Let’s talk low tech.

Of course, you need to hype your band with blogs, homepages, forums, free downloads, viral videos, and email newsletters, but you don’t live your entire life online, and neither do your fans. You can’t skip Internet marketing, but you can’t stand on it either. Fortunately, there’s a time-tested, low-cost, high-profile way to spread your name and grow your fan base: Stickers.

What goes on a sticker?

The perfect band name, perhaps coupled with that perfect band logo, is all you need to start. Save it as a digital file. For very little money, you can print that file on a stack of custom Vinyl, Bumper, or Economy Stickers. Choose the option that fits your budget, or order an assortment.

Band names and logos are merely your jumping off point. You can start with a single design, but you’ll do better with a few different ones. Don’t underestimate the power of fan art! If you already have an active Internet community around your band, ask them for designs based on album or song titles, lyrics, or even caricatures of the band. Another option is to enter into a deal with an artist whose work you admire. You may be able to buy or barter the rights to a design you already love, or commission one especially for your band.

Be sure to include your website in the design, so fans know where to go to learn more.

You’ve got Stickers. Now what?

Stickers are the ultimate stealth marketing tool. They create a presence for your band wherever they go, and they can go literally everywhere. Depending on the size of your band, the power of your reputation, and the number of people who are willing to help you out, you’ve got three basic options.

• Give your Stickers away for free to your fans
• Sell your Stickers to your fans
• Place the Stickers yourself as part of a viral marketing campaign

Give it away, give it away, give it away now

If you’re just starting out on the scene, or if you have a small but passionate fan base, you may want to choose option one. Free Stickers help you give back to the community. Everyone loves getting something for free, especially if it’s swag from someone they admire. You can offer free Stickers to people who sign up for your newsletter, or attend certain events, or, if you’re feeling lucky, you can simply give them out in front of clubs or other venues where music lovers hang out.

Free Stickers end up on laptop computers, class notebooks, water bottles, high school lockers, and other high-profile locations. If you’ve already got an eye-catching logo, potential fans will notice the Stickers on their friends’ possessions and ask about the band, visit your website, or Google you. It an easy way to spread your influence.

Money, money, money, money, money

If you’re already turning a profit and just want to expand your reach, offer your fans something new, and come out even, you’ll want to sell those Stickers. Bands with merchandise tables find that inexpensive Stickers sell themselves, even with a relatively large markup. They’re cheaper than T-shirts and, while most folks will wear a T-shirt no more than once a week, a Sticker can proclaim your allegiance every day.

You can also sell Stickers online. Your virtual merchandise booth is a great way to figure out how much interest you’re generating. If you see spikes in Sticker sales after a big promotion or event, you know people are paying attention.

Down in the Underground

Stealth, underground, or viral marketing is the hottest way to spread the word. You can use the same Stickers, or you may want to create mysterious and not entirely clear designs that compel viewers to check out that website. The trick is to place them where folks are likely to notice.

Giving these Stickers away to a particular, elite group of fans, with instructions to place them where they will be seen, is one way to go. However, you’ll want to place many yourself for an extra edge.

Don’t make the mistake of upsetting potential supporters by littering the world with your Stickers. Defacing public or private property is likely to backfire. It’s OK to stick them on public message boards or places where hanging Posters is acceptable. It’s not OK to put them in the middle of other peoples’ plate glass windows.

The cardinal rule of Sticker placement on private property?

• ASK FIRST!

Many club owners will be happy to allow to you stick them around the club. Others will not. It’s important to know before you act. Once you have permission, be creative. Let your Stickers wait in unexpected places: on the ceiling, under counters, behind doors. Viral Sticker marketing campaigns should provide pleasant surprises, amusing moments for viewers. Depending on local ordinances, it may be OK to stick them on places where they won’t last long, like sidewalks. Again, find out the rules before your begin.

The greater your coverage, the more effective your campaign. Make lists of places where potential fans congregate and try to get your Stickers nearby.

Tying your Sticker campaign to an event such as a show, a CD release, or a new video provides a sense of purpose as well as a time frame. If you’ve created a desirable Sticker and band image, your underground marketing Stickers can become a commodity of themselves.

The bottom line is that the right Sticker in the right place can help your band get the attention it needs to succeed.

