You’ve decided to eat a little better, drink a little less, put down the smokes, and stop complaining so much. Now that you’ve made (and maybe already broken) your usual New Year’s Resolutions, it might be time to make your fan list resolutions. Trying to grow your fan list can seem overwhelming and confusing at first, but breaking the process down into small, easy steps will have you collecting fans faster than your treadmill collects dust.

1. I will put a sign up form on every site/profile I control

…and in an easy to find spot, too. Why aren’t your fans signing up for your list? Maybe they can’t figure out how! Your fans don’t visit every page of every site you have. Put a sign up form on the main page of each one in a visible spot.

2. I will set up auto-campaigns

…because we all forget to send them out sometimes. You can set up a campaign that will automatically ask your Twitter and Facebook followers for a Fan Question.

Other Auto-Campaigns:

• Fan Questions Digest – A weekly roundup of your answers
• Update Information – A prompt to have fans update their info
• More coming soon!

Also, don’t forget that you can always schedule your regular campaigns ahead of time.

3. I will change my Fan Incentive

Did you upload a Fan Incentive when you first started your account and forget about the whole thing? If your incentive is available in other formats by now, your potential fans might not see the point in signing up for something they already have. Try a new song, a demo, or even a short video.

4. I will set myself up with new and better campaign designs

…either designed by myself or FanBridge. Campaigns are reusable, so with a few good outlines you can easily send attractive and effective emails without the hassle of redesigning your layout every time. If you really want to go above and beyond, have us design a custom template for you. For more info on reusing campaigns, check out our past blog post . Remember, if your fans don’t enjoy looking at your emails, they’ll stop opening them!

5. I will vary my content to make my campaigns more valuable to fans

…so fans know they are continuing to be rewarded for being on my fan list. Sure, many of your fans will sign up for your fan list to get tour date announcements and early information about new releases. Yet, a lot of fans find other sources like Myspace, local show listings, and music press to be sufficient enough. This year, turn your mailing list into something valuable not just to you but to all of your fans by sending out more exclusives, holding contests, and varying your topics. A great campaign is a good read that your fans should look forward to. If you need a little help, check out some of these ideas we posted a few months ago.

6. I will download the Fan Collector iPhone/iPad app

…because if I do everything else on-the-go now, why shouldn’t I grow my fan list, too? Opportunities to get more fans don’t exist solely in the confines of a venue. When someone says, “Oh, you’re in a band? Let me know when you’re playing!” you’ll be able to collect their contact info on-the-spot and make them an instant fan. The app also works at shows too. It’s a lot easier to enter someone’s email into your iPhone App when you’re chatting post-set then to try and drag them through the crowd to your merch table.

Want more tips for managing your fan base? Download our free eBook, 3 Keys to Fan List Success for Musicians.