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1:10 pm
June 11, 2011
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QuoteUsing aweber and its going well. Ive set the follow up emails to go out generally x number of days apart. But Im wondering if I should try to have them go out on specific days/times? Anyone have any thoughts/experience with this affecting open rate?
DRESSED HIS WIFE UP LIKE A HORSE FOR HIS NEW ALBUM COVER
http://www.deanfields.net
3:46 pm
June 10, 2011
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Hi Dean,
I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I seem to recall reading somewhere that more people open their Emails on Tuesday than any other day of the week
What would a jam session with Gordon Lightfoot, Collective Soul, and Damien Rice sound like?
Check out Greg Parke and you’ll have a pretty good idea!
5:24 pm
June 7, 2011
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Hey Dean,
I haven't personally bothered with that setting for my follow up series because my feeling is that the interval at which people receive the emails is more important than the day. But there would be nothing wrong with going a different way.
I do however always try to set my promotional "broadcasts" to go out Tues - Thursday. As Greg touched on, people are busy on weekends, recovering from the weekend on Monday's, and preparing for the weekends on Fridays. So most testing shows that emails that go out on those days WILL get better open rates. But that's not to say that these rules can't be thrown out the window if there is some reason you would like to mail on a day outside of that window. Every rule has been broken with success.
Having trouble with your marketing? Wish you could have an experienced direct-to-fan marketing expert look over your actual campaigns, music, or content and offer feedback? Or perhaps you’re just looking for a little one-on-one assistance so you can ask questions that pertain to your specific goals and get a second, more experienced, perspective? Click here to book a session with me now.
John Oszajca said:
Hey Dean,
I haven't personally bothered with that setting for my follow up series because my feeling is that the interval at which people receive the emails is more important than the day. But there would be nothing wrong with going a different way.
I do however always try to set my promotional "broadcasts" to go out Tues – Thursday. As Greg touched on, people are busy on weekends, recovering from the weekend on Monday's, and preparing for the weekends on Fridays. So most testing shows that emails that go out on those days WILL get better open rates. But that's not to say that these rules can't be thrown out the window if there is some reason you would like to mail on a day outside of that window. Every rule has been broken with success.
Hey John, Where can I get one of those banners at bottom of your posting?
8:50 am
June 7, 2011
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Hey Jim,
Are you asking where you can get a banner designed or how you can make one appear in the forum? If it's the later then all you need to do is go into your profile and add a signature graphic.Let me know if I am misunderstanding.
Having trouble with your marketing? Wish you could have an experienced direct-to-fan marketing expert look over your actual campaigns, music, or content and offer feedback? Or perhaps you’re just looking for a little one-on-one assistance so you can ask questions that pertain to your specific goals and get a second, more experienced, perspective? Click here to book a session with me now.
4:38 pm
June 10, 2011
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Hey John,
Could you (or anybody!) give a few more details on setting up a signature graphic? Mine is stuck with just text, and very small at that! I went through the usual steps to increase the font size, but it didn't work. Adding graphics like you have done would be great
What would a jam session with Gordon Lightfoot, Collective Soul, and Damien Rice sound like?
Check out Greg Parke and you’ll have a pretty good idea!
5:06 pm
June 7, 2011
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Greg Parke said:
Hey John,
Could you (or anybody!) give a few more details on setting up a signature graphic? Mine is stuck with just text, and very small at that! I went through the usual steps to increase the font size, but it didn't work. Adding graphics like you have done would be great
Hey Greg, it's really simple. Just click on your profile tab, go to the "setup your signiture" tab, and then click the little tree graphic which is for adding an image, then hyper link to it. You can also just add html.
Here is my html code as an example...
<p><a href="http://musicmarketingmanifesto.com/manifesto-novid.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://musicmarketingmanifesto.com/images/animatedbanner468.gif" alt="" width="468" height="70" /></a></p>
Having trouble with your marketing? Wish you could have an experienced direct-to-fan marketing expert look over your actual campaigns, music, or content and offer feedback? Or perhaps you’re just looking for a little one-on-one assistance so you can ask questions that pertain to your specific goals and get a second, more experienced, perspective? Click here to book a session with me now.
7:13 pm
June 9, 2011
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Greg
To kind of break down the code for you...
the tag < a > is for a link < /a > (without the spaces)
Inside the opening "a" tag you want to put href="your link url here"
In between the opening and closing "a" tags you would want to put an image tag which is simply < img > (again without the spaces)
Inside your image tag you will want to indicate a source of the the image... src="your image location here"
That should do it.
7:55 pm
October 27, 2011
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After listening to the interview with Chris Rempel I really want to get my auto responses fine tuned, it sounds easy, but I'm having trouble getting jump started on just how to do that. Developing my email persona.
Any ideas?
Also I think it is really important to have good Subject lines, asking a question and having an answer is definitely the way to go but again I'm having trouble going at it from a music point of view.
