It’s time to start digging for gold in your contact list.
I was recently reminded how valuable our contact lists and mailing lists are. It also occurred to me how often we under use our mailing lists.
Sure, you collect names at every concert or event. Then you enter them into your list and manipulate the names to send out your newsletter or email or tweet. But when was the last time you really took a good look at those names, studied them, researched the individuals to discover who they are and what they do?
The people who have followed your career and who have become long-time fans have lives, jobs, are members of organizations. They are interesting people. Do you know them? I mean do you know about them and what they do in their lives?
It pays to get to know them. I’ve been mentioning this concept a lot lately because when you start digging for gold in your contact list, you will find some shining opportunities.
For instance, take some of your ardent fans, who keep in touch with you. They show up at all the gigs in their area, buy all your CDs and even volunteer to help get the word out about you. What do you know about those fans? They may own a company that just might be interested in presenting you for a company event. They may be interested in having you perform at a house concert or a benefit for their organization. Perhaps their kid’s school is looking for someone just like you to perform for their assembly program or do a residency. They might even work at a radio or TV station or write for a newspaper, magazine or organizational newsletter.
How to View Your Mailing List
I’d like to propose that you begin viewing your mailing list as a potential gold mine of contacts that just might be helpful to your career in some way at some point. You won’t know about them until you begin to connect with them in a different way. Stop viewing these people as just names on a list and begin to interact with them.
The first thing to do is, include some inviting questions on a sign-up card that you give out at each show.
Ask for their:
Occupation
Interests
Special affiliation with organizations
Favorite sport or hobby
They’ll fill in the info if you make your invitation to do so, compelling.
From the stage, talk about the sign-up card and explain that you’ll be doing a drawing for a CD or T-shirt or tickets to your next show before the intermission. Also, tell them why you are asking some of these other questions. Explain you will be better able share cool items of interest with them that you come across during your travels or items you will write about in your upcoming newsletters.
Next, I’d like you to make a list of your super-fans—those folks who have really been following you. These are the fans with whom I’d like you to begin a more involved dialog when you know you are heading to their area. Give them a call, tell them about your upcoming tour and ask for some specific assistance with your tour. Perhaps they’ll host a house concert or are involved with a local school or college or business or organization.
Tap into your fan-base and become more involved with them. They may just offer you some amazing assistance. You’ll never know until you ask, and you can’t ask until you get to know the folks on your mailing list more deeply.
Do yourself and your career a favor and use the valuable tools you have at your fingertips. There is gold in those mailing lists, now it’s time to dig in.
Have you been digging for gold in your contact list? What special relationships have you managed to develop that have made an impact on your career development? Has a specific project or gig come out of these contacts?
Leave me a comment on the blog.
I can’t wait to hear about your success.
Now, Thanks to the Band Curfew from the UK for providing the Biz Booster Theme Music, “Future Dance.”
And for more career boosting tips, articles, books, resources, tele-seminars and online courses, visit me at Performingbiz.com
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