• DO make sure you’re landing site is mobile optimized.  Forgetting this most important step can cost you, the whole point of QR’s are to enable quick access and sharing of your digital content on a mobile device.

•  DON’T be the guy that forgets the aforementioned note.

•  DO create value in what your QR offers.  Having a QR code directed to a website or landing page is common and useful, but not what your fan is always looking for.  Making the content access something fun and value added gives your fans incentives to check it out, share it, and lets you as a marketer engage them better.

•  DO be relevant and create a call to action.  Along the same lines as creating value, make sure there is a point to your QR and let your fan base know what that is.

• DON’T make your QR too small or else the photo capture applications might not be able to pickup on the embedded code.  1”x1” is pretty standard.

•  On the same hand, DON’T make it too complex either.  Links with long URL’s will create a more complicated code and can be harder for readers to decipher.  If you do have a long URL use a URL Shortener site like Bit.ly or Goo.gl so that your code stays simple and accessible.

•  DO be creative in your QR code design.  Many sites and mobile apps let you add custom flare to your QR design to where you can brand it with your logo or create a completely unique design to reflect your campaign or company.  For some creative ideas checkout Custom QR Codes site which has some neat images and ideas.  Also checkout this interactive campaign by Zoo Records in Hong Kong which has implemented some pretty advanced and guerrilla marketing style QR’s that have generated a lot of buzz.

Check the difference out between a basic and creative QR code design:

• While being creative with your QR can be cool, DON’T forget that too complicated is bad as well.  Over design, too many colors, and too light of colors can all make for a hard to read QR.

• DON’T link to Flash enabled pages, most mobile devices cannot access this.  So while you might have some cool content, it won’t matter if people can’t see it.

• DO test you QR code and DO it on multiple devices.  A code directed to a broken link is one of the worst-case scenarios and a code that is difficult to read by some devices is just as bad.

And last but not least, DON’T wait to implement a QR campaign after everyone else has caught on, and DO look out for my follow-up blog on uses of QR codes in the music industry.  If you have any questions or looking for ideas on how you can implement your own QR, feel free to leave a comment or reach-out to me at: Jeremy@fanmailmarketing.com.

If you don’t see your city of choice, definitely checkout Jambase.com to get your local fix.

South East

**Moog Fest**

(Asheville, NC – 10.28 thru 10.30)

In remembrance of the man that helped bring out the synthesized freak in all of us, Moog Fest combines some of the most innovative talent from around the globe for a citywide festival in beautiful Asheville, NC.  Good ole Southern hospitality and noise distortion at its best makes this one of our top picks.  Just a few of the many acts: The Flaming Lips, Moby, TV on the Radio, STS9, Umphrey’s McGee, and Beats Antique.  Get the full lineup here.

**Voodoo Music Experience**

(New Orleans, LA – 10.28 thru 10.30)

Voodoo ‘Fest’ is entering its 11^th year of production and combines an array of artists over the Halloween weekend, and this year is not to disappoint!! New Orleans is one of our favorite cities and this town has enough to keep you scared on a summer’s day in June…Halloween in the city, eeeeek!!!  Lineup includes:  Ani Difranco w/ Ivan Neville, Dr. John, the Original Meters, Snoop Dog, Z-Trip, Social Distortion, Sound Garden, The Raconteurs, Fatboy Slim, and TV on the Radio.   And to top it off you have all of the great late night shows going around town like; The Dead Kenny G’s as well as Galactic with JJ Gray and Mofro.  Get the full lineup and schedule here.

Midwest

**Delloween **

(Madison Theatre – Covington KY – 10.28)

The Cincinnati metro area is in for a real treat as Del McCoury and Keller Williams team up to present a night of ‘boograss’!!!  Expect some rocking bluegrass, acoustic jams, and artist collaborations to last through the night…great way to get your holiday weekend started!  Checkout more details here.

**Pretty Lights – Halloween Extravaganza Illumination**

(Nashville Municipal Auditorium – Nashville, TN – 10.31)

Pretty Lights always puts on a great show and I’m sure this one will exceed all expectations. This “illuminating” experience is sure to be packed with special guests and treats for all.  Check details here.