8:14 pm
June 9, 2011
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Hi Dave,
The cool thing about music as opposed to other problem/ solution type products is that you can afford to have some fun with this.
You can say things that are leading: "You won't believe what I did [Total Screw-up]"
You can say something controversial: "This guy is totally full of it"
Something Genuine: "I just wanted to say thanks"
You can create curiosity:"What would you do if this happened?"
The whole thing comes down to getting them to open the damned thing. The rest is getting a click. Have fun with it, you can always split test based off your open rates 🙂
11:08 pm
October 27, 2011
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Thanks Steve
I guess I'm looking for a critique here or any input. Maybe others might be able to use this email as a template of sorts.
Going with what I thought Chris was talking about, being transparent, guenuine = a real person, this is what I came up with as a draft for my #2 follow up email. Before I actually use it I thought I'd run it by y'all to see if this something that might help make that connection with fans 
I’d like to tell you a little bit more about us.
We have spent most of musical careers in cover bands; you
know the bands you go see at the local bar playing your favorite songs by
somebody else. Well we still do that but we are finally mixing that in with our
own songs that we wrote. As you probably know by now we ain’t no new kids on
the block as far as our age but we still have the dream of making our own
records and having fans that really dig what we are doing and hopefully that is
you 
None of us has ever struck it rich in the stock markets or
any of that stuff and it’s not likely we will ever be picked up by a record label.
We are just regular guys still making just enough to get by and do a few things
we like to do. This for me is making music and entertaining people.
My brother and I built a home studio in his basement about
two years ago so we could take our time and record our music at our own pace
and fine tune the songs as we go along. That’s something you can’t do in a
studio for hire unless you made it big on Wall Street or got signed to a record
deal! It was by no means cheap and easy and there were a lot of things to learn
but we felt in the long run it was a worthwhile investment as we have no intentions
of ever giving up.
So as a fan of the Silas Dogan Band you can look forward to
a lot of new music coming your way. It’s also very helpful for us to hear from
you. Let us know if you like or don’t like the direction we going.
If you’re like me, I’m still a big fan of the 70’s Outlaw
Country and Southern Rock music and will be til the day I die. If I can make
music that’s half as good as those guys and make a modest living at it, I’ll be
happy.
So until next time, have a beer on me (send me the tab LOL)
Dave and the SDB
12:05 am
June 9, 2011
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Hi Dave,
A couple of points, if I may. Keep in mind these are just suggestions:
When you craft these messages, try to keep the Interest, Desire, Action process in mind. I love what you say in the message about doing things at your own pace. I think a lot of people into outlaw country and the various spin-offs can totally get into the "doing it our own way" type of message.
So come up with a subject line that speaks to that: "We just said screw it..." or something to that effect.
Then start your email with a question like, "Did you ever find yourself working way too hard on something you didn't feel like doing in the first place?"
Then start into how you used to play in a cover band full time and then maybe how you guys all looked at each other and said, "What the hell are we doing all this for?" or something like that.
Then lead into the exciting part of how you guys said "screw it, we aren't getting any younger and we don't care about a record deal anyway. " So that's when we built our own studio.
Now that you've established a bit of rapport and likeability with your story you can say, "In fact that's how we recorded our upcoming/latest cd called "CD Title Here"
Then maybe mention how the sound really reflects the personalities of the group in a way you couldn't ever get across playing other people's stuff and how you're really happy now that you've said "screw it all" and did it your way..
At this point, you can point out that the free tracks they already have were recorded there and that you you're getting ready to release the record in a couple of days (or whatever ties your story into the offer)
Then invite them to take action (like you on facebook, follow you on twitter, visit your site, look at pictures of the home studio, make em offer on the cd)
What I think you are going for in your message is really hands-off and "safe". Maybe a little too safe for outlaw country boys.
One thing I will bring to your attention is that this message seems to be more about you than the person reading it, which is why I'm suggesting speaking to them as if you were sitting at the bar with them and make it about them a little bit, or at least be more conversational with your story.
Again, these are just suggestions. I'm glad you're taking action on this stuff, Dave.
Nice job, thanks for sharing. 🙂
12:17 am
October 27, 2011
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Great suggestions, this feedback is exactly what I'm looking for! Thanks! You guys are the experts and I get what is being said but it really helps for someone who has been at this for a while to be "brutally honest" tho I didn't take it as brutal at all but you know what I mean. This gives me and others a way to drill down on what works. Thanks again and any other suggestions are welcome
12:56 am
October 27, 2011
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Actually I'm still having a hard time...man I suck at this
1:05 am
June 10, 2011
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I wish I could favorite Steve''s answer so that I could come back and use it for reference.
3:19 am
August 27, 2011
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I second that - Steve, that's got to be about the best email 'deconstruction' I've ever witnessed. Not only did you help give Dave some pointers, I think we all learned a thing or two about how to write an email
And Dave - don't sweat it man. It's often easier to critique the work of others than spot what's wrong with your own stuff. In that way, marketing is a lot like writing a resume where it's a good idea to get a second opinion.
