Building An Effective E-Mail List and Delivering the Right Message

Building An Effective E-Mail List and Delivering the Right Message
By Les Vogt, reprinted from isound.com

With over 100 emails coming in everyday, I try to set aside a couple of hours each day answering them. I am a firm believer that anyone who takes the time to write me for a legitimate reason, deserves a reply. However, I have noticed an increasing amount of junk that artists put into their emails. In a word, it's becoming very frustrating.
Most artists are not getting the response they expected from their email announcements. Some of the problems deal with the timing of the emails and some with the message itself... one major reason artists don't receive the turnout they expect to their live shows is that they may be emailing their announcements to the wrong people!
One of the biggest problems I have found is that artists don't collect some of the most important information when having people sign up on their mailing lists. You need much more than just an email address to really make a positive connection. Here's what you need and why...
Correct Name - You should "Personalize" your emails. It makes the email recipient feel important... And, there is nothing worse than a wrong or incorrectly spelled name.
Email Address - Review your current email addresses carefully. If recipients have a Hotmail, Yahoo or other free email address, it is possible that your emails are not getting through! Free services have limited storage space, which spammers fill quickly, and emails often get "dumped" before they are delivered. (That means erasing email messages before they go through their servers) If you get a free service email address, ask for another. Or, at one point, send out a response request that requires a reply... and delete those that do not respond.
City & State - While you may know where they signed up, you still need to mark it down in your database for easy reference. It doesn't make much sense to email someone about a show that is hundreds of miles away from them! Separating city & state also helps you pinpoint which areas should receive a particular message.
Zip/Postal Code - Most cities are huge. For example, Los Angeles is about 90 miles in diameter. Simply listing someone as living in LA doesn't work. As you know, anyone who comes to see your live performances at bars/taverns/clubs & pubs will only drive a few miles to and from the establishment because of drinking and driving issues. Research what are the closest zip codes around the venue and only invite those fans that reside in those zip/postal codes to the shows. After all, even if you were invited to a show that didn't serve alcohol, would you drive 50 miles each way?
Venue & Date - The venue & date are things you should definitely put in a separate field when entering information into your database. Always make a note of which venue each person came to see you at because they will most likely come see you at that same venue again. Noting the date is important because it shows you when they last came to a show.
These are the basic items that your email database should include. Now, let's review a few points on writing them so you get a maximum return on your promotional efforts.
Gig & Show Announcements - Unrelated information seems to be the greatest source of frustration among artists and industry types on your mailing list. Most announcements don't provide enough insight as to the purpose of the gig or why this gig is more important than the last one... or the next one. Is there something new, a new CD, or are you just having a party? Let people know what your event is all about.
Also, if you are going to announce a gig, be sure to include all the venue information, i.e. where it is located... general directions and the phone number (where someone actually answers.)
One more thing about gig announcements... know your audience. Why tell someone in Memphis about your Wednesday night gig in Nashville? Is there an important reason why someone halfway across the State should come to your show on a weeknight? Are you showcasing for a record label? Why should they come? Why should they care?
Follow-up Show Announcements - Weekly newsletters/updates from bands is another email "no-no". There is often no relevant information in them except another plea to come to the next show or a request to vote online for them in some kind of contest or award nomination.
Newsletters - Monthly newsletters can be a great source of information... they keep your fans and industry contacts up to date on what's happening with you and/or your band. However, they should contain some significant information. Include fun stuff like what happened to you on your last gig or tour... but, you must include some substance and send monthly, not weekly, or daily.
Check Out My Website - This type of request is totally unnecessary. Your web address-link should be included in every e-mail... the recipient will know they can go there if they choose to. Sending someone an email with an unsolicited request doesn't make a lot of sense. But, when someone does go to your website, be sure it contains all the key ingredients... like a full bio, references, audio samples, recent photos, and more importantly, a decent video clip. Don't ask anyone to review your website until it contains all of the above. Even then, if you want someone to review your video and publicity materials... mail it to them. Asking people to hire you on the strength of a website (no matter the content) is probably not a good idea.
As a final note... when writing emails, keep it simple. An email that has a clear purpose and meaning get a lot more response than one that doesn't seem to have any point. Don't "bombard" them with the same requests every other day. Your e-mails will eventually end up being ignored.
The best approach to emails is to think of something creative to say. Keep it short and to the point. Let people know what you want in response to the email. For example, you hope they will... "check out your next show"... "hire you for their next event"... "buy a copy of your new CD", etc. If they don't respond... try them again next month.