**Guest post written by Nicholas Rubright of Dozmia.

 

In case you missed part 1, you can read it HERE.

 

 

"Marketing Your Music with Email

We have an in-depth guide to email marketing for musicians already, but here's a gist of what to look out for when choosing an email provider, promoting your email list, and using it to grow and engage your fanbase.

 

 

20. Choose the Right Email Marketing Provider

There are many different mailing list providers, but here's a look at the pros and cons of some popular ones.

 

Aweber

Pros

• Awesome drag-and-drop editor. Easily format text, add hyperlinks, and insert images.
• Schedule emails by time-zone.
• 700+ email templates to choose from.
• Clean, easy to use interface.
• Take spam very seriously.
• Split A/B testing.
• Mobile Apps.
• Solid customer service.
• Shopping cart integration with PayPal, Shopify, and Google Checkout.
• Add attachments to emails.
• Extensive tracking and reporting of email campaigns.

 

Cons

• Lacks Google Analytics integration
• No social media tracking or reporting
• You can't build your own email template.
• You can only import xls, xlsx, tsv, csv, txt files.

 

Mailchimp

Pros

• A free plan - up to 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month
• Competitive pricing for paid plans - starting at $10 for 500 users/unlimited sends (see more here)
• Good templates and an easy to use editor with awesome RSS feed support.
• Track where signups come from.
• Customize signup forms for mobile devices.
• Easy to import and customize your lists.
• Easily share songs from iTunes or YouTube.
• Segmented email campaigns, such as by location (great for tour alerts).
• Mobile apps available.
• Lots of integrations with website providers.

 

Cons

• Many advanced features require a Pro plan, which starts at $199/month.
• Can have very slow load times.
• Some segmentation features require a paid plan.

 

Mailigen

Pros

• Competitive pricing (see here).
• Offers option for annual billing with discounts.
• The best text message integration of any provider.
• Solid integrations with Facebook, Google Analytics, and Shopify.
• Impressive social media sharing options.
• Awesome drag-and-drop editor.
• Best value for the features you get.
• Dynamic content with behavioral segmentation lets you target subscribers with specific interests.
• Offers storage for images and audio.

 

Cons

• Lacking in some areas of security.
• Contact importing is limited to Excel, csv, and txt files.
• After you send your 200 text messages, you need to pay for additional credits.

 

+Why I Don't Use Reberbnation FanReach For Email Marketing

 

 

21. Increase Signup Conversions - Limit Required Fields

It's important to only ask for what you need, as too many fields can reduce the conversion rate for mailing lists. In addition to asking for the email address, consider asking for a phone number for text message marketing, and a zip code to determine a subscribers city within the U.S.

 

 

22. Promote Your Mailing List on Your Website

You can provide a full screen call to action with apps like SumoMe, or stick a bar to the top of your website asking visitors to subscribe with Hello Bar.

 

 

23. Let Customers Subscribe at Checkout

Adding an opt in checkbox to your websites checkout form is a great way to gather emails from your most loyal fans.

 

 

24. Add a Call-to-Action to Your Facebook Page

Adding a button to your Facebook page to get mailing list subscribers can help create a mailing list from your Facebook following. Here's how to do it:

 

Simply click the "Create Call to Action" button on your cover photo.

 

Select "Sign Up" from the button options dropdown.

 

Then enter the url to your mailing list and click "Create".

 

 

25. Collect Emails at Your Merch Table

Adding a mailing list signup sheet to your merch table can be a great way to collect emails from new and existing fans attending your shows. It's especially powerful when accompanied by powerful incentives.

 

For a more detailed look at email marketing, check out our email marketing guide for musicians.

+The Bribe to Subscribe: Bands and E-mails

 

 

Get Press

While online music marketing is extremely important in todays digital world, offline music marketing still holds value.

 

 

26. Stories in the Local Newspaper

If you've accomplished something interesting, or have a unique story, the local media may be interested. In some cases, it's as simple as calling them and seeing if they'd be interested in an interview, but if you're less connected, you may need to write a press release.

 

Check out this guide on writing press releases by HubSpot, with some awesome examples.

+How to Write a Press Release (and Get Press)

 

 

27. Reach Out to Music Bloggers

Reaching out to music bloggers isn't as hard as you'd think. Unlike mainstream media, you don't need to write press releases. Some bloggers actually prefer that you don't write a press release.

 

If your music is good, you can score a number of reviews for it. Check out these guidelines for improving the efficiency of your outreach efforts.

+How Do I Get My Stuff Featured on Music Blogs?

 

 

28. Radio Interviews

If radio stations in an area near an upcoming show are already playing your music, they may be interested in an interview. This can result in increased awareness for your show and your music.

