If you’ve been following my work for any amount of time, you’ll know that I believe today’s independent music scene must focus more on building a community of interaction and deeper relationships with fans than building an iconic figure that is distant and “out of touch”.
Define what your music is about. What do you want it to do for your fans? What meaning do you want your fans to take away, if any? What’s the promise you’re giving them from your music and what are you going to deliver to your fans when they spend their hard-earned money on you?
Once you know the answers to these questions and you’re building a relationship with your fans through your blog, your newsletter list and anything else, remember to overdeliver to your fans – especially those who purchase from you. The best musicians treat their customers like royalty and this results in repeat music sales on MP3’s, CDs and gigs.
Seth Godin defines overdelivering as “means doing more than you said you would, which is the secret to word of mouth.”
And word of mouth is crucial as independent musicians. Your fans will tell their friends and bring them to your gigs. The same will happen to their friends. And so on.
When someone downloads your MP3, send them an e-mail and thank them. (You could automate this with a system like Aweber). You could do the same for anyone who buys your CD or merchandise. How about offering a free download for customers who purchase your merchandise about 30-days after… it shows them you remember them, shows them you care and invites them back to your website if they’ve forgotten about it. Make your fans feel they count.
What else would you do as a musician to overdeliver? Please share.
