20 Ways To Engage Your Fans

by Scott James on May 5, 2010 · 8 comments

In this day and age there’s a lot of talk about engaging with fans. Technology has changed marketing from a one way street to a two way conversation. So now that we all know that we’re supposed to engage our fans, how do we do it? I’ve created a list to help get you started with some ideas:

Have live interaction with your fans on www.ustream.tv.
Talk to them in real life!
Post a poll on your website to ask them what their favorite song is.
Find a reason to bring people up on stage during your shows.
Have a separate mailing list for your best fans that gives them access to limited edition items.
Send cool snail mail to some of your best fans.
Dedicate a song to one of your most enthusiastic fans.
Establish great relationships with other bands – they’re fans too!
Thank your best fans by name on your next CD (speaking of which, I’d like to thank Monique Rhodes for inspiring this post!).
Have a blog where they can leave comments.
Encourage fans to take video of your shows and post it online.
Respond when they mention you on Twitter.
Have a contest where you write a song for the winner.
Send out newsletters that are fun and encourage people to write back.
Help out a fan in need.
Talk to your fans regularly via YouTube videos.
Use www.freeconferencecall.com to set up a conference call with your most loyal fans to make special announcements and to get feedback.
Make people laugh, or cry, or at least think instead of just shouting at them with your online promotion.
Get involved with a cause that both you and your fans care about.
Make your decisions about which venues to play based on which will give your fans the best experience.

Do you have any that I missed? Please post a comment and let us know what you’ve come up with!

Tagged as: fans, giveaway, inspiration, marketing, Promotion, Scott James, social networks, strategy

http://www.charliegamboa.com Charlie Gamboa

These tips are cool! tks!
http://www.moniquerhodes.com Monique Rhodes

Just what I needed. Thanks so much Scott!
Robert Frye

All good ideas, Scott! Many I never would have thought of myself. Thanks!
http://www.myspace.com/somethingcomplex josh nielson

Awesome post you guys (thank you too Miss Monique Rhodes as well!!)

You can let them to help with the finalizing process for some of your merch endeavors/designs/etc.

On some of your social networking sites you can do weekly playlist of what you are listening to for your mundane/rat race lubrication and then ask them what they are listening to in return. Also, state some of the new music that you have found along these soul searching highways and byways and why you dig the new jams.

Start a weekly quotes posting that is off set from your playlist posts so, that you always keep things fresh and entertaining. It seems like a lot of people/friends/family/fans find a lot of meaning in profound people/revolutionaries/world leaders/artists words, then you can occasionally sneak in some of your best and most on point lyrics or poems/haiku’s.

Don’t post thing UNTIL you are ready and either have the down loadable material ready to implement/cd in hand/merch ready to sling and your people will always associate you with down to earth.. business.. spot on.. truthful.. artistic gogettas!! That is very important and like they said above: “Don’t force stuff down people’s throat!!” They will go somewhere else for their media/artistic release needs and believe us they will find it.

Sorry to write so much, but I spend every once of my being and all of my daze trying to be as artistically/morally sound and help every one around me, while pushing my own out of this world project and I see a post like this… I can’t help but try to spread the little that I’ve learned through my Blood, Sweat and Tears. Keep up the good work guys!!!

http://www.myspace.com/somethingcomplex Facebook search:Something CompleX
http://Ancientcityslickers.com Cable Spence

Thanks for the ideas..they have started my brain to come up with a few myself !
http://www.reverbnation.com/neilsmith Neil Smith

Very cool tips and great ideas.
Tellis Davis Jr.

(DISC MAKERS) !!! dedication has allowed knowledge to impact , improve, and stabalize myself and buisness goals . Power to DISC MAKERS
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