In an article on Forbes.com email marketing gets props with its adoption by two young music/social media stars on behalf of their famous client. Matt Schlicht and Mazy Kazerooni, the founders of Tracks.by, a social media tech start up that targets the music industry; use email address list building in their business that helps musicians be rock stars online.
The more important feature is called Love Lock (See an example here). To access certain content on a Facebook page, people have to click “Love”. When they do, they install the Facebook app, and give their email address and other information to the artist. This email is key for artists, because with that they can notify fans when they post a new song to their Facebook page or when there is a concert in their area. Developing a direct relationship with fans gives more ways for artists to generate revenue in a challenged music industry. The first day Tracks.by ran a campaign for Lil Wayne more than 100,000 people signed up, giving their name, email address, gender and other information. “Artists have built up big fan bases but don’t have a lot of information on fans, not even their emails,” says Schlicht. “This is about activating them and bringing them back through Facebook.”
“This email is key for artists…for developing a direct relationship with fans…to generate revenue in a challenged music industry.”
The campaign then brings them back into the social medium that initiated the request. Sweet.
I’ve been on the look out for the easiest way to do this “love lock” thing. Everyone else calls it “fan gating,” but I think “love lock” is way sexier. It means the same thing, though — you offer something cool in exchange for your vistor clicking the “like” button. Then they are immediately directed to the reveal page where they can get what ever it is they were promised:
- a discount code
- a free song or video
- an ebook, etc.
Now how to get it done…
You could hire a Facebook designer to custom design a page for you. This will run you between $300 and $500. I found a few…on Facebook, naturally:
Fan Page Focus, Custom Page Designs
OR: You could purchase a pre-made template and follow the instructions, which look pretty easy. Around $50.
Template Monster, High Impact Designer (video tutorial on their website)
OR: If you are handy with HTML, you can create your own offer or Fangate page. Remember, it’ll be the front page for new visitors to your Facebook page, so make sure it complements or reinforces your brand. Facebook is a casual and fun site, your front page should be engaging and fun.
Oh, and if you get more than 100K people to give you their email addresses on the first day of your Facebook campaign, either you’re a celebrity or you have a thing or two to teach me. (What’s the name of your blog?)
What about you: What kind of Facebook pages have you given your email address to? What was the offer? Do you like the posts?
Written by Jen McGahan
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