SMS Messaging for Artists and Performers
The entertainment industry is in the throes of a revolution. New technology, such as online streaming, has forever changed how artists and performers present themselves to the world. Many remain independent from big company labels. They schedule their own shows, and build their fan base using social media. There’s one tool though, they may be missing: SMS messaging.
One Performer's Example
Most artists and performers probably use SMS messaging all the time to talk with friends, family, and perhaps even their crew, drivers, or event managers. But it can be used to create demand for their shows, fill event halls, and increase sales of promotional items too.
The best way to explain the possibilities is with an example. Enter comedian Carlos Mencia. He travels to perform throughout North America and is often called an “equal-opportunity offender” as his jokes make fun of anyone and anything. He’s also been accused of plagiarism by other comedians, but his career is still thriving. That’s in part to his ability to get his fans to his shows whenever he’s in town.
And he certainly doesn’t rely on the event venue to do his advertising. Instead, he uses SMS messaging.
To get started, the first thing he needed to do was create a list of fans. So, at every show he asks the audience to text their email address to a specified number (a VMN probably). Ardent fans would willingly do so to get notified of upcoming events. But he makes an offer that’s too good for even casual fans to turn down: a chance to win free VIP tickets to one of his events in a “hot” location, like Las Vegas. Mencia says that they get about 300 new people on the list every week.
The second thing he needed to do was use that list effectively. It wouldn’t make sense to send out event notifications to people in New York when he’s performing in Ontario Canada. In fact, people might get frustrated and opt out if they kept getting notifications that weren’t relevant to them. So, he sorted the signups into cities – also known as “segmenting” in marketing language – so he would only send out notifications to people in the region he was performing. This way, people in Ontario get the message about his shows without bothering people in New York, Miami or LA.
The SMS messages about his events always include a link to buy tickets, and they send them out about a week in advance. He says that they sell out their shows faster using text messaging than they do with social media. And that makes sense. Social media is a one-to-many medium. Chances are only a small percentage of followers will actually see any announcement in their feed.
But SMS messaging puts the information, and the ability to buy tickets, directly in front of his fans. His sold-out shows prove how effective it can be, especially when it’s used in a smart way that excites, not frustrates, fans.
Going Even Further
If you’re an independent artist or performer, you can see from Mencia’s example of how SMS messaging can help increase ticket sales. But it can also be used to promote other items fans may like.
For example, you could send links to purchase a recording of the live show that the fan just attended. They were there, hopefully enjoyed the show (they are a fan, right?), and might jump at the chance to add it to their collection. They’ll have a personal connection to that recording, more so than just any live recording.
You could extend that to other promotional items too. DVDs, MP3s, pictures (signed perhaps?), T-shirts and any other items you think fans may want. Of course, you’d need to test out how these offers worked with your fan base. Some may work better than others.
SMS messaging offers an effective, easy, and relatively low cost way to directly connect with fans even better than using social networks. Give it a try and see how quickly you can sell out your next event!
Related Articles
Using SMS Messaging For a Cause is Catching On
As old as SMS messaging is (going on 25), is it surprising to know that for non-profits and political campaigns it’s just now catching on? It might be, but if you think about it maybe it isn’t surprising. Until the last few years, people have been very reticent to hand out their personal mobile number. Now though, they’re more willing – if they care about the source of the messages.
How to Use SMS Messaging to Keep Your Club Members Healthy
In a report released last week by Nielsen, it turns out people want more than just to see a lower number on the scale. In their study, 75% of people worldwide plan to lose weight by changing their diet. And another 72% plan to exercise – that’s where your health club and SMS comes in.
5 Reasons You Want to Use SMS Messaging in Your Business
Are you looking to grow your business? Get more customers? Have larger profits? Of course you are. Isn't every business looking to improve, grow and generate more sales? More and more businesses are realising how SMS messaging can help them do all those things. But it's nice to have some facts to back up what most people seem to assume is true.
Do Your SMS Marketing Messages Sound Spammy?
If you aren’t seeing a positive response from your SMS marketing then your list may be thinking of it as spam and just ignoring it like they do much of their email. So take your latest marketing messages and examine them again with these four questions in mind.
Why SMS and Mass Participation Sports Events are Made for Each Other
Most major sports teams in the UK and US already know the power of SMS for engaging fans via scores, stats and other data. But the power of SMS can extend far beyond the world of the major leagues. SMS is ideal, not only for communicating with participants but to coordinate teams of volunteers across the event.
SMS Marketing for Independent Art Galleries
Creative SMS Crowdfunding Campaigns for Independent Film Productions
No matter what the task is, any campaign can be boosted by SMS marketing. It's great for businesses and charities but could be especially utilised for the creative industry. From the largest scale (mainstream TV shows, Hollywood blockbusters) to low budget independents, there is an SMS campaign to fit all needs and perform a vital profile-boosting function.
Why SMS Marketing is Perfect for the Automotive Industry
Most car dealerships and garages already have almost everything in place to start an effective SMS marketing campaign. When customers go into a car garage to have a service or a MOT done, they almost always give the dealership their mobile phone number. The reason for this is simple: if a customer is bringing their car in to get checked and they don't want to wait around for any work to be carried out, they'll simply head into town or run a few errands, until the garage gives them a call on their mobile to let them know the work has been done. That means most garages will have a healthy amount of mobile numbers already in their database, but quite often a garage will overlook the potential that their database of contacts presents.
Do This One Thing and You’ll Improve Your SMS Marketing ROI
SMS marketing is not quite like most other marketing. You have such a limited space to get your point across, just 160 characters, more or less. It’s not unlike having to create a print advert for a small space, but somehow it can seem more intimidating. That’s why sometimes it seems like marketers forget one basic rule about writing offers: Always lead with the offer! Sounds simple, right?
What Political Parties Can Teach Us About Great SMS Campaigns
SMS marketing has come to be a crucial element of most businesses’ marketing strategies, and there is plenty of received wisdom within the marketing world as to how to get the most out of your SMS messages. So it might seem like there is not a lot that the world of politics can teach the world of business about SMS. But then again, there probably is.