9 Steps to Help You Build Your Email List to Market Your Music

Email marketing is a term that you should become more familiar with. It should be an integral part of your overall music marketing plan. With an email list, you have a way to remain in direct contact with your fans and keep them informed.

Now, you likely got involved in the music industry to make music – not learn about online marketing. But, nowadays, online marketing is a major part of promoting your own music. These are steps that every musician should learn if they want to gain more fans.

With a mailing list, you can ensure that your fans are always up to date. You also don’t have to worry about what social media platform to use. Anyone that has an email address can sign up.

So, how do you build your email list? The following 9 steps will help you get started.

#1 – Include a Signup Form on Your Website

The first step is to include a signup form on your website. You need to make it easy for people to join your mailing list. If you’re using a website builder, you should have no problem finding a plugin or add-on that lets you place a form on your website for collecting email addresses.

Make sure that your form is easy to see. It should appear on every page of your website. If your site has a sidebar, keep the form on the sidebar, so that it’s easily visible. If you have a single column on your website, then place it in the header or the footer of your site.

#2 – Mention Your Mailing List in Social Media Posts

You can use social media to let people know about your mailing list. At the end of your posts, you could occasionally include a clear call to action, letting people know that they can “get updates sent to your email”. For additional tips on using social media to grow your email list, watch this short video:

#3 – Include Links to Your Signup Form in Blog Posts

If you create blog posts on your website, then use this opportunity to mention your mailing list. Just as would with social media posts, include a call to action at the end of your posts.

When you include a call to action, you are encouraging visitors to perform a specific action. So, the call to action needs to be clear and direct. Visitors should know exactly what will happen when they click on the link in your call to action.

#4 – Provide a Free Offer to Encourage Sign Ups

Some people will need a little encouragement before they sign up for your mailing list. So, give them something. Use a free offer to attract more sign-ups.

What is a free offer? Generally, it will be a free music download. You can give subscribers access to music that is not available to the public. This exclusive music should help attract a few more sign ups.

#5 – Promote Your Mailing List at Live Shows

When you play a live show, you can promote your mailing list. Or, more specifically, you should encourage your fans to visit your website. Once there, they’ll surely see your signup form – if you follow the first step in this list.

#6 – Provide Access to Exclusive Content or Offers

You can also give subscribers access to exclusive content or offers. For example, if you plan on selling your music online, you could offer your subscribers early access to your music. Or, you could give them a sneak preview of upcoming tracks before they’re made public.

#7 – Give Your Subscribers the Chance to Unsubscribe

You need to give people on your mailing list an easy way to unsubscribe. They should be free to ask you to stop sending emails at any point. So, include a link to an unsubscribe option in every email that you send.

How does this help you grow your mailing list? People are less likely to treat your emails like spam. They know that they can cancel at any time, but will likely continue to subscribe in order to receive updates. They are then more likely to be a part of your fan base that recommends your mailing list to friends or family.

#8 – Create Quality Newsletters and Emails

It’s also essential that people enjoy reading your emails. If you simply send them a list of your random thoughts people will lose interest. Keep your newsletters and emails to the point.

While you may think of yourself as a great musician, your fans don’t likely care about your thoughts unless it’s concerning your music. So, create quality newsletters and emails that focus on the facts – tour dates, music releases, and other music related news.

#9 – Make Sure You’re Consistent with Your Emails

The final step is to remember to be consistent. You should create a schedule for sending out your newsletter. For example, you could send a new newsletter every two weeks on the same day. This doesn’t include periodic updates to let people know about new music or tours.

Your newsletters should be a summary of events and details that have occurred or that are upcoming. If you stick to a consistent schedule you’re less likely to lose subscribers.

The steps needed to build a mailing list are not hard. But, it will require time and energy. You will need to continue using these steps in order to attract people to sign up. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t grow your list quickly. It won’t happen overnight.

Source: ArtistPR Music Marketing