How to improve your sales
The Songstall team are very proud of the system that we provide, and we hope you are happy with how it works, and how your customisable shop page looks.
However, it's about more than just looking good online- it's about making you some money! So, here are some tips for how you can bump up your sales!
1: Link it!
The quickest and best way to get traffic to your Songstall page is to link to it as much as possible! You have your own Songstall address, which should look like this:
http://www.songstall.com/promotionalname
Add links on your own website, on social networking sites (myspace, facebook, twitter, etc), and on any other sites where you mention your band or music. The more links you have, the more visitors you will have.
2: Flyers, Posters and Shouting!
As musicians, you'll probably be playing gigs, and this is a great opportunity for you to sell your wares. You should mention your Songstall page over the mic at your gigs, perhaps print up flyers with your Songstall address (as well as your other gig dates), put up posters, or even add the Songstall address to your band's banner. You should make as many people aware of your Songstall page as possible. People can't buy your music if they don't know it's there!
3: Exclusivity.
Try to have a certain amount of music that is only available through Songstall. No one will pay for something that they can get for free elsewhere. So, don't upload all your music onto other sites for free download- perhaps add one or two tracks to your other sites, and then put the rest up for sale on Songstall. Don't forget that people can hear a small snippet of each track on Songstall, so you can still show off your music.
If you record anything new, people will want to hear it, but try not to put all the tracks up on other sites for free. It's tempting to give it away because you're proud and excited about it, but you've worked hard to make the music- and it has probably cost you a fair amount of money to make. You've worked hard on it, so people won't mind paying for it.
When you record some new material, perhaps release the songs one or two at a time, rather than all at once. If you upload one or two a week for a few weeks, it will keep people coming back for more. Make sure you let people know when you've uploaded the new tracks- if you have an email list, or followers on social networking sites, make sure you keep them updated!
4: Window dressing!
Upload as many images, albums and tracks as you like to your Songstall page. If you make it look as good as possible, it will be a more attractive shop window for your wares. Use the text boxes to tell the world about your band and your music. Really sell yourself!
5: Don't sell yourself short!
Never be embarrassed to charge for your music. You've worked hard on it, and you've paid for it to be recorded- you deserve to be paid for it. People are willing to pay for music- but they won't if you give it away for free! Stand up for yourself and your music- it is worth paying for!
6: Keep at it!
Selling your music isn't a one-hit-fix. You'll need to keep promoting yourself over a long period of time. Keep reminding people about your music, keep telling people about your Songstall page at your gigs, send emails to your fans, and put updates on your website. It's hard work, but you will reap the rewards if you put the effort in over time.