Captivating incentives are an integral part of any marketing strategy. Whether you are looking to grow your social media presence, increase newsletter sign-ups, or drive sales, incentives are a great way to further your relationship with your fans.
Incentives should be something exclusive. It’s important to think about scarcity when choosing your incentive. Many fans won’t sign up just to get a free download of a song they already have but they will join a list for a live track or b-side. Incentives also need to have enough value to match that of a fan’s email address. A coupon giveaway should go beyond what a fan might find in another location. Make an incentive a one-time opportunity to get something a fan couldn’t possibly refuse.
The placement and timing of an incentive is just as important as it’s value. It won’t do any good to have an incentive that no one can actually find. FanBridge offers a variety of tools to help – email incentive delivery, download giveaway functionality on Facebook, fan action pages, etc. You can customize any of these tools to fit your marketing strategy. It’s also a great idea to offer things for a limited time – fans are often driven by time sensitive offerings. That sense of urgency causes more people to take action because they don’t want to miss out on something.
Outside of downloadable incentives, here are more ideas from the FanBridge team:
- A chance to get a personal birthday greeting video
- A chance to win any type of exclusive access – backstage, at a premiere, at a VIP event, etc.
- A chance to win signed memorabilia
- Private house concert (for musicians)
- A meet and greet
- Work side by side with you for a day at your favorite charity
What are some of your favorite incentives that you’ve received from an artist or brand? Have you ever given away something that goes “above and beyond”?
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