NorCal

**Hangtown Halloween Ball**

(Placerville, CA – 10.28 thru 10.30)

Featuring Rail Road Earth on all 3 nights along with; 7 Walkers, The Funky Meters, Melvin Seals, Ozomatli, and David Grisman just to name a few.  The west coast festival scene never is a let down and this one I’m sure will get your blood a pumping…just beware, we’re privy to some Vampire lore and we heard they like patchouli.  Get the full lineup here.

SoCal

**HARD Haunted Mansion**

(Shrine Auditorium – Los Angeles, CA – 10.28 and 10.29)

Check out the video here and I’m sure you’ll want to go too!!  Find a sexy costume, get your electronic juices flowing, and rage the weekend away.  Get the full lineup and more details here.

Colorado

Our friends in the Rockies also have a lot of choices for the weekend and Denver is packed with great shows!!!  With venues like: The Fillmore, Cervantes’ Ballroom, and the Ogden Theatre…spooktacular times will be bountiful.  Cervantes is featuring a free show on Halloween night and other shows around town range from; Vince Herman to De La Soul, The Motet (Funk is Dead: performing all Grateful Dead tunes), Method Man, Warren Haynes, Particle, and KDTU.  Get a full lineup of shows here.

North East

**Yonder Mountain String Band**

(Best Buy Theatre – NY, NY – 10.29)

Yonder never fails to put on a spectacle and when matched up with your favorite costume and a bottle of bourbon – good times await!! Decisions, decisions though…the Big Apple has too much to offer as always, what will you do!?  Get details here…and here.

**Medeski, Martin, and Wood w/Antibalas**

(Washington DC 10.27 / Philly 10.28 / New York 10.29)

Two all time favorites joining forces for what has to be a great run of shows. Get more details here.  And if you want a chance to meet the bands and get some goodies, don’t forget your pre carved pumpkin!!!

And we’d love to here from you too!  Share your pics, costume ideas, wild stories and show reviews from the weekend…and just all around we want to embrace your inner monster so share what you got and Tweet us @fancentric.

-Jeremy

THE CHALLENGE: List Growth and Season Ticket Sales

Like many sports teams, the marketing team measures it’s success by the number of season and game day tickets sold. LA Galaxy had long used email as a mechanism to communicate through newsletters and alerts to fan. They have all of the traditional collection and lead generation techniques in play across their websites, social networks and regular contests and special offers. LA Galaxy needed a new way to find and engage their most important fans.

THE SOLUTION: Live Capture through iPad App

The FanMail team, led by Josh York, introduced LA Galaxy to the idea of live fan collection using iPads. The idea was simple enough: arm a team of interns with LA Galaxy iPads to scour the stands during game days, looking for the most ardent and passionate fans. Offer these fans a great incentive to sign up on the spot and watch the fan list grow.

FanMail technical architects quickly set to work on engineering the app. With a limited budget and the season just around the corner, FanMail needed a solution that was quick, lite, effective and scalable. Since the iPads needed to work on the Los Angeles 3G network (which is sketchy at the best of times), data transfer was an issue so the app needed to be able to work with as little data draw as possible. In addition, it needed to look good. It needed to represent the brand and draw fans into the experience when they saw it.

Using ExactTarget Microsite Technology, Smart Capture and HTML5, the FanMail team produced a powerful fan collection tool for the iPad. Branded for LA Galaxy and never having to leave a single page, the app collects name, email and phone number in a very efficient and elegant experience.

See a video of the function here: http://www.screencast.com/t/Z5cHHCe7

THE RESULTS: 1000 New Fans and Program ROI in 3 Games

“The iPad is still very new and fans like to play with it and enter their information on the spot,” said Bryan Arguello, database coordinator of the LA Galaxy. “Because the fans enter the information themselves, it’s more accurate and we get better results and higher engagement from our fans.”

In just its first three home games, the team secured more than enough new season ticket holders to pay for the cost of the iPads and added nearly 1,000 new fans to its database.

“The LA Galaxy averages about 350 new subscribers per game, as interns scour the stadium and parking lots armed with the five iPads,” Arguello said. “With 13 more home dates through October, the team hopes to add more than 4,000 new fans by the end of the season.”

