As musicians struggle to make a living in the post-download era, innovation is the key but customer service is still the main ingredient says UK band Fanfarlo.
1) Don’t suck. 2) Get others to introduce you to their audiences. 3) Make those audiences an offer they can’t refuse. 4) Rinse and repeat
Topspin has published an account of the 4 Steps to Success used by the band. Here’s our summary.
Since you can read, listen and watch like the rest of us, here’s a new video of I Am A Pilot on a fan’s Flip camera.
Topspin
1) Don’t suck.
It all begins with a quality product. This growth strategy is not for untested music or those just finding their voice. We can argue about what’s good music and what’s not, but at the end of the day, your music has to excite and enthuse folks to the point they feel the need to share it with others. Do some googling and see how folks are talking about Fanfarlo. Are fans and taste makers in your niche reflecting similar sentiment? If not, maybe there’s some product issues to deal with or perhaps you’re playing to the wrong audience.
2) Get others to introduce you to their audience.
Let’s face it…as a small band, your direct reach will only go so far. You’ve got to enlist the help of others to meet new fans. Fanfarlo did this in three primary ways:
* Assembled a team of marketing professionals: in addition to Topspin, Fanfarlo brought on the folks from Radar Maker, Sneak Attack, and 12th Degree for publicity and online marketing in the UK and US. These folks worked diligently to get Fanfarlo’s online presence aligned with campaign objectives, find the right tastemakers and media outlets for new Fanfarlo fans, and turn them on to the opportunity at hand (Fanfarlo’s offer discussed in point #3).
* Enlisted the help of a major music act that had strong ties to the band and wholeheartedly endorsed their music. This act introduced Fanfarlo to their fans by way of email.
* Made it dead simple and natural for anyone to share the offer with their own audience, be that 25 followers on twitter, 200 friends on Facebook, or 1,500 unique visitors on a blog. This was accomplished through Topspin widgets that not only make sharing and embedding a snap, but they also provide a direct-link/call-to-action that leads back to the artist-controlled offer page (a seemingly simple, but very important detail). This last item is a bit of a multiplier. It made sure that attention garnered by the marketing team, band introduction, or general buzz could in turn generate more attention via viral sharing.
Did the song end? Here’s an official video of Fire Escape.
3) Make those audiences an offer they can’t refuse.
Ok, so you’ve got completely brand new fans’ attention. WTH now? It may not be the best time to hit them up to buy your $99 deluxe package that includes your baby teeth. There’s a time and place for that, but it’s not necessarily when someone’s discovering you for the first time.
Fanfarlo created an offer that not only drove amazing conversion but also became a conversation piece and cause for sharing. For a limited time, they offered a full download of their album plus four bonus tracks for $1. $1 album download for 1 month. When it comes to how that offer resonated with fans, don’t take my word for it…check out a few examples for yourself – the fans do an amazing job of describing the very simple, but powerful offer with amazing accuracy.
4) Repeat (I added the Rinse thing)
If growth is your game, don’t stop. Remember, it’s the Fanfarlo Four Step we’re talking about here. Fanfarlo, their management, and their marketing team continue to not suck, enlist others to introduce Fanfarlo to their audiences, and make them an offer they can’t refuse. The current set of offers includes:
- Incredibly affordable tix to their US tour, which finished last week in NYC.
- A still very accessible digital download for $5.99, CD, Vinyl, and Special Edition (sorry, no baby teeth this time around). http://fanfarlo.com
Story suggested by TechDirt who has tons of articles about making money in the new order.
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