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8:36 pm
June 9, 2011
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QuoteWhen musicians first realize the awesomeness behind an automated sales funnel, they usually start to explore all of the really neat ways to drive traffic into the "jaws of the beast".
Once you start to see traffic converting into subscribers and sales it's easy to look forward to the future, but it's
just as easy to forget about where you came from.
I wanted to post here to explore a much overlooked source of potentially high-converting traffic, that you may have forgotten about...
Offline Marketing.
Let's take a trip down memory lane shall we?
Back in 1995, I was a budding young 18 year old punk rocker, with some nasty guitar licks, a pension for songwriting
and a do or die attitude.
The internet was relatively new and I was not nearly as 'plugged in' as I am today.
My one and only source of 'repeat business' came from one place and one place only... my mailing list.
Collecting mailing addresses at shows came in second place only to playing the show.
Other than that it was a top priority. The mailing listr was the only tangible thing you could have to ensure that
you kept your message in front of people. I took it very seriously.
Nowadays it's not so much mailing addresses as it is email addresses, but is there still value in having the mailing address of your fans?
I'm here to tell you there certainly is. Here's why...
Email, despite all of it's benefits, is a disposable medium. People are flooded with all kinds of crap in their
inbox. Some of it gets read, but most of it get's deleted.
Post cards sent by mail, on the other hand, are usually kept and hung up on the fridge. People love getting cool fliers in the mail.
They also love when the mailer offers something in exchange for a return visit to your website.
Got a new recording coming out? Send a postcard to your fan list and offer a free track or a discount, just for responding
to the mailer.
Playing a show to support your new recording? Bring drop cards to bring to the venue to pull people back into your sales funnel.
These things are great ways to reconnect with your current list as well as pull new fans into your website or social media circle.
Just because you've got automation working for you doesn't mean you can't capitalize on the 'old school' methods. In fact it only makes those old school methods more effective
Man I use to love hand-making those fliers.
Happy marketing guys,
-Steve
1:33 am
June 7, 2011
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It's true, a lot of marketers are starting to have success again with physical mailings precisely because everyone else has abandoned it. There are some slight costs associated with it, but if done right physical mailings can be really effective. One nice thing here is that, unlike email, it's easy to rent quality leads for physical mailings. Going rate tends to be about .12 cents each.
Thanks Steve.
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.
1:39 am
June 9, 2011
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My pleasure,
I kinda wrote this in a rush, but yeah, taking advantage and pulling people into your online funnel by using offline methods is a great way to capitalize on those nights where people can see you up close and personal (and not in front of a computer).
3:26 pm
June 10, 2011
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You're right Steve, I should start a new post with this one. If anyone can learn from what happened with me yesterday then all the better! Mind if I copy both my comment and your response into a new post?
BTW, I checked my email this morning.......more sign ups!
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!
7:21 pm
June 10, 2011
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Another "old" method that I have been doing a little bit lately……busking……….sort of!
There is an outdoor market where I do a paid gig several times a year fairly close to where I live. The pay is decent, tips are always good, I usually sell a fair amount of CD's, and I get people to sign up for my mailing list. It's always been a full blown gig, with all the usual truckload of equipment that I normaly use. Over the years, the market has grown in size, to the point that the music cannot be heard at the far end of the market. I saw an opportunity there…..
On Sundays when I don't have anything else booked, I have been renting a booth space for $25, setting up a merch table with biz cards, an email sign up sheet with a headline that they will get a free track if they sign up, oversize cards that they can take with them with info directing them to my squeeze page if they would rather sign up that way, a poster that says "Ask Me About House Concerts", a big stack of CD's, and of course, a tip jar. Behind me I hang up a large vinyl sign with my name and the url to my squeeze page. The only equipment I use is an acoustic guitar and a stool. Actually renting a booth space seems to give me a bit more "credibility" than just setting up on a street corner with an open guitar case, as I am getting much better response than the true buskers that perform around the outskirts of the market.
The vendors love it! They are usually the first people to put money in my jar. I always get people to sign on my mailing list sheet, I sell CD's, and I come home with cash that I would not have made otherwise. (So far it's usually been about $100. Not great, but there are other benefits too!)) It is no problem to stop right in the middle of a song to engage with people on a one to one basis, since I don't have to worry about keeping the rest of my audience. In fact, that's usually how I get people to sign up for my mailing list!
