The Importance of Marketing Containers (aka “Fish in a Barrel”)

The age of social media is nearly 20 years old. And as producers and consumers of endless oceans of content have become evermore sophisticated and slick in how they present themselves, their products and services and brands on-line, one thing has not changed: marketing to your own community is vastly more effective than howling into the abyss to the world at large.

People in business school call these private communites “containers” as if your fans, friends, family and potential fans would all agree to live in some commune-type environment together. It’s simple: they wouldn’t. However, you having the ability to address each of these sub-communities directly or even personally might be the key to your lasting success.

Let’s welcome back a much maligned and misunderstood marketing tool into your tool box: The email list.

OK, OK… I hear you rolling your eyes and saying: “oh no, not this again.” However, mailing lists are effective for three reasons:

1. These people have “opted-in” and want news about your music. This is important because people generally are confronted by spam dozens of times in a day. They are interested. This makes these people priceless.
2. You can personalize your messages so its less about marketing and more about…