7 Music Store Customer Management Ideas To Drive Sales

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Small businesses thrive when local residents become loyal customers.

But with so many options — including large online retailers — it can be difficult to keep customers coming back for repeat purchases. Luckily, improvements in technology have created new methods for business owners to interact with their customers.

Modern business owners use customer relationship management (CRM) strategies to increase customer loyalty. CRM refers to the tools and strategies companies use to track and improve interactions with customers. These strategies keep your business top of mind for customers by using targeted marketing, personalized messaging, and consistent communication.

Music store customer management helps you gain more customers, retain the customers you have, and ultimately increase sales. In this blog, we’ll share seven CRM strategies to implement at your store.

1. Send Marketing Emails

Email marketing is a great way to create long-term relationships with your customers.

You use email to notify customers of:

New arrivals
Top sellers
Store events
Sales and discounts

Emails like these keep customers updated on what’s going on with your business — but sending out mass emails won’t cut it. Digital marketing tools allow you to create automated personalized emails for your customers.

For example, when a customer purchases an instrument at your music store, you can automatically send them a discount coupon to use on their next purchase. You can also send customers a discount on their birthday. Personalized emails generate greater interest among customers than mass emails — and it encourages them to make additional purchases.

2. Automate SMS Marketing

SMS marketing lets you send updates directly to a customer’s phone, which has unique advantages. These messages are seen faster and are more likely to be opened and read than emails. However, because of the nature of text messaging, these messages need to be simple and to the point. Use these messages to send brief and timely updates.

Text messages are used to send reminders, too. If your store offers music lessons, instrument rentals, or instrument repairs, you can send reminders about appointments, due dates, or repair updates. You can also use text messages to ask customers for reviews.

3. Track Customer Purchase Histories

Digital CRM tools record your customers’ purchase history. This means you can look up a customer and see what instruments or accessories they’ve purchased from you in the past. Having this data allows you to give personalized recommendations for customers or locate a specific product they’ve purchased previously.

If you offer musical instrument repairs, you can also log what instrument repairs a customer has had done. If a customer needs further repairs on an item, it’s helpful to see a record of what’s been fixed on an instrument previously.

4. Implement a Loyalty Program

Loyalty programs incentivize customers to choose your music store over a competitor by offering rewards for frequent purchases. There are multiple ways to organize a loyalty program.

Here are a few examples of how a loyalty program can be set up:

Point system
Tiered structure
Spend-based program

No matter how you organize it, customers make purchases until they eventually earn a reward. Getting close to a reward motivates people to buy your products.

Make sure your loyalty program is simple, straightforward, and easy to use. When customers make purchases, let them know how many points they’ve earned and how close they are to their reward. The easier a loyalty program is to understand and use, the more popular it’s likely to be.

5. Request Online Reviews

Part of managing your relationships with customers is seeking feedback about your business. Customer reviews let you see how you’re succeeding and in what areas you need to improve. Positive reviews signal to potential customers that you offer quality products and service.

You can use digital CRM tools to request customer reviews through email or text messages. Send these emails after a customer has made a purchase to ask how their experience was. If possible, respond to online reviews, and thank customers for positive ones.

If there are some negative reviews or reviews with constructive criticism, try to help a customer with their issue or consider how to improve based on their suggestions. By listening to your customers, you understand how to serve them better.

6. Digitize Appointment Scheduling

If your music store offers services — like music lessons, instrument repairs, or instrument rentals — CRM tools improve your communication with customers throughout these processes.

To make scheduling a lesson more efficient, try offering online scheduling. When customers can easily input their information, schedule a lesson, reschedule it, and pay from your website, the process becomes more convenient and registrations increase.

My Music Staff is a digital program designed for music lessons. It allows you to schedule appointments, take payment, and keep records of student progress. If you’re looking for a program like this, My Music Staff is a great option.

7. Host In-Store Music Events

Holding events at your music store creates a community around your business and helps you find new customers. Host live music performances from local musicians and school bands, or have a class or workshop on playing and taking care of an instrument. Promote events like these on social media and advertise them in the community to draw new customers to your store.

Digital CRM tools help you manage events and promote them to customers. Similar to how CRM features work with services, you schedule events, manage sign-ups, and send email and text notifications to customers regarding events. Using these tools increases attendance and the effectiveness of your music events.

Boost Profits With Effective Music Store Customer Management

CRM tools and strategies help you retain your customers, which leads to higher and more consistent sales. Great CRM strategies go beyond providing customer service — they allow business owners to create relationships with their customers, increasing customer loyalty and building trust.

Some key music store customer management tasks include email and text marketing, customer histories, loyalty programs, and managing services and events. Remember: Ask for feedback, so you can better serve customers and gain credibility.

Modern point of sale (POS) systems offer robust CRM features. These systems allow you to implement these strategies, such as personalized marketing. But to run your music store with a full range of features, you need a POS designed specifically for music stores: Music Shop 360.

Music Shop 360 is an all-in-one, cloud-based POS system equipped with both general retail features and features made just for music stores. Our solution includes tools for music lessons, instrument rentals, and instrument repairs. With Music Shop 360’s CRM tools, you keep your customers informed and coming back to your music store.

To see what Music Shop 360 does for your business, schedule a demo today!