometimes magic happens and bands can blow up overnight, but more often success requires grit, long hours, and a willingness to work at developing relationships with fans, other bands, promoters, and the media. Discussion also ranged to how artists must balance the demands of "the business" with the need to keep the creative saw sharpened, "because ultimately it is the music that makes people decide if they care or not," said one of the panelists. All agreed building a fan base is a key to success.

In the Evolvement of Social Networks and Music, the panel was a who's who in online social web in the music space. Ali Partovi of iLike demonstrated some awesome new tools for artists to tap into the powerful social networking tools at iLike. Bill Nguyan, founder of LaLa.com demonstrated how his website enables fans to discover new music, keep their entire music collection online, and turn on friends by sharing music. Fans certainly discover new music through their friends, and friends share lots of music via online social networks. The lesson here for artists is to take social networks seriously and tap into great tools available for promotion through iLike and LaLa.com. Artists can sign up at iLike to spread your music on social networks.

Inmates Running the Asylum was presented by a set of music marketing warriors running small independent labels and doing quite well in the new music model. They are part of an increasing trend of major label artists dropping their labels or vice versa, and independent artists being signed to short term label deals to help create success by working "the connection between the artist and the fans." These label owners and their artists can own full rights to their music and market it directly to fans and through digital and traditional channels without big label guns to help. Kevin Day of Rocket Science made a strong case that independent artists no longer need major labels to bolster their careers. Rather, great music coupled with great marketing can propel an artist forward and reward the hard work with higher shares of the profits vs. a record deal.

Labels: email marketing, fan management, fan strategy, fans, music marketing

FanMail has always been the "Cadillac" of fan management. This is great for most of our clients. They need the type of robust software and services that we have built our reputation on.

However we also realize that there tons of artists, independent labels, independent promoters and venues out there who really just need a solid, reliable, no frills system to manage their fans.

We have a solution. http://www.fanmaillite.com/

FanMail Lite includes all of the tools to acquire, retain and grow a fan base. It is built for the indy!

Accounts start off 100% FREE. No cost.. just sign up here and start collecting fans and building campaigns.

If you like what you see and want to upgrade to send bigger campaigns, then just drop us a line.

Labels: band management, fan management, fanmail lite, fans, innovation, subscribers

This whole email for a track trend is kind of a slippery slope. Remember the "no purchase necessary" rule (err federal law) that comes with contests? People feel the same way about giving up an email address.

Giving up an email address (or text/sms, or IM, or twitter, or physical addy) is about permission... and long term interest. It is about a relationship. Just because I want to hear your music, doesn't mean that I give you permission to contact me.

The difference needs to be clearly stated upfront and permissions (and rejections) need to managed with integrity.

Labels: email marketing, fans, mp3s, permission

Check out Bob Lefsetz's post called "net oppertunities".

"First and foremost, for the very first time in history, you can know who your audience is. You can collect the e-mail address of everybody who likes your music. Maybe give a track away for free for an e-mail address. Maybe not all of the addresses will be valid, but if they are truly fans, they would LOVE IT if you contacted them in the future. This is what Led Zeppelin did with their O2 ticket sale, this is what Radiohead did with their name your own price "In Rainbows" deal, this is what Trent Reznor does again and again. You have to harvest e-mail addresses. So when you go on tour, when you have got something to sell, you can ALERT YOUR FANS!"

Our new client The Dandy Warhols did just this. Want the track? Sign up here to get THE WORLD THE PEOPLE TOGETHER (COME ON) free MP3.

Labels: band management, dandy warhols, email marketing, fans, mp3s, new clients, superfan

FanMail Marketing was recently chosen by The William Morris Agency to be the preferred vendor to serve their artists with direct to fan communication technology and support.

Welcome WMA!

Labels: band management, e-mail marketing, fanbase, fans, superfan

I keep hearing music marketers talking about their "email list". It grates on my brain every time i hear it. Why? Because they are obviously thinking about themselves and their own needs as marketers.... to deliver their message.

However if I push them. most will readily admit that what they really want are subscribers... permissions.... people who want to hear about what you have to say. So here are some rules when thinking about "email lists"...

1. Having a list of emails is not the same as having permission... or a subscriber
   
2. Just because you had permission at one time does not mean that those people still care
   
3. Delivering the right message is more important than delivering lots of messages
   
4. At the end of the line is real live breathing person... with a name and an address and likes and dislikes. The email address is just a way to reach out to them.
   
5. What they want is really more important than what you want.... always.

Labels: band management, email marketing, fans

(my mastercard commercial)

Concert ticket: $65

Artist T-shirt: $30

Seeing your favorite band live: Priceless

That's the value of a Fan. Priceless.

The idea of communicating intimately with your fans isn't new. It has taken on new characteristics with the advent of e-mail and cell phones though and tapping those fans requires a broad based approach. Using e-mail as a two-way communication tool, an artist can engage their core fanbase, bounce ideas off of fans and dedicate efforts to keep those fans happy. Connecting with fans consistently keeps your fanbase current and alert.

You need to introduce yourself to your "SuperFan". They make you the Star.

Labels: email, fanbase, FanMail, fans, superfan