How To Target Your Fan Base

These days, it's impossible for bands to market themselves as a traditional label would. Indie artists don't have the resources to take the shotgun approach and target an incredibly large market. It's imperative for bands to identify the particular market that includes their potential fans. Unfortunately, most bands are not aware of that fact and claim that they attract people from the ages of 10 to 60. That obviously isn't a fan base, but more so a demographic.

So then how does a band find out where their potential fans are hiding? The first place to start is to find the fans of bands that sound similar to your music. According to Larry Weintrab, CEO of Fanscape, which is a company that helps manage fan bases, "It's more than simply collecting e-mail addresses. You have to talk to your fans, ask them about themselves and get a handle on who they are." Even a contest, such as the one that I mentioned last week with The Jonas Brothers, which still makes me cringe to this day. A contest will motivate fans to offer up information if they think that there is a possibility that they could get something out of it.

Once you have a basic idea about who your fans are and where they go to have fun, you can start to legitimately target your potential fans. There are many websites available to help identify and track your fan base. According to Weintraub, "By using analytic tools and programs, you can find out about people who visit your websites, post forums, fan sites and blogs."

Here are some sites to help you get started, if you haven't already discovered them...

www.artistdata.com

www.reverbnation.com

Rock out!

Cheers!
Creed