Yesterday somebody from a museum in town came by my booth and placed a bulk order of CD's for their gift shop, and a DJ from a local radio station took a CD so he could play it on the air. The market manager thanked me for being there, and said I was helping to draw people to the far end of the market. When I checked my email this morning, there was a message from Aweber that more people had signed up for my list through my squeeze page.
Not bad for a gig that I can do whenever I want, takes me 10 minutes to set up for, opposed to at least an hour when I do my regular show, not to mention loading and unloading all my gear before and after the gig! Besides, it's kind of fun once in a while to do just a basic, stripped down show with out all the MIDI gear, looper, PA etc. In the past, I have usualy been opposed to musicians performing for free, but this has caused me to do some re-thinking. It's also amazing how many musicians have come by my booth asking me how I got this gig!
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!
8:09 pm
June 9, 2011
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That's great, Greg.
I think the overall point of my original post, is that it's easy to get so involved in the web side of things that we forget the old-school methods. Or we even take the offline stuff for granted when we know we have a semi-automated system online.
On your post in particular, it sounds like you bring a pro attitude to even the "starving artist" approach. I may look for similar opportunities when I'm doing the acoustic thing, which is not something I do all too often, but definitely enjoy.
I really like that. 🙂
9:24 pm
June 10, 2011
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You're right about the "pro attitude" approach Steve. I think it is important to have that, no matter what level you are at, what kind of gig you are doing, when you are rehearsing, when you are trying to book gigs.......
A few years ago I struck up a conversation with the person in line behind me at a store. Turns out she was a musician from the same area I was from. She was complaining that gigs were so hard to get and there just weren't any places to play...the same sob story I hear all the time. I was almost embarrased to tell her that I was completely exhausted because I had just done 5 gigs in three days, and I had almost 100 bookings lined up for the year. She asked me how I was able to get so many gigs, and I tried to explain to her that it takes a lot of hard work and the right kind of attitude. It doesn't just happen overnight, but is something you have to constantly work at. If you want to be a "pro", then you have to apply yourself like one. I don't know if she understood what I meant, or even if she believed me, but I have often thought about that conversation as a reminder to myself whenever I feel my own attitude lagging.
Of course by "pro attitude" I'm not reffering ego...far from it! It's more about taking what works and expanding on it, dumping what doesn't work, putting 110% effort in when you know you could "get by" with a lot less. It's worked for me in the past, and with Johns MMM2.0 and this forum, I am learning how to take it even farther. I hope my "soap box preaching" can be of help to other members of this forum!
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!
9:41 pm
June 10, 2011
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One more thing Steve, about your original post…
I completly agree with you about using cards at gigs. When I first started using a merch table at gigs, it was just that….merchandise that people could buy. Then I started adding things that were free. A bio, business cards, schedules etc. I watched people come up and look at my CD and then put it down because they didn't want to spend the 10 bucks. That left them in an uncomfortable situation. When I started offering things for free, more people started visiting my merch table. People would still pick up my CD, look at it, and then put it back down. Then they would pick up something that was free and walk away. The cool thing is that many of them walk a short distance away, then stop and come back and buy a CD! I don't know if they felt guilty about taking something for free or what, but my CD sales went up, and more people were getting info about me and my music. With computers and home printers these days being so cheap and common, there's no reason that I can see to not use cards and flyers!
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!
11:47 pm
June 9, 2011
Offline
Yeah, you bring up and interesting idea there.
What you said about "they felt bad about taking something free and not buying"...
One of the things that I "teach" in my material is the idea of abundance. When you give something away for free, you are subconsciously communicating "I don't NEED you to buy this, but I sure would appreciate it". It's pretty simple actually... needy people don't give things away, instead they always look to see what they can get.
Your approach is laid back and communicates, "I don't need anything... in fact here's what I have for you."
It reminds me of every time I've been in a retail store... when the sales rep is on you like a fly to a turd, it's repelling.. But when the rep calmly says, "Welcome, all the sale stuff is over there and just give me a shout if you need something." I usually not only end up asking for something, but end up buying something too.
