New Fan Engagement Score (ES) a Game Changer for learning who your Superfans are

A new feature on the Adva Mobile platform now scores Fans as they engage Artists on their mobile web app, helping Artists identify which fans are most engaged, most loyal, and ready to support their favorite Artists with purchases. Engagement Scores track Fan Activity and measure engagement level - Purchases, Video Watches, Music Listens, Photo Views, Contest and Survey participation, and other activities. The sophisticated Fan Database allows Artists to filter Fans by Engagement Score and Artists can then target these Fans with special offers and bundled packages these loyal Fans crave.

Superfan Location Targeting

The database filtering system is so sophisticated that an Artist can uniquely identify their most loyal Fans in any location. By running a filter on the location field, and a second filter pass on Engagement Score to determine which among these Fans are most engaged, Artists can schedule meet and greets, backstage passes, and other high quality merchandise and services these SuperFans are ready to buy.

On the Portal

The Engagement Score is a new column on the Fan Database Page.

The filtering is very sophisticated, allowing Artists to select a value (for example, 5) and then filter Fans by many categories including "greater than", "equal to", "between", etc. Once a filter is created, it can be named and saved, and used as part of targeted Text and Email campaigns.

ES in Action

A new Artist on the Adva Mobile service (few months), with ~400 opted in mobile Fans, can identify which fans are already on his web app and engaging:

Another Artist, now with almost 900 Fans, sees a greater level of engagement over time. More than 80 fans  (8% - this is page 1 of 2) have engaged the Artist more than 9 times, and can be targeted for special invites and bundles from the Artist.

Mobile technology is really living up to its trans-formative promises when it can demonstrate activity levels for unique Fans that help Artists understand and connect with their True Fans. By taking advantage of the Adva Mobile Engagement Score, Artists have a better view into the fans that can help make their music careers.

Delivering Music To Fans: The Options

Once you've spent the time and energy to create your music, getting into the hands and ears of your fans is the next step. This article looks at several different content delivery systems from more conventional techniques like email, to more innovative tech like the digital wallet.

This post originally appeared in the March 2, 2016 issue of Hypebot

http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2016/02/many-options-to-consider-for-delivering-content-to-fans.html

After working with fire and steel to create the end result of your musicianship craft, the next challenge is to get your content into the hands of your fans. The digital world offers lots of options, however not all are created equal.

As a result of a new experiment from Boston based NPR station WBUR, we can now add the Digital Wallet to the mix of options. For the past 11 years, the popular New York Times column, “Modern Love,” has featured essays submitted by readers about contemporary romance. At the end of January, WBUR began a weekly series of podcasts with celebrities reading the essays.

WBUR and The New York Times released a digital wallet card with automatic, linked reminders about the podcasts. Once a user installs the podcast application as part of their digital wallet, listeners receive notification about, and a link to, each week’s podcast.

The upside to this notification service is that every iPhone and Android Phone has a digital wallet, and why not use it as a marketing channel, in addition to its original mobile payments purchase?

The downside- and this is echoed in some of the options described below – is that, at the end of the day, it’s another App your fans have to subscribe to. And Artists will need an app provider to offer a digital wallet marketing app. Urban Airship, a mobile engagement company out of Portland OR, custom built the WBUR wallet App.

What else is out there to help Artists deliver content to fans and notify them that there’s new content for Fans to consume?

• Email – Tested and relatively reliable. However email requires the fan to sift through all their emails to find yours, which is a chore on a smartphone. And, you’re likely to be limited to the open rate performance of the most successful email campaigns, only around 20 percent.
• Apps – An App requires the Fan to download, install, and manage yet another App. Plus, you’ll have to have one built for you, not an inexpensive solution.
• Social – Tell your Fans, and link to your content (YouTube, your web page, etc.) on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Your Fans have to actually SEE your post to get to your link. You can always hope for that.
• QR Codes – Sure. When was the last time you scanned a QR Code. Same answer from your Fans.
• Text – This is where it gets interesting. Before the Fan can receive a Text from you with a link to your content, they have to give you their mobile phone number. That’s not a disadvantage. That’s called building a fan database.

Texts are most commonly associated with peer-to-peer communications between family and friends. There has been commercial success with Text by the bigger brands, mostly sending coupons. It hasn’t generally been used for content distribution.

That could change. Notifying Fans of new content via Text is perfectly suited to a mobile phone environment. A link embedded within a Text can be automatically opened and consumed on a mobile phone. And, the open rate of Text is over 96%. When was the last time a text notification pinged on your phone and you didn’t immediately check your phone? Text is compulsive.

Another advantage to linking content distribution via Text: once the Fan is consuming the content, you now have an opportunity to engage them with more content. Links to voicemail like messages and other audio and special content, links to news and upcoming shows and tickets, links to products for sale, and other music, videos, web content, marketing messages, ads or services.

Musicians are the poster children for “content marketing” – after all, it’s content that Artists create! Getting that content into the hands of your Fans is your next challenge. Text is an effective option when considering your choices for delivering branded content to your Fans.

Valentines Day Feature Flash 4 - Texting In to Capture a Fan's Zip Code

We're feeling the Valentines Day love and giving some of our own with new Features just released that strengthen the Adva Mobile Platform. Read on to check out

• Stripe Payments and Bitcoin
• Pay What You Want
• Texting In During Contests is Easier for Fans
• Texting in to capture a Fan's Zipcode

Here's the fourth - Texting In to Capture a Fan's Zip Code

Fans opt in and connect to Artists now by texting get to 444999. Since fan location is so important, most of the other engagement activities require the fan to enter their zip code for features like Contests, Surveys, Exclusive Content and Purchases.

