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[M27]Mailing Lists For Marketing

by Robert Burko, Rob

MySpace mailing lists allow today's artists to promote themselves in a whole new dimension that gives them an extra edge. While there are many early adopters, a lot of the smaller artists haven't quite tapped into MySpace mailing lists and are yet to experience the benefits of a targeted email blast promoting their new songs, show dates, CD releases and anything else they could possibly think of.

The popularity of MySpace has exploded recently and with no signs of it slowing down, it's only going to get bigger in the months to come. You can go on MySpace and find almost every band or musician under the sun. (Well, maybe not under the sun, but I'd bet if you named the top 20 bands, big or small, they'd all have MySpace profiles.) While the bigger artists have MySpace profiles to communicate with fans, many smaller bands and musicians have MySpace profiles to help promote their work. They want to spread the word, generate buzz, develop a fan base, and ultimately take their career to the next level. The best part of this is that the dream of making it big, isn't actually too far off.

The MySpace community wields a lot of power especially in the music industry. Just to cite an example of MySpace influence (albeit a little outside the sphere of music), on Sept. 25, 2006 CNN ran a report on their news ticker saying that Nicole Ritchie was checking herself into rehab for an eating disorder. Ritchie responded almost instantly and posted a message on her MySpace page calling the rumor completely false and adding whoever started this was "evil and mean". The comment on MySpace, which was read by many members of the MySpace community, actually prompted CNN to run a story the next day clearing up the false statements about Ritchie.

It all comes down to the fact that there is power in numbers and enough people read Ritchie's statement to impact CNN, just like a musician can get enough plays and attention to attract record labels along with a big fan base. Part of the challenge on MySpace is that each and every band is just one click away. So, how do you make yourself stand out and reach your fans away from all the rest of the clutter?

One answer people are turning to is to add a MySpace mailing list to your profile. By collecting email addresses on a MySpace profile, the band/musician opens up the ability for one-to-one direct communication with their fans away from MySpace and away from the clutter. Adding a MySpace mailing list is as easy as copying and pasting a little bit of code and can even be totally customized. For artists who don't want to customize their MySpace mailing list, they can download a pre-made stylish design from a wide variety of sites on the web. Once the band has started building a mailing list, they can blast out an email to all their fans every time there is an important message worth sharing.

The power of one-to-one communication through email is highly effective and can put fans in the stands, increase CD sales, or drastically give a band a spike in song plays. The important thing for today's band or musician to realize is that every day that goes by where they are not collecting their fans' email addresses through a MySpace mailing list is another day of lost opportunity. It may take time to build a large mailing list and while MySpace speeds up the process from what it used to be, the sooner the MySpace mailing list is on their profile, the sooner the ball starts rolling.

The key to having a successful mailing list is to make sure it is extremely targeted. Mailing postcard printing pieces to everyone in the phone book and calling that your list is a waste of money. You're just guessing at who will respond and hoping that they do. It's the same idea if you don't target your postcard marketing list: you're just wasting your money.

The different types of mailing lists

No matter what business you're in you need at least three different mailing lists: one for potential customers, one for first time buyers and one for repeat customers. Why? Because you need to tailor your message to each type of customer. People who already know what products you carry don't need to know about those products; they just need to know what's new with you. On the other hand, if you only advertise what's new to people who've never shopped with you, they won't know what else you have to offer.

The data to collect

The most important data is the information you need to communicate with customers. If you send out an online newsletter, you're going to need email addresses. For other businesses, you need the mailing address. You can collect as much data as you need from list brokers or online and offline surveys. Just be sure you get whatever qualifying information you want – meaning whatever qualifies the person to be on your list. Whether that's income or marital status. Just be sure to ask how many times they've shopped with you so you can categorize them into your three lists.

Focus on communication

Make sure that you're using the mailing list for the right reasons. You don't want to bombard your customers with a bunch of junk mail. A nice letter to see how they're doing and to check if they're satisfied is a great way to build up your communication. This way people will be more apt to open mail from you or read your postcards – they won't be expecting a sales pitch every time. Of course, it doesn't hurt to use your business card printing budget and include a business card in your letter, just in case they need it.

Maintain your list

People move away, have babies, get new jobs and increase or decrease their income – people's circumstances are changing all the time and your mailing list should change with them. Be sure to keep it up to date. A business card printing company doesn't want to send their brochures to companies that aren't in business any longer! Although it takes time to update your list, doing so will save you money (and make you money!) in the long run.

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About Author

Both Robert Burko & Colleen Davis are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Robert Burko has sinced written about articles on various topics from Email Advertising, Promotional Advertising and Email Advertising. Robert Burko, President and CEO of Eliteweb Inc., helps MySpace bands, musicians and comedians promote themselves through a powered by. Robert Burko's top article generates over 90500 views. to your Favourites.

Colleen Davis has sinced written about articles on various topics from Business Cards, Brochures and Sales and Negotiation. . Colleen Davis's top article generates over 201000 views. to your Favourites.