My son and I went to a guitar clinic with Gary Hoey this Saturday at the Pepperell Music Center. What a great event! Not only did Gary Hoey rock the joint, but he spent a lot of time discussing how he got into music, how he practices, and even some advice for those who want to make a living with music. I was a little bit familiar with Gary and his music from Gary’s site, but after meeting him in person and listening to him share, I’m a huge Gary Hoey fan for life.
Which got me thinking about how you turn casual fans into raving lunatics who want to follow your every word and buy just about anything you have to offer. And don’t think that just because Gary is a rock god (who can shred with the best of them) that this doesn’t apply to you and your local business. So here’s what I learned:
- Be likeable and available. Gary spent well over two hours at the Pepperell Music Center and really connected with the audience. He spent at least 1.5 hours answering questions, and another hour playing, including asking two of the guitar teachers from the Music Center up front to jam with him (and they were beaming for hours). If you let people know who you are and make yourself available for contact – both online and in person – you will start building strong relationships that convert your customers into an army of walking, talking promotion machines.
- Deliver a great product (or service). Gary kept a room of about 100 people (including my 11 year old son) riveted for 2.5 hours, mixing up questions and answers and some great rock and roll. He could have just gone through the paces, but with every attendee paying $15 for the event, he really wanted to beat expectations and he did that in spades. With every interaction you have with your “fans,” you need to make sure you are delivering your best, not only in products and services, but in how you present yourself and interact with others.
- Offer chances for interaction and purchase. During his time with us, Gary mentioned his website (www.GaryHoey.com) and his email list. And, he told us about some great advantages of getting on his email list including keeping in touch and some members-only prizes (like his Christmas Fender guitar giveaway). There was also some Gary Hoey merchandise for purchase – CDs, t-shirts, and autographed photos. When someone is a raving fan, make sure you make it easy for them to buy what you have to sell. And when you have an email list for communicating with your fans (and you definitely should), make sure there are benefits like discounts and members-only promotions.
- Leave the audience wanting more. When Gary finally had to leave (he was playing the National Anthem at a mixed martial arts event in Lowell that night), he made sure that people were curious about what’s going to happen next with Gary. Gary has some instructional DVDs coming out, as well as a new album and a DVD of a live performance. He talked about these new projects, and made sure we signed up for his email list to be notified. If you have some great new products or services coming out soon (or even in six months), make sure your customers and fans know about it. Start prepping them way ahead of release, so that when you release your new product or service, you’ll have a flood of people waiting to buy.
I really want to thank Gary for spending the time with us, and he’s motivated both my son and I to practice our guitars even more. And, you should start thinking about your customers as your fans so that you can develop that rock star marketing mentality. Rock on!
