The title of this post might strike you as odd, but I mean it quite literally.
Customer (from Wikipedia): “someone who makes use of or receives the products or services of an individual or organization. The word historically derives from “custom,” meaning “habit”; a customer was someone who frequented a particular shop, who made it a habit to purchase goods of the sort the shop sold there rather than elsewhere, and with whom the shopkeeper had to maintain a relationship to keep his or her “custom”…The word did not refer to those who purchased things at a fair or bazaar, or from a street vendor.”
People who hand over their hard earned money for music are customers in the full sense of this definition. They are quite literally frequenting a particular shop – you, or your band – out of a habit to purchase the goods of your sort – your music or talents. But before you can “maintain a relationship to keep his or her “custom””, you must first find, woo and win over people to your “products or services”. You must market.
But despite the fact that everything I’ve said here makes sense to us all, marketing is often the last thing we attend to on a daily basis. Which brings us to a a powerful post from Two Hat Marketing entitled Do Something Vital. Not only does Steve Miller present a compelling argument for marketing itself, but he outlines a plan for “regular, ongoing, daily marketing activity.”
Here’s a taste: “What’s the answer? It’s a lot easier than you might think. Tomorrow morning when you start your work day, don’t even look at your To-Do list for the first hour. Invest that first hour on the Vital task of Marketing…Do something that markets your products or services”
Be sure to check out the whole post, it’s well worth your time.