According to ExactTarget‘s Subscribers, Fans and Followers Report #8, The Social Breakup, there are several reasons subscribers unsubscribe from an email list.  The top 4 reasons for unsubscribes are simple to address in your email marketing efforts.  If you can counter these 4 obstacles, you can keep subscribers happy, and keep them on your list.  So, below are my recommendations for avoiding these pitfalls.

#1  Emails came too frequently

The general rule of thumb for a typical newsletter send is one per month.  But each case is unique.  If you have a deeply engaged culture of fans, they may want to hear more frequent updates.  This is typical of a label that caters to a genre, and therefore tends to build a large culture around their brand.  When you have 20 bands on your label, all metal and hard rock, your fans are going to be more open to receiving frequent updates, because the messages may have to do with several different acts or events.

#2  The content became repetitive or boring over time

Fans want interesting, engaging content.  If your email messages are a constant sales pitch, or the same barely interesting update about the new merch item in the store this month, your subscribers will get bored.  And they will leave.  Sometimes this starts with the band and their team’s ability to constantly generate new, interesting content.  Other times, its a matter of understanding the fans’ perspective, and trying things that will elicit a response.  Contests, user generated content, and special offers are all ways to get and keep your fans’ attention.

#3  I receive too many emails ad needed to get off some lists

Pretty much a nicer way of saying #1 and #2.  Don’t send too often and don’t bore me with uninteresting content.  If they are really happy with your messages, they’ll make room for them in their crowded inbox.  Moving on…

#4  The content wasn’t relevant to me from the start

This is where segmentation comes in.  No matter how you do it, you are going to need information about your subscribers.  It can be more advanced data, like past purchase data, or just simple information the subscriber has provided to your organization.  When subscribers opt-in you are presented with your best opportunity to collect valuable data.  So ask them for it!  Geographic data is useful to just about any organization.  Geotargeting gives us the ability to target specific show information to subscribers in that area.  Or, a label could use data about their subscribers like favorite artists, so they can send relevant, band-specific information.  And don’t even get me started on automated, dynamic messages.  But if you’d like to get your mind blown, drop us a line.

3 Easy Programs to Automate Today:

• Confirmation Messages: Right after somebody gives you permission, a confirmation message is the most important message you will ever deliver. Make it valuable, make it remarkable and make it laser focused on the person who gave you permission. This single touch point will set the stage for how a subscriber interacts with your message the next time they see it.

• Birthday Wishes: Everybody loves a birthday. By automating a simple happy birthday message to go to subscribers on their birthday, it carves a special place in a person’ heart forever. Add a coupon or a free visit or a free ticket or an album download to make the experience extra special. Engagement and conversion on birthday emails is out of this world.

• News/Blog/Media Posts: You don’t need to spend weeks working on a newsletter or crafting the perfect message. Use blog feeds, news feeds and media feeds (twitter, youtube, facebook) to syndicate content from other places online and automate that content into a single piece of communication. In this way you have fresh content and social engagement from across the web.

Even the most sophisticated companies have a hard time understanding why to automate and how to put automation into practice. Of course advanced automation like geo-targeted event alerts, dynamic content, triggered sends and so forth are really dependent on the data which is accessible. For example, you can’t automate geo-targeted show alerts without knowing where subscribers live. So any deep automation program is going take an investment both in data collection and building the automation.

Why Invest in Automation:

• Time Saved/Money Saved: Automation saves a ton of time. Often we find that the cost for manual tasks to build and send messaging, is 30x the investment of automation over the course of a year.

• Increased Engagement / Increased Revenue: Using data to target and deliver messaging, we can drastically increase the interactions which people have with a message. For example, I there isn’t enough time in the day to write an individual, personalized message to a subscriber list of 100,000 subscribers. With automation and dynamic content, I can deliver personalized messages ever single day.

• Happy People: People love relevancy and to be given only the information which is important to them. Extraneous messages train people to no longer pay attention and tune you out. Automation makes it easy to deliver relevance and make subscribers and customers happy.

If you have program which you would like to automate or a great idea of something which you think we should explore, drop us a line.