How to surprise your fans.

10 simple things you can do to give more to the fans and customers of your record label.

1. Learn Their Birthday…

Some companies have a birthday section built into their customer management system. That’s why you get a birthday message from Old Navy every year. This may be hard to do, but if you can find a way to learn the birthdays of your superfans, it can have a huge impact if you send them a note on their special day or give them a shout-out on social media.

2. Have the Artist Reach Out!

Once you’ve identified who your superfans are, or which customers have financially supported your label the most, you can see if the artist might want to send them a ‘thank you’ email or DM them on Instagram. That’s a special touch that can create a nice bond between the fan and the artist.

3. Send a Thank You Note!

A few years ago, I was pleasantly surprised at the recent support of a relatively unknown artist on my label. We got an unexpected amount of orders on Bandcamp out of no where. So I found their emails in the Bandcamp database, and sent a personal email to a few dozen folks just saying “thank you” — because truly meant it!

4. Include Bonus Items

Lots of labels already do this well. When packing an order for a customer, throw in some freebies like stickers, buttons, or a personalized note. The record they receive is expected, but anything above and beyond becomes a nice surprise, and elevates their customer experience!

5. Give Fans Early Access

Give your diehard supporters access to something that nobody else is privy to. Open up a private channel (like a Discord or Facebook Group) and use it to “leak” new release information to a small group of your superfans. Sort of like a Patreon. You can also send them early access download links to upcoming releases. This generosity will earn you reciprocity with these fans.

6. Mail Them Something

A few years ago, we had a sophomore record coming out by a popular artist on our label. In the height of online marketing, we decide to revert to traditional print advertising by sending out postcards in the mail to any customer who bough the artist’s first record. It’s amazing how something in the analog world can help snap us out of our digital trance.

7. Host a Special Event

In this day and age, there’s no excuse to not at least host a virtual get-together on Zoom with some (or all) of your fans. Give them behind-the-scenes access to your record label, do a Q&A with an artist, or just hang out. Even better, do this in person locally or in a few locations around the country. Giving fans a face and intimate interaction to attach to your label will help solidify their commitment.

8. Give Them A Unique Code

On Bandcamp, it is extremely easy to generate a custom coupon code that can be shared privately with an individual. Look through your sales stats and find the top 3 customers who have spent the most money in your store. Create a customer coupon code in their name (eg. JOHN10) that gives them 10% off all of their future purchases.

9. Ask their Advice

A great way to have fans feel more connected and invested in your record label is by asking for their advice. You can create a poll on Instagram, a more involved survey on Google Forms, or by creating a “committee” of advisors that you tap for feedback on upcoming projects.

10. Give Them A Job

Remember street teams? Those don’t really exist anymore because fans inadvertently tell their friends about bands they like on social media, for free. In the old days, record labels would send a select group of fans a box of free posters, swag, CD singles, and stickers with the responsibility to spread the word of whatever upcoming release the label was promoting.