Some of these items will apply better for larger acts, some items will work for any act. Some may work for you, some may not… not yet. Some these can be done with little effort, some will take some web development, some might even require some significant development. Some of these have successfully worked for me over the years. The point is to create a list of items that would cover a wide range of acts and abilities.
The end result of all this will hopefully be more Facebook likes, Twitter followers, email list subscriptions, more sales and more traffic to your website… more fans!
2000 Things to Generate 20,000 Fans Challenge
15. Press Some Flesh.
This might seem like a no brainer to some of you, but after the show come out to the merch table and hang out and meet the fans. You don’t have a merch table, oh that is a whole different discussion! I know there has been more than one show that I attended that just because someone from the band came out and took a minute to chat I walked away buying a CD or t-shirt. It would be great if the entire band came out to meet fans, but make sure at least one person does. Social networking is not just done online through websites, but face to face and as they say, by pressing the flesh. Shake hands and say thank you. Sign anything and take pictures. You need to be all smiles, even if you felt the show sucked. Trust me, the fan didn’t notice the little problems you had on stage and they wouldn’t care. That one minute you spend with someone can move them from being a casual fan to a devoted fan who follows you on Facebook and Twitter. It can move them to pull out their wallet. And they are going to talk about how great you were to their friends. Make sure you have something you can giveaway for free, a 8×10 photo, a sticker or even a postcard. Put your URL on everything! And one last thing… ask everyone you meet to join your email list. If they signup right there give them something for free.
View the single list of all 2000 items at this location.
I wanted to share some feedback I have received from others who have been following the 2000 Things thread:
I frequent your blog and must say I am a fan of the informative content you share. I’m very intrigued with the 20,000 fan challenge and have already took steps to implement some of them. GREAT INFO. – Joshua Williams
Wanted to let you know I stole one of your ideas from one of your blogs. I’ve been encouraging fans on the two tattoo mag fan pages I run to submit their ink and sharing some of the better ones with fans. I saw a definite increase in post views and fan growth. Thanks! Gabriel Fieramosco
I would love to hear from you if you are trying out any of the ideas.
“Pressing Flesh” may seem like a no-brainer, but this was an extremely difficult problem in my old band. Even with myself. The urge to just hit the bar and drink and only talk to the people you already know is overwhelming. You’re tired, sweaty, thirsty, and just want to sit down.
The way to do it is to not only talk to fans/friends you already know, but make a concerted effort to meet new people. I was playing with the idea of having a mobile merch stand. 🙂 Basically just a bag that has all the basics so I can work the room and sell/give-away/gather e-mails.
The problem is getting EVERYONE in the band to do this. If 4 members of a band go out of their way to get at least 2 new fans every show, selling out clubs could happen in a couple of years.
I love this 2000 things! It’s fun!
You should look at the Square app for the iPhone, you can swipe a credit card right in the bar.
Once I get my new band going, I’m DEFINITELY going to use Square. That is just a brilliant idea.
This is great stuff, I’m following along with your 2000 things now!
There is nothing like talking to the fans after a show to create some band loyalty.
– Chris