Have you ever thought that your true fans want more than what they can get on iTunes or Amazon?

 

Thinking Man

Sure, most of your fans want to buy music -  your music in particular. But quite a few want more than that.  They like you, they love your music, they enjoy the experience they get from your shows…they want to support you and tell the world about you.  Your loyal fan base is willing to shell out their hard earned cash to buy whatever you have to sell – not just a single or an album. 

That's something iTunes and Amazon aren't providing….but you can!  Direct-to-Fan merchandising allows you to create offers your fans want and provide a few more dollars in income to you.

So what do you do?  Here are some ideas to get you thinking:

1. When should I start?

If you're band is just starting out, you only have 20-30 fans at your show, and just a few fans following you on Facebook or Twitter, I'd recommend waiting a bit and focusing your efforts on acquiring fans. You have to have a fan base to be able to sell your wares.  Spend your time on marketing efforts to create awareness, acquire fans, and develop community.

Conversely, if you have 100+ fans at your shows and 2,000-3,000 followers on Facebook or Twitter, then I'd say what are you waiting for.  You're missing out on a chance to generate additional income !

 

2. What should I sell?

Ask your fans.  Look around at your shows and see what they're wearing.  See what other bands are selling.  But the key here is to sell your merchandise as different types of bundles at varying price points.

Typically, fans will like buying digital albums, signed CD's, tshirts, koozies, hats, etc.  But ask your core fans what they might be interested in buying from you.  Depending upon their likes, they may be interested in something others aren't selling.

I would suggest starting out buying small quantities so you don’t incur too much upfront cost that you might have to eat later !  Start with a few items until you get your feet wet then you can increase the quantities as you progress.

 

3. How should I price our products?

This is key!  You're going to have fans that are willing to buy your merchandise at different price points. You may have a new fan who wants to support you but may only want a digital album download.  But, you probably have other, more dedicated fans, that would be interested in spending $50, $75, $100, or more on various bundles.

Here's a great article from Ian Rogers of Topspin Media that talks about Direct-to-Fan marketing and some thoughts on selling merchandise at different price points.

 

4. Where should I sell our merchandise?

First and foremost you should have it at ALL your shows.  Have someone man the booth and come up with an easy, but attractive, way to showcase what you have.  Create some special merchandise offers for a show or series of shows.  Maybe a signed CD with your latest t-shirt or 2 of your CD’s at a special show price.  Be creative, keep records so you can see what’s selling, and have fun with it.

Secondly, you should setup an online storefront.  Which storefront you use is really a personal and business preference. There are quite a few online storefronts you can use , i.e.Topspin, ReverbNation, Nimbit, Audio Life, Bandwear, etc.

 

What is keeping you from getting started?  Share your thoughts.