How to double your CD sales (in 90 days or less)(III)

Continuing from last week’s article;

Make free digital samples of your music available

Despite what you think of legal battles over the widespread sharing of digital music files, to sell more CDs online you have to make at least some of your music readily available… for free. Getting fresh ears to experience your music is a battle. Don’t put up obstacles by hoarding it all to yourself.

But you don’t have to give away the whole store. Make at least three songs from your CD available in an MP3 format. After fans hear your digital music samples, direct them to where they can buy your entire CD. Often, the easiest ways to make your song samples available are at the places where they can be purchased. For instance, CD Baby and Amazon can make streaming song samples a part of your sales page.

To summarise, if you want to sell more of your music online, you should:

1) Put up an artist website with a show schedule, CD sales page, photos, and more.

2) Encourage fans to sign up for your free email newsletter – then send monthly updates that are filled with your personality and compelling sales offers.

3) Have clear links to your MP3 audio files so people can hear some of your sounds immediately.

4) Make sure you have secure online ordering options available.

Make appealing offers to your fans

When you do a mailing to your fan list (whether in print or by email), go beyond just saying, “Hey, we have a new CD. If you want it, send us money.” Make a special offer: “Order within 10 days and get FREE shipping.” “Buy one CD, get a second copy at half off to give to a friend.” “The first 25 orders get autographed copies.” Give your customers a real reason to buy more of your music NOW!

Use testimonials and positive quotes

Whether you’re sending a sales message to fans or a plea to the media to cover you, don’t depend on your own words alone to make your point. Use quotes from satisfied fans, positive reviews, or favourable comments from respected industry pros to back up your claims of worthiness. If more artists and record labels did this, they’d make more of an impression and sell a lot more music.

Determine your sales goal and display it

If you don’t choose a specific sales goal and make a commitment to it, chances are your actions will wither away quickly. To avoid this, write down your new action plan to double your CD sales and post it prominently on the wall of your office or band rehearsal area. Look at this plan every day and affirm your dedication to achieving it.

Set a target number of units

To hit a target, you must be able to see the bull’s-eye clearly. To reach your CD sales goals, you must have a number to aim for. First, determine your current level of sales. Let’s say it’s an average of 300 CDs a month.

In order to double your sales figures in 90 days, you’d have to sell 600 CDs a month or 1,800 units within the next three months. That’s about 140 CD sales per week. Knowing these hard facts will focus your energies and allow you to know exactly where you stand.

Check your progress and adjust the plan as needed

As you move through the next 90, measure your progress regularly. What’s getting the best results? What’s not working so well? How can you most effectively increase sales with a wise use of your current resources? What changes, if any, need to be made to reach the goal within 90 days?

Conclusion: Independent acts and labels around the world are selling hundreds of thousands of CDs every month. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be among their ranks right now!