I’ve recently been upgraded from my position as full time Indie Pool Artist Rep to part time Artist Rep and Marketing Coordinator. It’s been a ton of fun so far, with my first big project being upgrading our company website. I also get to flex my writing muscles a bit, which is great fun for me as I was afraid I was losing them.

My first blog post for Indie Pool is a short and sweet tip list for independent artists wondering how to keep their fans engaged as things slow down for the holiday season. You can check it out here – tips / feedback encouraged!

The holidays are coming and everyone’s excited to take some time off work and chill out with the family. But where does that leave you as an artist? How are you going to keep people engaged during this slow time?

Try looking at it differently. The slouch isn’t a bad thing – it actually creates opportunities for you to not only keep your current fans, but gain new ones. We’ve put together a few ideas to keep your audience engaged over the holidays.

• • Cover a holiday favourite and release it as a free download in exchange for an email address. Or you can trade that download for a tweet at Tweet for a Track.
• • Shoot a video of your holiday cover and send out an e-card to your mailing list. It doesn’t have to be cheese like Billy Idol demonstrates here. Live versions of holiday faves go over well, or you can go totally over the top like Spinal Tap.
• • Take the time to get to know your fans. If they already like your music, they’ll want to get to know you. Ask questions relevant to them and make sure to mention them by name. Engaging in conversations breeds goodwill and you’ll be sure to meet some new fans along the way.
• • Have a contest! Everyone loves a good contest, and if you’re staying in town for the holidays why not offer to cook dinner for a special fan? This should generate great word of mouth exposure, and you’ll be giving a lucky fan an experience to remember.
• • Document your holidays. People want to see the person behind the music. Take band photos with Santa and post them online.
• • Publish your Top 10 records of the year and ask your fans for theirs.
• • Last but not least, what about a holiday show? Team up with other artists – who knows, it could even become an annual party!

These are just a few ideas to keep things going through the holidays. What do you do to keep things going over the holidays? Post your suggestions below, we’d love to hear how you keep the band busy over the break!