4:51 am
June 9, 2011
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Haha. Thanks y'all.
Dave, don't get me wrong... I think your laid back writing style is cool, man.
I'm suggesting you take that same style, but use that interest, desire, action format to engage the reader more.
The thing with email is that, you need people to open it first. Then you want then to do something that encourages participation in a friendship with you. Begin a conversation the same way you would if you were calling them on the phone. You can ask an engaging question, then tell them the story of why you're asking in the first place or you can take them on a wild adventure and re-live a story with you.
Make it relatively short, but interesting so that it sets the table for them to take action to see what you've really got going on, whether it's another free track offer,a cd offer, a survey, or just to watch a youtube video.
One thing to note in all of this is that we are looking at one email in a series of messages. But while a whole series is constructed for Interest, Desire, Action, each message can be as well in order to engage your reader and solidify that relationship for when you actually make the offer to buy your stuff.
Dave, I sucked when I first started to write email copy. I wanted to build a relationship but at the same time try to sell something and didn't really realize that there is a "blueprint" for doing so, where you can be totally cool and make a call to action without feeling weird about it. It's like a balancing act, but then again so is riding a bike.
Once you start rolling, you won't forget how to do it.
2:33 pm
October 27, 2011
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Thanks Steve
I don't think I took you wrongly, I understand what you're saying, putting it in to practice is another thing. What I'm trying to do is tweek what I got, the message above is not one I am using, rather my attempt at making my follow ups more "personal"?
Anyway I'm going to post my follow ups as they are at this time. Hopefully this will help anyone who is also struggling, at the very least it can be used as a "what not to do" LOL 
Follow Up #1
Subject: Hi {!firstname}, Your Downloads From The Silas Dogan Band
Hi {!firstname}
Thank you for signing up with
The Silas Dogan Band!!
Here is the download link:
http://silasdogan.net/whitelin.....orry.zip
Once you've had a chance to listen to the tracks please
feel free to tell your friends and family to sign up and
download the songs as well @
Then, if you have a second to spare, head on over to
http://silasdogan.com
and post a comment on the home page.
We'll appreciate ANYTHING you might have to say.
Now, to download the free singles: Just click on the
following link, save to your computer, unzip/extract the
files and then just save it to your player's library.
For most Mac users (depending on your settings), simply
clicking on the link should download it and add it to your
iTunes library automatically.
http://silasdogan.net/whitelin.....tworry.zip
We've put our heart and souls into this Album
so it really means a lot to us that you've taken the time
to get know us.
THANK YOU for being apart of it.
Enjoy the music!!
Write us back, we'd love to hear from you!!
Dave Barnett & The Silas Dogan Band
Remember to add us to your approved contacts list
2:36 pm
October 27, 2011
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Follow Up #2 Interval - 4 days
Subject: Hey {!firstname}, Here's another song for you
Hey there {!firstname}
We wanted to take a minute and
Thank you again for being a
Fan of The Silas Dogan Band
Download "Stand My Ground" here:
http://www.silasdogan.net/stan.....ground.zip
This song was written as a Tribute to the
Late Great Stevie Ray Vaughan.
It also shows our diversity as music creators.
As you can see by now our music is a mix of
Outlaw Country, Classic Rock and Blues.
Some would say "Southern Rock"
and others call it "Red Dirt"
Either way we hope you are enjoying the tunes.
Here is your download link:
http://www.silasdogan.net/stan.....ground.zip
Oh, by the way, This song featured in an Irish documentary
"The Grassmen"
Join us on FaceBook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/.....2539352298
And Twitter Tweets by SilasDoganBand
Thanks again and we'll talk to you soon
Dave, Mark, Gary and Julio
Remeber to add us to your email White List
2:38 pm
October 27, 2011
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Follow Up #3 Interval - 7 days
Subject: Hey {!firstname}, We have a new Website
Hi {!firstname}
How's it goin' today? Hope all is well
We have our new website up and running. We are going to run
this site a little different than most. By that I mean we
will keep this site updated as much as once a week.
That way you will always have new and interesting things to
check out when you visit:
A Blog post that features a kind of review of other Bands,
Movies, TV shows and Music we like
New photos and videos
Previews of our new songs as we get them recorded
Stories of some of the cool stuff that happens at our shows
We have a Reply box on each of our pages so you can tell us
about what you saw or did at one of the shows or just about
anything you want to talk about
We want our site to be fun and interactive.
Some of the things we are into are:
Patriotism: Supporting our troops and their families
Animals: Particulary dogs but we love 'em all
Lake Time: We love spending time on and around the water
Motorcycles: Who don't love bikes?
Family: We got kids and grandkids too
You can see we are into all kinds of stuff that you
probably are into also.
So drop by and leave a comment and check out our first Album
"WHITE LINES" while you're there
Here is the link to our new site
Thanks and have a great day
Dave and the SDB
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