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You’re working hard to spread the word about your sound, but are you working smart? When you need to increase your fan base and amp up the loyalty of those adoring hordes, you’ve got to keep the linesof communication open. If you want your fans to be true fanatics, show them the love with email newsletters that tell them what they want to know and offer them a little extra for their loyalty. You need to stay connected with the perfect fan club newsletter.

1. Shake it up! How do you get people to pay attention to you? You need to strike just the right chord if you’re going to appeal to potential readers. Try:

• Using unusual subject lines. Uninspiring titles like “Weekly Newsletter” fail to spark anyone’s interest. Choose a subject title that arouses their interest and makes them want to read more.

• Personalizing your content. It’s easy enough to add the individual subscriber’s name, rather than beginning with a generic greeting, so your fans feel important and included. Remember, they want to hear about you, not just your merchandise. Don’t be afraid to share some personal details (as far as you are comfortable with this) and insider information about the band. Fan loyalty increases when fans feel personally connected to you.

• Providing Fitting Links. Just as your articles should be targeted toward your customers’ personalities, so should your links. You might want to link to other music related websites, or to blogs and websites you love. Again, your newsletter is a place to share what’s on your mind.

• Advertising. No one subscribes to a newsletter whose existence they haven’t noticed. Make sure to include subscription information on your blog, website, and any tickets you order from TicketPrinting.com for your upcoming show. You can even choose inexpensive posters to advertise your band and your newsletter. The more fans hear about your newsletter, the more enticing it becomes and the more your fan base will increase.

2. Smooth it out! In addition to exciting content, your newsletter should have an attractive and easy-to-browse layout. Generate the perfect layout by:

• Finding the perfect design. Your newsletter layout should reflect you. Find colors that summon your style, or mimic the band’s logo. Make sure the text is still readable, and doesn’t get lost in your scheme. It may take several revisions, but finding the right formatting is essential. Don’t overdo it. Too many images, videos, and bright colors can overwhelm rather than attract the reader.

• Choosing a consistent publication time. Get your fans used to a newsletter delivered at the same day and time every week or month, so they start anticipating its arrival. EmailLabs reports the best days to send emails are Tuesday and Wednesday in the morning, when people regularly check their email. After you pick a time, stick with it. When they’re looking forward to hearing from you, you won’t want to let them down.

• Proofreading. Check for misspellings and layout errors. Be certain that your newsletter says exactly what you want it to say. Remember that your layout may change depending on your customers’ servers. Enlist some friends to receive early versions, or set up multiple accounts at popular servers such as AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail, and Google, and double-check that your layout is delivered as expected.

• Telling a friend. Word of mouth marketing is the most effective way to promote yourself and your music. Add a “Tell a Friend” button to allow fans to easily send the newsletter to their friends. Need more buzz? Add a promotion that people can’t help but talk about, such as a drawing for special VIP passes to your next event. Fans will start spreading the word about your inviting content, along with the advantages of receiving your newsletter.

3. Break it down! Tracking your statistics can help ensure your music newsletter efforts pay off. If any of the statistics aren’t what you expected, ask yourself these questions:

• Does your newsletter stand out from the crowd?
• Do your fans know how to access your newsletter?
• Why is your newsletter not valuable to your fans?
• Do you need more specific or personal content?

If you don’t know the answer, ask the people who do know: your target audience. Make changes accordingly, and give your fans what they want. Address your deficits so your newsletter is attractive and tempting to readers. Marketing your band is not a one-step process. Email newsletters d o require a fair amount of attention to detail on a regular basis, but they are crucial to maintaining a growing, loyal, and excited fan base. Once your newsletter finds its audience, increase its appeal with exclusive offers available only to fans with subscriptions. You can pre-sell tickets, offer merchandise discounts, or give away passes to your next event. And don’t forget that TicketPrinting.com is an easy way to order your tickets, coupons, gift certificates, VIP passes, and more!

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With today’s technology there is a vast amount of ways to distribute your music. Instead of selling CD’s on the streets or begging local stores to carry your music, you can distribute your music online. There are countless music distributors on the web for independent musicians, but beware because some of them are not as legit as they seem. Go through this check list so you will know what to expect when deciding what online music distributor you will use.

