The last two blog posts are going to focus on two very powerful M’s: marketing and ministry. They are both at the heart of all we say and do as professionals in Christian entertainment.
Merch. “Merchandise, merchandise, merchandise!” Keith said. “This is what I keep saying to the artists. You’ve gotta have merch to sell – t-shirts, CDs.”
And that Carman did. Although it was set up in a tiny vestibule, he had a robust merchandise table. New t-shirt designs included one with his tour name specifically, “100% SAVED,” offered in a variety of colors; as well as a neatly designed “Child of God” t-shirt that I might actually surprise Keith with for his birthday, contemporary and in one color – black – which appealed to the GenX and Boomer guys who dominated the audience. He had full CDs from years past as well as compilation “best of” CDs.
All one price: $15. Easy! As a customer, you don’t have to keep asking the salesperson “How much is this?” From a business management perspective, it was easier to bring only one person on tour with you who can then rally a team of volunteers from the church to sell the products. They didn’t have to learn a price list or ask a bunch of questions. It was straightforward for the consumer as well as the rep.
Lesson #4: Sell stuff! It’s Marketing 101, but be strategic about what you make up with your image or logo. Know your audience and select items that will appeal to your crowd. Choose only 2 or 3 items, don’t go overboard. And don’t overprice the merch. You want people to leave the concert with it, not you!
Lesson #4a: Throw a sale! About 10 minutes before show started, Steve, the tour manager, came out to greet the crowd and go over house rules. And to throw a sale. All merchandise for the next 10 minutes would be $10. So you were rewarded for buying before you heard the singing. Now that’s faith! They know you’re a fan and you’re going to like anything he does anyhow, but you just needed a little nudge to get out there and buy. They also didn’t want to have a traffic jam at the merch table after the concert (now we know they were working on time constraints and wanted to pack up). Steve may check in with his guy or gal at the sales table to see how sales were doing and if the numbers weren’t so hot, he’d then hit the crowd with a sale.
Another footnote. You want people to take a part of you home with them, not just download your single, so that needs to be a tangible product. Merchandise sells you, and it sprouts legs and travels, as people are showing off or sharing what they got at the concert. Also, take the time and the patience to sign merch for fans. It makes them feel special.
Which leads to my next marketing tip. Lesson #5: Make it personal.
The cheap tickets we bought weren’t the only ones available. He had three tiers, still simple, but the top two involved merch and touch points. The second tier, which I think was $50, included a merch bag. But the top tier, $100, gave you access to a Meet-and-Greet with Carman (as well as the merch bag). They had refreshments and a photographer to take your picture with Carman. The first three rows in the sanctuary were roped up for those who ponied up for the meet-and-greet. When a star comes to town, it’s worth mulling over whether you’ll pony up for the VIP ticket too. But people, especially Christians, like the personal touch. We serve a personal Jesus. My keywords are that you must be real, relevant and relatable. This is part of his marketing strategy, that he’s a big-name dude but he loves the people of the Lord, so he made it personal.
Merch. “Merchandise, merchandise, merchandise!” Keith said. “This is what I keep saying to the artists. You’ve gotta have merch to sell – t-shirts, CDs.”
And that Carman did. Although it was set up in a tiny vestibule, he had a robust merchandise table. New t-shirt designs included one with his tour name specifically, “100% SAVED,” offered in a variety of colors; as well as a neatly designed “Child of God” t-shirt that I might actually surprise Keith with for his birthday, contemporary and in one color – black – which appealed to the GenX and Boomer guys who dominated the audience. He had full CDs from years past as well as compilation “best of” CDs.
All one price: $15. Easy! As a customer, you don’t have to keep asking the salesperson “How much is this?” From a business management perspective, it was easier to bring only one person on tour with you who can then rally a team of volunteers from the church to sell the products. They didn’t have to learn a price list or ask a bunch of questions. It was straightforward for the consumer as well as the rep.
Lesson #4: Sell stuff! It’s Marketing 101, but be strategic about what you make up with your image or logo. Know your audience and select items that will appeal to your crowd. Choose only 2 or 3 items, don’t go overboard. And don’t overprice the merch. You want people to leave the concert with it, not you!
Lesson #4a: Throw a sale! About 10 minutes before show started, Steve, the tour manager, came out to greet the crowd and go over house rules. And to throw a sale. All merchandise for the next 10 minutes would be $10. So you were rewarded for buying before you heard the singing. Now that’s faith! They know you’re a fan and you’re going to like anything he does anyhow, but you just needed a little nudge to get out there and buy. They also didn’t want to have a traffic jam at the merch table after the concert (now we know they were working on time constraints and wanted to pack up). Steve may check in with his guy or gal at the sales table to see how sales were doing and if the numbers weren’t so hot, he’d then hit the crowd with a sale.
Another footnote. You want people to take a part of you home with them, not just download your single, so that needs to be a tangible product. Merchandise sells you, and it sprouts legs and travels, as people are showing off or sharing what they got at the concert. Also, take the time and the patience to sign merch for fans. It makes them feel special.
Which leads to my next marketing tip. Lesson #5: Make it personal.
The cheap tickets we bought weren’t the only ones available. He had three tiers, still simple, but the top two involved merch and touch points. The second tier, which I think was $50, included a merch bag. But the top tier, $100, gave you access to a Meet-and-Greet with Carman (as well as the merch bag). They had refreshments and a photographer to take your picture with Carman. The first three rows in the sanctuary were roped up for those who ponied up for the meet-and-greet. When a star comes to town, it’s worth mulling over whether you’ll pony up for the VIP ticket too. But people, especially Christians, like the personal touch. We serve a personal Jesus. My keywords are that you must be real, relevant and relatable. This is part of his marketing strategy, that he’s a big-name dude but he loves the people of the Lord, so he made it personal.