Your approach makes people feel comfortable with you.
A friend of mine used to put all his pricey T-shirts on display and never even put the CD's on the table. That way people would come and up to his table and say, "Yo, do you guys have a cd or anything?" His cd could have been $50 at that point because he already knew the person was going to buy it. Looking back, there's some scarcity in there too.
Evil genius, that dude... That shit was almost magical.
I think that's where the abundance seed was 1st planted in my head. Took me a few years to really start to grasp it, but when I did, I could almost make people do exactly what I wanted them to do in certain situations.
It wasn't until I started to learn direct-response copywriting that I started to see some predictability with it.
-Steve
1:45 am
June 10, 2011
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So what is "direct response copywriting"? Is that something you use to promote your music?
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!
4:07 am
June 9, 2011
Offline
Greg,
Copywriting is essentially "salesmanship in print." Direct response copywriting is copy that taps into psychological triggers to get people to take and action right away (sign-up, spend cash) as opposed to later.
Yes, you can use it to promote your music:
"Fill Out The Form Below To Receive 4 FREE Pre- Release Tracks From My Upcoming Album Before They Go On Sale (at full price) Tomorrow!"
The cool thing about direct response is that even a weak or lop-sided offer will see results, however the better the offer, the more effective your copy will be. (Make the irresistible offer).
A simple example is the "Submit" button on a squeeze page opt-in form. It's recommended to change it's text from "SUBMIT" to something like "Yes! Give Me My Free Tracks Now!"
Why? Well when you think about it, NOBODY likes to "submit" (Picture the bully twisting your arm behind your back as you scream "UNCLE!")
Does that help you to understand?
John Oszajca is pretty darn good copywriter himself. Go back and read his sales letter for MMM2.0 again and just see how short, sweet and wallet ripping it really is. In fact, read all his stuff. Even his blog posts and emails walk you down the path to doing exactly what he wants you to do.
But realize it's only part of the equation. The audience has to be a targeted one for the copy to work like it should. (non-smokers won't buy cigarettes). For musicians, you'd have to either be lazy or think you know it all to not buy the his course after reading the sales letter. The value promised far out-weighs the cost of access (it's a strong offer).
Make sense?
9:11 am
June 10, 2011
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Sure does! And you're right about Johns offer. I was so worried that MMM2.0 was going to sell out very early on the first day that I hit him with several panic stricken emails, explaining to him that I live in a remote area and had to make a round trip drive of over 20 miles to make a deposit in the bank so I could pay for his course, and pleeeeeze save me a spot! After I started taking the course, I had several good laughs as I learned the tactics, and realized how well they had worked on me! The cool thing about MMM 2.0.....if more musicians realized how valuable the info is, it probably would sell out fast enough that I wouldn't have been able to get to the bank in time.
You obviously have a good understanding of this stuff too. Thanks for the tip. I'm going to take another look at my squeeze page, and make a change or two!
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!
1:24 pm
June 9, 2011
Offline
Greg,
I would strongly suggest testing your changes. Here's what you do....
Set up an account with Google Website Optimizer. What optimizer will ask you to do is pick your "control page" (the page you are already using), then set up an almost exact copy of the page (with the changes you are going to test).
Then they want you to make sure you have a conversion page (thank you page after sign up).
Once you have these 3 pages, you simply copy the javascript codes they provide you with and paste them inside of the "head" tags of you page(s) source code.
Then from the experiment options menu, you choose to show the pages evenly. What this does is evenly display both versions of your test pages to every other visitor.
The page that performs the best is the one you want to keep (after about 100 sign-ups), then create a variation of the winner and test again.
When you have this type of intelligence, you will see where the improvements can be made and which copy is performing the best. You can't improve what you can't understand, which is why it's so important that you test.
Only test one portion of your copy at a time.
For instance, for one of my promotions I split test the 2 following qualifying statements:
"Want A Better Way To Start A Band?" vs. "Still Struggling To Start A Band?"
After I get a clear-cut winner, I'll split test the headline, or the background color, or the text in the optin form, etc. Anything to improve the conversion rate for that page.
