Spencer Richardson co-founded FanBridge in 2006 to help musicians and labels of all sizes and backgrounds to unlock the true potential of their fans. Prior to starting FanBridge Spencer worked with a New York based management consulting firm, primarily working with Microsoft and IBM to develop corporate strategies.

We all know the experience, whether it’s the time you were sitting by the open window on that stormy Sunday and spent hours writing that song about your ex (who you just had a feeling was also watching the rain), or that other time when you finally quit (or got fired) from that part-time job with the jerk manager, and just spent the entire evening focused on finishing a song you started a couple months back, before work took over your life.

These are the moments that transform your life and add depth to your music. These are the moments that your fans can connect with, and are willing to give their time and money to hear. These are the moments that define your message to the world.

This said, your music alone is just one way that you can get your message to the world heard. It’s just one way to keep people interested in what you have to share. The problem for most musicians though is keeping their fans interested in their music outside of live shows and CD release events. This is when taking the time to manage and communicate with your fans proves to be just as valuable (if not sometimes more valuable) to building your music career then the time you spend writing and playing your music.

Communication Rule #1:

“If you take the time to communicate with your fans, they will take the time to listen.”

Are all your fans listening, or just some?

This question has two parts. The first part is to figure out what your fans actually care about knowing when it comes time to communicate with them. The better job you do in creating messages that include content fans really want to know about, the higher the chance they are going to want to open and read your messages. In the next section below we have included a mini-checklist that you should always keep in mind when communicating with your fans.

The second part to answering this question is to figure out if you messages are actually getting to all your fans in the first place. Your fans could be more dedicated to you than U2 fans are to Bono, but if your emails aren’t getting past SPAM filters and are not getting sent through reliable servers (the tech hardware that send out emails) then you might as well write your message on a piece of paper and throw it directly into the trash bin.

So, it becomes vital that when you send your messages you send them through a company that can ensure the highest levels of deliverability (which is something that many indie-bands forget, but none of the major labels overlook).  

Think about it like this, you can get 40% more fans to go to shows or buy your music just by switching to a company that can get you 40% higher deliverability. You don’t have to get a single new fan, and yet just by being smart about regularly communicating with your fans using the right email list management company you can make much more money!

Communication Rule #2:

“Success in the music biz is not about who you know, it’s about who you work with.”

What do fans want to know?

T    The answer to this is pretty much exactly what you might think. Fans already like your music, so there’s no need to try and sell them on it. Here’s a basic checklist that we have created for what all musicians should be communicating to their fans about once per month throughout the year:
 

• Tour schedule/info (even if you’re not on tour, info about future tours) 

• Any other event info related to your music (or other good bands) 

• Latest music release schedule/info/links 

• Places to buy your music 

•  Photos from the road, the studio etc. 

• Any stories from the road or studio (or anywhere else) 

• Any other topics that you are interested in (remember, just like friends, fans will typically have the same general interests as you)

Communication Rule #3:

“Aside from just knowing where to get your music, fans want to know where you got your music.”

To learn more about effectively using email and mobile marketing to communicate with your fans visit FanBridge.com.