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This is part of my growing your fan base series:
You get tons of email every day right? Between social media sites, and personal email. Think about your fans, they are in the same boat with you.On a almost daily basis I often delete 20+ emails without opening them. I realized many of them were from artists who have decided to add me to their “mailing list” after meeting at a conference or show.
You have probably seen emails just like them, telling you all about their show that week, day, or month.
When scanning the email there is no “unsubscribe” option on the email, because it is a email not a newsletter.
Do you get these?
You know you didn’t subscribe to a list but you get the email anyway?
Do you send email like this? Not sure?
The Consumer protection agency states there are specific rules that apply to “ any electronic mail message the primary purpose of which is the commercial advertisement or promotion of a commercial product or service,”
If you are promoting a product or service (that includes a show, performance, event, or happening) then you must follow the guidelines requiring you to comply with the law or face penalties of up to $16,000!!!
If you are mailing out to more than 10 people a month and those 10 people are not your family? You need to have a professional newsletter that gives your recipients the option to “subscribe” and to “unsubscribe” It is probably one of your most valuable tools to have as a artist.
Simply think about how you feel when you receive unsolicited email.
That is how your collegues, or friends feel as well. Yes, it's exciting you want lots of people to know about what your doing, but you also don't want to have your colleges be in the awkward position of having to ask you to not email them. Remember, individuals must have signed up at some point to receive information about you, Also remember, peoples needs and interests change, don't be bummed if someone unsubscribes, your mailing list is a reflection of your fans that you want to come to shows, opening, and buy products from you. Not individuals who do not.
What service to use?
SociaI Media sites like Reverb Nation, & Sonic Bids- offer newsletter services, but they control the email list not you.
Remember, your email list is GOLD, You always want to control the access to your fan mailing list. Remember, If the social media site goes away, so do your fans.
There are tons of great newsletter services out there to use, If you are getting a newsletter from a artist that you really like, scroll down to the bottom of the letter and see who their newsletter host is. Check out the various services offerings,
Most services offer tiered subscription services that allow you to pay a monthly fee for a number of emails each month, generally you are paying $10-15 a month to have 500-600 email addresses. You also want to have access to reports to see who are reading your newsletters, this is where you get specific data about who YOUR fans are.
You get customized templates, you own your list, and your fans can subscribe or unsubscribe as their needs change:
Popular services that are easy to use, offer reporting, tracking, and support:
www.mynewsletterbuilder.com Create, send and track html email newsletters. Include pre-written articles or custom article content.
Mailchimp.com – Users can send newsletters in HTML format, which makes e-mail marketing easy.
www.constantcontact.com Newsletter templates, email mktg, reporting.
Do you have a favorite newsletter service you use? Do you use one listed?
Let me know!
References:
http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus61-can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business
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