All you're doing is measuring how effective you are at getting people to take the action you want them to take.
-Steve
1:34 pm
June 9, 2011
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Btw... about what you said about having a chuckle when John revealed his strategies and you realized that fell for them hook, line and sinker....
Some people learn that stuff and actually get pissed about it. Copywriting is one the most powerful skills and the world. It's just funny how some will learn about it and think that it's "underhanded", but it's not if you deliver (or over-deliver) on your promise. Regardless, some people just can't be pleased.
2:17 pm
June 10, 2011
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Great advice Steve, Thanks!
I know John talks about testing in MMM 2.0, but there is so much info in there that I keep re-watching the videos and taking more notes trying to get it all. I still have a lot to do, and it really helps to have someone like you to who understands all of this to recognize where I'm at and recommend what I should do next. Thanks again!
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!
2:19 pm
June 10, 2011
Offline
John Oszajca said:
It's true, a lot of marketers are starting to have success again with physical mailings precisely because everyone else has abandoned it. There are some slight costs associated with it, but if done right physical mailings can be really effective. One nice thing here is that, unlike email, it's easy to rent quality leads for physical mailings. Going rate tends to be about .12 cents each.
Thanks Steve.
Hey John
Where do you rent the leads from?
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!
Hey guys.
Steve, thanks for the kind words on the copywriting. Much appreciated.
Greg, really cool to hear about your busking story. That should have been a thread all on it's own. Using your live shows a "traffic source" is fantastic, and it's crazy how many people miss the opportunity. The best thing with those kind of leads is that they are the highest quality. I'm sure your conversion rates will be the highest with them.
As far as copywriting goes, Steve said it all pretty well. It's probably the most important aspect to marketing, but it's also one that causes most people to go glassy eyed until they realize how important it is. There is a book by Dan Kennedy called "the ultimate sales letter" that you might check out. Not all of it applies to music but his stuff is great.
Once you understand how to sell with words, almost anything is possible. I find it to be really exciting and powerful stuff.
As far as music and copywriting, I've been playing with headlines that really take the psychological state of my potential fans in to account. I recently realized that most of the recent physical albums I had bought were at Starbucks of all places. I thought about it and realized that the reason I bought them was that they were all very "vibe" based. And somewhere in my head before I purchased was a momentary image of myself sitting somehwere listening to the album. It was that "vibe", that promise of a cool moment, that got me to purchase.
Realizing that I am starting to try to get to the bottom of what that moment might be for my potential fans and I am writing headlines accordingly.
For example, the music I am doing these days is very Americana based. Bluegrass, alt-country, etc. So I started thinking about Americana culture and Route 66 came to mind. So I wrote a headline that said "If you ever plan to take that road trip down Route 66, you need John Oszajca on your ipod...", the goal being to immediately tap into that romantic place in every music fans mind. I'm digressing a bit here, but that's the kind of thing I've been focused on. I haven't started running traffic to that headline yet but I'll let you know how it goes when I do. But from there all those other triggers, social proof, reciprocity, scarcity, etc, come in to play.
To answer your last question Greg, Nextmark.com is a place where you can rent leads fro physical mailings. Just be aware that there is risk involved with this kind of thing. It's not to be messed with until you have a strong handle on your metrics and a budget to be able to afford some risk.
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.
12:55 pm
June 9, 2011
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You're welcome, John. Like I told you before, it was your style of marketing that made me want to get in touch with you from the beginning. Direct response marketing is easy to recognize when you see it. The copy was great!
I second The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy. Great book. I bought my copy at a Kinko's about 5 years ago, when I first started to understand marketing. I've read it about 6 times at this point.
Another good book that gets into the psychological side of selling... 2 books actually... "The Irresistible Offer" and "Mind Control Marketing" both by Mark Joyner (the godfather of internet marketing). You can get them from his simpleology.com website.
11:53 pm
June 10, 2011
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John Oszajca said:
"Greg, really cool to hear about your busking story. That should have been a thread all on it's own."
Hey John, I know I tend to drift off topic sometimes. I won't be the least bit offended if you want to move anything I write to another thread. You are the admin after all!
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!
