This post is part of The Renegade Musician Series.
You understand that your monthly Spotify listenership is made up of real people, right? Those aren’t just numbers. Each number represents a real person with real feelings, real problems, a real life. We must remember this.
The same goes for email subscribers, digital sales, Twitter followers, any other figure neatly and conveniently stowed away in a graphically enhanced online dashboard secured behind login credentials.
The wealth is in the customers, so you can’t afford to treat them as faceless, unfeeling robots. Understand – if you one day become wealthy, it will be as result of the relationships you cultivate.
Understand – if you one day become wealthy, it will be as result of the relationships you cultivate. Click To TweetDale Carnegie says the most magical word in everyone’s vocabulary is their own name. Don’t be like the big conglomerates that refer to people by their alphanumerical customer IDs. You should know your biggest fans’ names by heart.
You should know your biggest fans’ names by heart. Click To TweetRenegade Musicians have a responsibility.
Your first responsibility is to get visitors to your website. Second, to convert visitors into email subscribers. Third, to turn email subscribers into customers. Fourth, to continually nurture your email subscribers (even those who never buy), and especially your customers.
All things being equal, those who’ve spent money with you, even $1, are more valuable to you than those who’ve never bought anything. When you have something new to sell, your hottest prospects aren’t people you haven’t met yet – your hottest prospects are people who’ve already bought from you. Marketing to your existing customer database will not only save you money (attracting new fans can be expensive), but it will also help you earn a better income.
Your hottest prospects are people who’ve already bought from you. Click To TweetYou can do more for your fans. You can surprise and delight them and cultivate loyalty. Customer service is the key that will unlock the door to your wealth, and the only thing it requires is time.
For example, you can:
- Record and send 30-second smartphone videos to new customers
- Send handwritten “thank-you” notes (yes, by mail)
- Send surprise packages to long-time fans (e.g., T-shirt, ballcap, buttons)
- Sign merch and shake hands before and after shows
- Hold surprise AMAs, Q&As, listening parties, etc. exclusively for customers
- Recognize your top fans on social media (fan spotlight)
- And more
Artists who’ve endlessly toured dive bars should understand well the value of lead and customer nurturing. They’ve had to scrape and claw for every fan they’ve ever converted. It can take days of touring just to find one new fan.
Today, we take it for granted that our following will increase, our email subscribership will grow, and fans will come to our website to purchase our merch without us even lifting a finger (the good thing about selling online is that you can be selling even as you’re asleep – heard that one before?).
But remember – we’re all on equal footing. If it’s easy for you to do, it’s easy for other artist and bands to do, too. To surpass common results, you must be willing to do uncommon things.
To surpass common results, you must be willing to do uncommon things. Click To TweetOther artists are your collaborators and cooperators, not your competition. Even so, you can’t do what they’re doing and hope to achieve outstanding results.
The thing that’s going to take you over the top, the thing that’s going to make you remarkable, the thing that’s going to ensure you’re succeeding while others are struggling is relationship – in other words, customer service.
All relationships matter. A Renegade Musician prioritizes their inner circle first, but they also keep up with anyone and everyone, because they understand that people change, and years down the line they will still need fans, friends, and investors. They will still want a rich social life.
Don’t end up 65, broke and lonely. That’s when people start to give up on the very idea of living. It’s preventable. All it takes is you sending a few text messages on your lunch breaks starting today. Keep up with people.
Be generous and genuine. If you can be of service and value to others, don’t hesitate. Don’t expect anything in return. If you help enough people, somewhere down the line when you need a helping hand, you may look up to find many extended in your direction.
Take advantage of The Most Incredible Back to School Sale while you still can.
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