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thanks for supporting our music.
See how this works? You can do the same thing using e-mail or your web site.
15) Create a catalog or web site of similar artists
Contact other similarly styled bands in your region that have CDs available. Pool
your resources and print a low-cost catalog featuring all of the bands CDs (or
create a flier that directs people to a web site that serves the same purpose). Hand
out the catalogs at your gigs and promote them to the media. A catalog or web
site of several artists sharing the same theme carries a lot more weight with both
fans and the media than a flier selling your products alone. Use this hook to build
your mailing list and sell more of your own releases while helping other bands in
your region.
16) Produce sampler CDs as a promotional tool
People need to hear your music before they can decide if they like it enough to buy
your CD. Getting enough radio airplay to sufficiently expose your music can be a
challenge. Sampler CDs are one solution. Take two or three songs from your full-
length CD and put them on a sampler CD. Ask record stores to give them away.
Use them as a freebie for people who sign up on your mailing list at gigs. Send a
press release to the media announcing that the CDs are available to anyone by
mail for two or three dollars to cover shipping.
17) Make a John Hancock offer
When you make a new CD release available, offer a limited number of autographed
copies & but only to the first 25 or 50 people who order. My best advice: Keep the
promised number of signed copies small. This will inspire serious fans to order
even faster. Of course, you can actually deliver more than you promise and
autograph more than the number you say is available. But by making it a limited
offer, fans will be more motivated to send money your way.
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(By the way, John Hancock was the signer with the largest signature on the
Declaration of Independence.)
18) Use a point-of-purchase display
Looking for a professional way to display your CDs in record stores and on your
merch table at live shows? Make use of cardboard countertop displays. Ask record
store employees if they have displays they don t need anymore. Fix them up and
decorate them with your artwork.
If you want to purchase brand-new displays, check out the following companies:
DISCmarket
www.discmarket.com
CD Stands
www.cdstands.com
Video and CD Counter Displays
www.counterdisplay.com/16CD.htm
Cactus Containers
www.cactuscontainers.com
19) Get on bestseller, most popular, and most
downloaded lists
True music fans hate to miss out on the latest craze within their preferred genre.
One way fans discover new music worth buying is by looking over the growing
number of lists on various music web sites. These lists come in all shapes and
sizes: Top Sellers, Most Listened To, Most Popular Downloads, etc. The higher your
ranking on these lists, the more attention you draw to yourself.
So how can you get visibility on these lists and boost your sales? Well, writing and
recording a fantastic song and getting it out there is the first step. An audience will
find a killer song through word of mouth, etc. But you can help things along by
asking your fans and friends to visit, vote, download, listen, or whatever it takes to
help you rank higher on these lists.
Suggestion: Pick one such list on one site in a category where you can make an
impact. Ask the people on your mailing list to visit that site and take the required
action on the same day or during the same week. This concentrated effort may be
all it takes to get you to move higher on the list, where other fans who don t know
about you yet will discover you.
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20) Make compelling offers and ask for the sale
Some people make a purchase right away when something interests them. Some
rarely make a purchase. And a lot of people teeter on the fence, not sure which
direction to go. For this third group of good folks, you need to create incentives
reasons for them to hit the Buy button now.
Here are some compelling possibilities:
·ð ð Limited-time discounts: Get a 20 percent discount if you purchase by
this Friday.
·ð ð Limited-quantity offers: The first 25 people who respond get an
autographed copy or a second bonus CD.
·ð ð Upsell with a special offer: Buy one, get one free. Or buy our new CD,
get our previous release at half off.
·ð ð Bundling: Purchase a CD, T-shirt and cap at the same time, save 50
percent.
·ð ð Charity benefit: 20 percent of all CD and merchandise sales proceeds go
to the local Wildlife Refuge.
21) Boost CD sales without lowering your price
Here s a great tip from Mike Barry, a New Zealand musician who plays in the rock
band Fourth Member (www.fourthmember.com).
We were playing a festival recently and had our CDs at the merchandise table
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