YES! It does!
With the advent of “Web 2.5” (we’re still in the middle of 2.0 and starting to head to a new revolution of 3.0 but are not quite there yet 😉 ), it’s become a lot easier for people to use new social media tools to promote their shows and event. Facebook & Twitter are by far the most use but there are other technologies such as Google+, Bebo, tumblr, MySpace, and LinkedIn gaining traction and providing even more features that give producers tools to reach many people across different demographics and interests. With all of these tools, the one that I find to still be most effective at getting people to come see shows is good ole fashion e-mail.
The problem with social networking tools (we’ll use Facebook as the example) is that they’ve become way too easy for someone to invite a ton of people they do not have a connection with. It’s a little too easy to add 500 Facebook friends to an invitation and send it out when many of the invitees don’t live in your area to come see a show. You can create a fan page and let people know about your show but along with all of the other noise on the timeline, your post may go unread or just be skipped over in favor of watching someone elses’ YouTube video of someone falling off a roof. You either get labeled as a spammer or just fade into the online noise.
E-mails provide a touch of personalization. You as a producer have to work a bit to get someone’s email address. The communication between sender and receiver is literally 1-to-1. The conversation can be customized to be relevant to the person being invited. E-mail also has the added advantage of having an “old school” charm to it. Just think about how excited you get when you get a personal letter from someone on actual sheets of paper. You know someone had to put in an effort to put that together and you tend to appreciate it more. E-mail can convey a similar feeling if done properly.
Have I convinced you to use email? Good! When sending your emails to your adoring fans, family, and friends, follow these simple tips to make them effective:
- Get permission to email your list – you don’t want to be labeled as a spammer because once you’re labeled as one, nobody will read your emails and will try to opt-out of your distribution list. It’s a good idea to have a double opt-in feature where once they sign up for your e-mails, they receive a confirmation e-mail with a link confirming who they are. This reduces complaints and spam filtering.
- Send emails in multipart for maximum readability –
Combine the best of plain-text and HTML email by sending in Multipart.
For devices that don’t support HTML, they will show the message in
plain-text. Conversely, if a device supports HTML, they will show it in
HTML. Make sure your show details are easily read and understood in plain text first then make them a bit fancier in the your HTML message. - Keep the message brief and on-point – People typically want the gist of your email to be summed up in the first two paragraphs. Leave out the extemporaneous stuff for the end or even on a webpage or blog somewhere if they want to read more. Communicate what your show is about, who’s in it, where it is, and what time it goes on right up front. Tell them you want to see them at your show and why you think they need to be there.
- Allow someone to easily opt-out – Have a link at the bottom of your email that easily unsubscribes a user from your list. Make sure it’s clearly marked and visible. It adds an air of professionalism to your e-mails in that it shows you care about their time and responsiveness.
- Schedule your e-mail blasts conservatively – Try to plan when you will have an e-mail blast go out. As part of your show’s marketing plan, select dates these announcements need to go out. Try not to schedule more than two a month if you can. The more selective you are with your email blasts, the more efficacy you’ll see with each message you send out.
If you have a substantially large list, search online to review some of the more reputable e-mail marketing list providers. If you’re serious about promoting your show, be prepared to get a paid plan to make your message professional and get access to tools to make them more effective. I personally recommend MailChimp, Constant Contact Constant Contact , and Get Response