Dierks Bentley goes online and offline to reach his fans

When it comes to marketing, the more integrated your efforts are, the bigger impact they have. That's because using many different communications channels increases your ability to reach each of your target audiences and remind them of your message. Echomusic, a Nashville-based company that builds one-toone relationships between musical artists and their fans, recently implemented an integrated marketing strategy for the launch of platinum-selling recording artist

Dierks Bentley's new album, "Long Trip Alone." Echomusic ran a contest that used a combination of e-mail, Web site and permission voice messaging to create excitement for the new album.

More than 4,000 fans logged into the Dierks Bentley Web site to register for the "Win a Phone Call From Dierks" contest, in addition to thousands of fans that already opted-in to receive information from Dierks via their handheld devices.

Fans registered their cell phone number and gave their e-mail address on the opt-in form. Echomusic sent a confirmation email to fans who signed up for the contest. The day the album was released, almost 15,000 fans received a recorded phone call from Dierks that was sent to their cell phones. The calls were enabled by Vontoo, a permission-based ondemand voice messaging company that let Echomusic create, send and track the voice messages.

The winner of the live call with Dierks Bentley was called shortly after noon Central time and information on the winner was posted on www.dierks.com soon after.

The campaign resulted in 99.9 percent positive market response and a flurry of new fan club subscriptions on www.dierks.com.The week of the promotion, "Long Trip Alone" reached No. 1 on Billboard's Country Album chart and No. 5 across all music genres.

Why did the promotion work?

Because it integrated both online and offline marketing channels.

John Wechsler is president and chief operating officer of Vontoo, Indianapolis. Reach him at john@vontoo.com.