Using a band mailing list can be an effective way of letting your fans know what is happening with your band at minimal cost to you. While you may already be using a mailing list to promote your act, this article should give you some additional ideas of things you can do with your list which will means more exposure for your act.

The Basics
If you are not collecting names and addresses of people that are at your gigs you should start immediately. All you need is a simple sign up sheet with name, address, phone, and email address on it. I recommend making copies and putting them on the tables at the club that you are performing at before you go on stage. Get some type of box and label it with your band name. Have your singer announce from the stage a few times throughout your set that you have a mailing list and to sign up fill out the form on their table and put it in the box. Make sure you have the box located somewhere that people can easily get to and see ( the front door of the club?). Your singer can than say something to the effect put the completed forms in the box located by the front door.

Using Your List
You can immediately start using your list by sending monthly calenders with all of your upcoming gigs. This is very effective because you can promote all of your gigs in that month with only one mailing. Another idea is a newsletter. This can give fans some inside information about your act that they might not have know about. Some ideas might be background about band members, special parties or gigs. How about a special gig for a band members birthday? I once had a band member that liked to cook he had all kinds of special recipes that we put in the newsletter, sounds weird I know but people liked it! Some other ideas might be, contests or a band crossword puzzle ( you can get software that will output a crossword puzzle with words you supply!). The newsletter is open to your imagination so the sky is the limit. Dont forget to include coupon to order your CD.

Swap Lists With Other Bands
If there are other bands in your hometown that play a similar style of music consider trading your list for theirs. This is a great way to build a large list quickly.

Discount Costs
If you have a few hundred people on your mailing list you can send out your mail using a bulk rate and have quite a cost reduction per piece mailed. I wont get into the details here however you should contact the post office and they will give you all the info you need on bulk mail.

Post Cards
Instead of sending a letter send a post card. The current rate for a post card is much less than a letter and you can shrink a monthly calender down to post card size.

Email
Of course email is becoming more and more popular and the cost of sending to an email list is very low. Definitely use an email list however, I still believe it is worth the time to send out mailings through the regular mail. By doing this it gives your band an advantage to all of the other bands in your area just using email.

Survey Your Fans
Another idea for your list is to survey your fans. You can find out valuable info like: What is your favorite club? What cover tunes do you want to hear? What do you like about our band? What improvements do we need to make? ect... Use a SASE to make it easier to send back your survey sheet. This info can help make your act better and build a stronger following.

Well there you have it, your mailing list can be one of the best ways to promote your act. Good luck and happy mailing!