I'm a Beyonce fan. Not a serious fan or anything. I just really like her music and my “Pump Up” playlist contains quite a few of her numbers. So when Tidal, a new music streaming service, announced that they had the exclusive rights to the new Feeling Myself music video, my interest was piqued.

As I went through the process of signing up to watch the music video starring Nicki Minaj, I was practically drooling over their marketing process. Nothing they did was particularly innovative or new, it's just something that many small businesses don't take the time to implement into their marketing strategies. So today, I'm sharing the marketing strategies that I learned from Tidal's release of the official Nicki Minaj & Beyonce Feeling Myself music video.

Exclusivity Rules

Locked content, VIP Access, Membership Only Areas — these are the things that our customers LOVE! In essence, you're allowing them to see something that only a “limited” number of people can view.

In Tidal's case, they obviously are only offering the ability to watch this music video on their website. Trust me, I looked elsewhere because I thought surely it would be available somewhere else. Nope!

Translate this into your own business by giving exclusive coupons to your mailing list or inviting a blogger to be a part of a new product release. Your fans and customers will feel like they're a part of something special, and therefore feel more inclined to participate.

An Easy Sign Up Process Means More Conversions

Naturally, I then looked up what I'd have to do to sign up for Tidal. I previously dismissed signing up because I already use the free version of Spotify. Why would I need to sign up for a service that, at the minimum, charges $10/month? But since Tidal offers the 1st month for free, I thought why not. They eased the way for me, so I signed up.

At this point, I'm a bit frustrated that I have to sign up just to see this video. Once again, Tidal eases the way with an easy Facebook integrated sign up process. For someone who doesn't like retyping the same info into boxes over and over again, this made me one happy gal.

The last step in the sign up process asks for payment. While the first month is free, the next ones are clearly not. Now, I know some companies offer the “one month free” option without asking for payment first. And typically, I prefer those companies. But Tidal was smooth. They offered a super easy “Pay with PayPal” option. So they got me again. I freaking LOVE PayPal.

Translate this marketing strategy for your own business by making any process easy for potential customers to join. Complicated sign up processes can alienate those who were only partially interested, forcing them to turn away. You then lose the chance to market to them again later.

Marketing strategies to learn from Tidal's release of the official Nicki Minaj & Beyonce Feeling Myself music video: Be Exclusive, Make It Easy, Offer Value, and Ask to Share.

People Will Pay For Value

Once inside the Tidal website, I fell in love with their layout. Very similar to my current love Spotify, searching for artists, albums, and songs was very easy. Sound quality was perfect. And, there were no ads, unlike the free version of Spotify.

Would I pay $10/month for Tidal? Maybe. I'm intrigued by what they are offering. Since I already use something that is similar and free, the transition to this paid service would be easy for me. I've been considering paying for the upgraded version of Spotify so that I can also listen on the go. I'll make my decision before they charge my PayPal account on June 18th.

This just goes to show that people will pay for value. Once you've offered them some sort of discounted or free content — and they love it — that customer is very likely to pay for the service at full value. You've gained their trust, built a relationship, and now paying for what you offer seems like the obvious next step.

Sharing Is Caring

The final marketing strategy from Tidal that resonated with me happened right before I entered the website after I signed up for the trial version:

Tidal Join Now Page

They very politely asked to share their content on Facebook. And sometimes, it's as simple as asking someone who is already in the system to share if they wish to support.

Asking for a social media share works really well with any business or brand, new or old. It doesn't hurt anything. If done in a very simple and polite way, you could be surprised how many people feel inclined to help, especially if you have just given them something of value for free.

What do you think of Tidal's marketing strategies? Would you use something similar in your business? Continue the conversation below in the comments!

Andréa Jones Signature