That’s right, on average, 75% or more of your fan base won’t make it out to a show on your next tour. Proximity. Sold out. Cost. All factors which can keep your most loyal fans from attending your next killer show. I guess they’re SOL, right? Wrong.
With the proliferation of social media sharing, we’re seeing bits and pieces of the live show experience being shared by fans, in real time, straight from the pit. There is a huge opportunity to engage the non-attending fan with this content. Have someone on your team monitor social media services and curate the best fan photos, video clips, etc. from your shows and highlight them on your web site, Facebook fan page, etc. This is a guaranteed way to engage your non-attending fans by giving them a sample of your shows through the eyes of the fans on the ground.
Don’t have anyone to do that for you? Use an aggregator service like Fliptu (free while in beta; specializes in music, entertainment & lifestyle; disclaimer: I’m a co-founder), Rebel Mouse (free/premium upgrades), or Postano (not free) to do the work for you. Have fans Tweet or Instagram their pics with your tour or band hashtag, then use a tool like Fliptu to aggregate all those #SuperRadTour pics in one spot. Embed a copy on your web site. Boom — you now have a fully interactive concert social hub for non-attending fans to vicariously experience your shows. Pretty much the next best thing to being there. 100% of your fan base now engaged and happy.
Other ideas to engage your non-attending fans:
1) Live stream your show (Stageit, EVNTLive, uStream, iRocke)
2) Live song requests from non-attending fans (Use Twitter to solicit requests - let them choose the next song you play!)
3) Social media take-over - Select a fan before each show to co-run your Twitter, Instagram, etc. account. (Try services like HootSuite to manage your social media efforts more efficiently. Or, see BandSosh if you actually need someone to help run your accounts full or part time.)
4) “Fansource” an extra show - Inspire/encourage fans to bring one of your shows to their city by contributing to a crowdfunding campaign. The city that dontates the most $ gets the show (Make sure you set a “minimum” that covers your costs for the extra show!). Try a crowdfunding site like Pledge Music or Indiegogo.
5) Limitied edition merch bundle just for non-attending fans (Set up as a pre-order; no out-of-pocket cost. If you need help with fast, low volume merch, check out Zazzle (DIY), FlashMerch (Custom), CafePress (DIY))
Bio: Jeremy has spent the last 7-years in the live events & merchandise industry and was part of a team that produced and broadcast over 50 live mixed martial arts events on Showtime, CBS & SkyTV. Jeremy also handled all international merchandise production & sales for the company, including live events, retail, and ecommerce. Most recetly, Jeremy founded Fliptu to help brands, bands and event producers better connect with and engage their fans through Fliptu’s social fan page and social hub aggregation tools.