You can now tell your fans to text get   to 444999 and if they do, we will capture their zipcode and add it to their fan record (and translate to their City and Town). 

However - and this is important - the format must be precise. There must be a space between your "keyword" and the Fan's zip code. Here's how it plays out:

Fan Texts                                                          Result
get                               Correct Response with opt-in and link to Web App  
get                                 Correct Response with opt-in and link to Web App  

get12345                      Message from Text Provider: We don't understand that keyword, try again.
get 12345                     Message from Text Provider: We don't understand that keyword, try again.

get 12345                     Correct Response with opt-in and link to Web App, zip code added to fan record 
get  12345                    Correct Response with opt-in and link to Web App, zip code added to fan record  

So you the Artist will have to decide if you think telling fans to add their zip code to the Text In keyword is worth the risk that they get a poor experience because they don't add a space between the keyword and the zip code and get an error message. It probably means adding something from the stage … that could be awkward or confusing, I'd think. But when you put signs up or when you post on social media, that could work.


As a quirky aside, if a fan texts get 12345 during a Contest, they are entered into the Contest AND their zip code is added to their Fan Record. 

Valentines Day Feature Flash 3 - Texting In During Contests is Easier for Your Fans

We're feeling the Valentines Day love and giving some of our own with new Features just released that strengthen the Adva Mobile Platform. Read on to check out

• Stripe Payments and Bitcoin
• Pay What You Want
• Texting In During Contests is Easier for Fans
• Texting in to capture a Fan's Zipcode

Here's the third - Texting In During Contests is Easier for Your Fans 

In the past, when a fan texted get to 444999 when you had a Contest running, they would get a text back with a link that brought them to your Home Page. Then they would click on the link on the Home page to get to the Contest page and, after entering their Name and zip code, would enter the Contest.

Now, if someone texts in while a Contest is Active, they get a text back that reads: Thanks, u have been entered into Contest. Stay tuned. More info: http://adva.us/?i=xxxxxx. That link will bring them to the Contest entry page where they can offer up more info - their zip code and name, for example. However, they don't need to - they are already entered in the Contest. The rest of the Contest feature works as it does now.


The upside for Artists is, I think, that now it's a lot easier for your Fans to enter a Contest. The small downside is that we won't automatically force the Fan to provide their name and zip code before they can enter the Contest. However, we can capture that info in other places.

Valentines Day Feature Flash 2 - Pay What You Want

We're feeling the Valentines Day love and giving some of our own with new Features just released that strengthen the Adva Mobile Platform. Read on to check out

• Stripe Payments and Bitcoin
• Pay What You Want
• Texting In During Contests is Easier for Fans
• Texting in to capture a Fan's Zipcode

Here's the second - Pay What You Want

We've added a feature to our Artist Mobile Store where you can put up an item for sale and let Fans choose what they want to pay for it. 

Pay What You Want has become an attractive alternative for Artists who have digital content especially (music, podcasts, videos) that fans typically acquire/download for free but, as studies have shown, would pay for these items to support their favorite Artists if that option was presented to them. 

We were at a recent Independent Musicians Conference and one of the Keynote Speakers said "If you don't give a Fan the ability to buy something from you, it's not their fault!" 

We rest our case.

Valentines Day Feature Flash 1 - Stripe and Bitcoin

We're feeling the Valentines Day love and giving some of our own with new Features just released that strengthen the Adva Mobile Platform. Read on to check out

• Stripe Payments and Bitcoin
• Pay What You Want
• Texting In During Contests is Easier for Fans
• Texting in to capture a Fan's Zipcode

Here's the first - Stripe Payments and Bitcoin

Stripe Payment Processing - On your Mobile Store, we have changed from using PayPal to process payments to using Stripe.

This shouldn't mean anything to you or your fans.

Except we now accept Bitcoin for payment of your physical and digital goods. Which is kinda cool. Maybe not now, but it's a "tip of the hat" to the future.

Survey Your Fans - Do They Like Texts?

Ask your fans:

How's our Texting?

 Do you wonder if your Fans like getting texts from you? Here is a GREAT IDEA to 

• Ask your Fans if they want more or less Texts From You

• Check out the Survey Engagement Feature on the Adva Mobile Platform

• Gain more info about your fans (we'll capture their Zip Code) 

AND THERE'S NO CHARGE TO SEND OUT THIS SURVEY TEXT! HOLIDAY PRESENT FROM ADVA MOBILE!

We'll credit your account with the number of texts you send to your fans.

 Here's What To Do:

1. Go on to your Adva Mobile Dashboard and click on the "Surveys" Tab

2. Where it says "Set up promotional message on your home page", enter "Take the Survey - Do You like Texts?"

3. Here are Four Options to ask your your Fans: 

o I like getting Texts from you once a month

o I would like a Text from you more than once a month

o I only want a Text from you when you are coming to my town.

o I don't want any more Texts from You

4. Schedule your Survey (2-4 days is OK). You can also give them some complimentary content if you want. Here is what your Web App Home page and the Survey Page will look like:

5. Now, send a SMS Text Blast to your Fans. Here is a message you can use:

"How's our Texting? Help us help you get only the messages you want by telling us how often you want texts, right here:"

When you set up your SMS Text Blast you can select "Surveys" on the drop down box and the link we automatically add will take Fans right to the Survey Page.

That's it! You'll learn valuable insights from your Fans, you'll engage them on your web app (always a good thing!) and you and your Fans will have fun using the cool Surveys Feature of the Adva Mobile Platform. Check it out!