In her article “Get Paid in 2010: Want To Increase Your Bottom Line? Focus On Your Fans!,” Ariel Hyatt is asking you to “take off your artist hat for a minute and put on your business hat,” and use a greater connection with fans as a way to increase your ability to make money.

To be more successful and make more money in the new year, Hyatt suggests you start thinking of yourself and your craft as a brand, and your fans as customers.

The key, according to Hyatt, to getting fans to buy from you, is creating a relationship with fans. “Every study on sales has proven one thing: People hate to be sold to, however people love to buy, and people always love to buy from people whom they like and who they feel they trust.”

So how do you become a person that your fans like and want to buy from?

The number one tool for connecting with fans highlighted in this article is your email list. You’ve probably heard it before but, building and maintaining an email list is an invaluable tool for musicians. However, Hyatt says, in order to be a truly great sales person, you cannot just use your email list when you have something to sell.

The article goes offers some really great practical strategies for how you can maximize the effectiveness of your email list to make connections with fans, figure out what fans want, and then get them to buy it. My favorite idea is sharing other talents and interests with fans. Not only could it be a great way to bond with fans, but it could lead to new ideas for products or services that might interest fans.

I also like the suggestion that your newsletters be consistent and trackable – that way you can figure out what is working for you and what isn’t, and constantly strive to improve your newsletter. Without this knowledge you are simply not going getting the most out of your efforts in sending emails.

What I like most about this article is that it encourages developing a clear plan to make yourself a better sales person, and lays out a strategy to do that. Figuring out ways to grow your email list, coming up with creative ways to connect with fans, keeping them engaged on a regular basis, and talking with fans to discover which products or services interest them are all important tools for artists trying to turn fans into customers.

Hyatt briefly touches upon the idea of connecting with fans in person however, I do wish there were more strategies for connecting with fans outside the scope of email and social networking discussed too. In a world where everything is done via email and social networking, making a face to face connection with fans can be a opportunity to really make you stand out and make fans feel more engaged.

I know from personal experience that the musicians I go out of my way for and spend the most money supporting are the ones who take the time to share a kind word with me after playing a great show. Taking the time to meet fans at shows- thanking them for coming, signing CDs, and taking pictures, etc is a really simple, free, and time efficient way to connect with fans. You have the opportunity to make a personal connection with fans, which can lead to increased sales on spot, as well as help build a lasting relationship that can lead to more sales in the future.

So, when creating your strategy for connecting with fans, don’t just limit yourself to the web, include opportunities to engage fans in person.

It’s is a great way to capture fans interest, make them feel connected, and guarantee they will pay more attention next time they receive your email.