Costs: As with all distributors on or offline, you will probably have to invest some dough to get started. Costs may include:

• Startup fees or subscriptions: Most companies require either a one-time fee, monthly subscription, or a yearly membership fee. These vary greatly per company but boil down anywhere from $30-$480 a year because of the extra services that come included with the higher priced companies.

• Cut: For every physical CD it is common for a distributor to take at least $3-4. Percentage cuts of your sales are another common way for distributors to redeem money. If it is a more reputable company, like Amazon, it could be a percentage cut up to 55%, or as low as 9% from sites like CDBaby.

• Uploading Fees: Not all organizations have subscription fees, some charge a fee per song you upload to their site. This usually costs about $10 per 100 MB (about 25 songs).

Services: It is important to note that you will probably get what you pay for. The prices of online distributors vary greatly based on size, and the services they offer. Below is a quick summary of the different services online distributors can provide.

• CD/Digital Sales: Some distributors only offer CD sales; while others only sell your digital music, and some do both. Read the fine print and make sure you know what you are getting. Be aware that you may have to do the shipping if you are selling actual CDs.

• Protection: Some sites are not protected from malicious attackers. Make sure the business you choose has some sort of spyware protection.

• Connections: Some services connect with other big sites, like Rhapsody, iTunes, and even Amazon.

• Community networks: Most online distributors allow a community of artists, listeners, and other music buffs to join in on discussions, listen/critique music, and network.

• Additional services: Some sites go as far as giving their members tutorials, press kit builders, communication kits, sales reports, and contact lists. Of course, these always cost a little extra.

Watch out! There are thousands of distribution sites out there, but only a select few are actually qualified to do the work. Double check to make sure the site you choose is providing all the services you want it to. Here are some things to look out for:

• Specific areas and genre: This may be a benefit if you only want to target people in your local area, or that are interested in a specific music type. Just keep in mind that you will be subject to a smaller audience.

• Uploading music: Different sites will have different methods of uploading music. You will need some computer skills to be able to do this successfully.

• Shipping: Some sites focus only on promoting and selling your music, and make you ship your own CDs. If you go this route, it’s important to make sure you have time allotted for shipping your music.

• Promotion: Many sites only make your music available for purchase, and won’t help with the promotional aspects of distribution.

Now that you have an idea of what to expect from an online music distribution site, take-a-look at some of these popular music distribution services and see which one works for you.

• Amazon: This is the #1 seller of online independent CDs on the internet today.  With millions of visitors a day, your product will be seen next to many mainstream artists.  The Advantage program allows you to add as many CDs, videos, or books as you like for a yearly fee of $29.95. You also get a short bio page including pictures and sound clips.  They take care of returns at their cost.  Amazon will do all the shipping, but you pay for the charges.  Because Amazon is a highly visible site, there is a higher cost in commission rates.  You set your retail price and keep 45% of your sales.  Keep in mind that you will need to generate a UPC code for your CDs.

• CDBaby is the #2 seller of online music.  You can think of them as an exclusive online music store selling CDs and digital music.  CDBaby has the capability to connect you to iTunes Music Store, and Rhapsody.  They also have a “mini-store” page for your band on their site.  You can sell your CDs for however much you like, they charge $35 to sign up, keep $4 of every CD sold, and 9% of every mp3 sold.  To start all you have to do is pay the sign-up  fee, and ship them four professional looking CDs.

• CDPulse: Like CDBaby, CDPulse allows you to sell both mp3s and CDs.  They also provide a mini-site for your band where you can connect with fans.  They do all the shipping for you, and you will receive daily/monthly sales reports.  Plus, many venues sign up to recruit here so you can easily get gigs in your area.  There are no costs to sign up, but they do keep $4 for every CD sold at your chosen price, and you get .60 cents for every mp3 sold.  Pay an additional $9.95 per month for additional features like broadcasting of your shows.

• Artistopia believes in aiding an artist by helping them sign with a label and connect with the music industry. They have a free membership plan where artists can list 1 album, upload 3 songs, post press releases, add 3 pictures, distribute newsletters, and gain access to other communication and messaging tools.  They also offers a professional plan where you get all the aspects of the free plan, can upload an unlimited amount of songs and pictures, and gain access to great artist management and marketing tools for a one-time payment of $99.95.

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