+10 Pieces Of Sage Advice To Up And Coming Musicians Seeking Airplay From A Radio DJ

 

 

Crowdfunding Your Album

Crowdfunding doesn't just provide a way for you to fund your next album - it also provides you with exposure to the crowdfunding platform's audience.

 

 

29. Picking the Right Crowdfunding Platform - Kickstarter vs Indiegogo for Musicians

When choosing between Kickstarter and Indiegogo as your crowdfunding platform, it's important to consider the size of the audience, and the number of similar projects.

 

While kickstarter has a larger audience, Indiegogo may have less competition in the music space.

 

Whichever platform you choose, you're bound to get a good amount of exposure for your music simply by being a part of the platform.

 

 

30. Have Enticing Rewards

Basic rewards like downloads of your album are good, but don't be afraid to get crazy with your offers. Let people donate enough for you to fly out to see them for a private show, or even fly them to your album release show. One big donation can make a huge difference in how quickly you're able to raise the money.

 

 

31. Get Your Story Right

Why are you raising money for this release? Don't make if about you, or even your fans - provide a story that lead up to you choosing to crowdfund your album.

 

 

32. Engage Your Supporters

If someone backs you, send them a personal thank you email. This can go a long way, and if they respond, you can ask them to share some of your music on social media.

 

 

33. Try Backercamp

Backercamp can offer some additional paid promotion for your crowdfunding campaign. If you're inexperienced in the world of crowdfunding, or need help, this may be a good option. It starts at as low as $50.

 

 

34. Understand the Chances Success

Around half of music projects get successfully funded according to Kickstarter stats, which is awesome. Even if you don't meet your crowdfunding goal, it's likely that you'll receive some exposure from the campaign.

+10 Ways To Raise Funds For Your Next Music Project (Without Selling A Single Record)

 

 

Get Your Music Played on Radio Stations

Getting any kind of radio airplay is a great way to quickly be exposed to a large audience. Pitching radio stations will result in a lot of rejection, but when you finally get a "yes," it'll be worth it.

 

 

35. Upload Your Music to Internet Radio

Many internet radio stations like Pandora have a review process before accepting your music onto the platform. However, there are many internet radio stations and music services that accept most music submissions.

 

If you do submit your music to Pandora, make sure you have high quality recordings (though you should have high quality recordings before releasing music anyway).

 

 

36. Promote Your Music to College and FM Radio

Getting played on college or FM radio stations is a great way to expose your music to a dense population, which is great for touring. When considering radio promotion, you want to educate yourself on the arts of direct mail and cold calling.

 

Simply put, reaching out to radio stations over the phone is a massive cold calling effort. Bigger radio stations are likely owned by huge corporations that are in bed with the major labels, but there's opportunity to be found for independent artists and labels in smaller radio stations and the college radio market, so don't think it's out of reach for you.

 

If you don't have a big budget, and want to go at it DIY, check out this guide on promoting your music to radio stations. If you do have the money, you can hire a radio promotion company to reach out to radio stations on your behalf. These companies have existing connections at radio stations, and can give you play reports to help with touring efforts.

+How To Get Your Music On College Radio

 

 

37. Get Played on Satellite Radio (SiriusXM)

While large FM radio stations are likely to play music from major labels, satellite radio may offer some exposure for you as an independent musician.

 

Simply find a station that plays your type of music from SiriusXM's list of stations, and submit your music to the programming department:

 

Attn: Music Programming Department

SiriusXM

1221 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10020

 

 

Get More Plays on Music Streaming Services

Getting found on music streaming services is another valuable way for you to grow your fanbase for free. Having great artwork, getting placed in well-followed playlists, and connecting with DJ's can work in your favor.

 

 

38. Have Awesome Artwork

Album art is extremely important for the online music world. In most cases, your music will be prominently featured with album art being the first thing people see - before ever hearing your music. If you want a chance at someone clicking the artwork to hear your song, the image better look worth clicking.

 

 

39. Get Placed in Well Followed Playlists

Getting placed in a well-followed, niche playlists can quickly expose your music to hundreds, or even thousands of people. Simply find playlists that contain your style of music, and reach out to the creator of the playlist on social media or directly through the social music platform you're using.

 

 

40. Find DJ's to Remix your Music

People often visit Soundcloud or Mixcloud to find remixes of popular songs. By having your music remixed and re-published to these platforms by a popular DJ, you can reach a new fanbase quickly."

 

Read on to part 3 HERE.

 

 

 

Related Blog Posts:

+10 Ways to Look Like an Amateur Musician

+How to use Radio & Music Blogs to Promote Your Tour

+What's Your Story