Santana’s version of “She’s Not There” did it for me. That’s the first song I remember hitting me in the gut. Carlos’s emotional outpouring and devastating tone left an indelible impression on  my young brain. I’ve been playing guitar ever since. Along the way, I’ve picked up recording and music production skills, and about a year ago I started learning my way around a drum kit.

I’ve spent a ton of time in music stores, and I’m on way too many music-related mail and email lists. Some of these marketers are doing a fabulous job. Let’s take a look at a couple, and see why one gets my business for important purchases.

Guitar Center is the mothership of all things instrument related. Walking into a store is also a bit like being in heaven and hell at the same time. Heaven because the toys are innumerable and the excitement palpable. Hell because the cacophony is downright painful and the customer service barely mediocre on a good day. I love and loathe walking into Guitar Center.

Sweetwater is another big music technology and instrument reseller. They don’t have a chain of stores, but they do have a beautiful campus in Indiana that I’ve been dying to visit. They also have exemplary customer service.

The marketing strategies for these two companies are very different. GC combines some of the old-school mass couponing and  “Weekend Sale” approach with a bit of variable data marketing. With one-to-one, you live and die by your data. Consequently, I’ve now shifted in their database from being a guitar and recording purchaser to a percussionist. I’m not going to buy a new drum set any time soon, and I’m annoyed that I don’t get the guitar and bass information as much as I used to. A true one-to-one approach would look at all of my buying patterns and craft a campaign that covers all of my interests.

Sweetwater has taken much more of a content marketing approach. They put out a newsletter that has articles I actually want to read. It’s educational and interesting. Sure, they’re selling their products, but not in an annoying and obtrusive way. They’ve positioned themselves as experts.

I received a phone call from my sales rep at Sweetwater last week. He checks in every now and again, usually with a new product or special deal I might be interested in. I’m not a big customer to them. Heck, I’m not even sure the last thing I bought from them. Still, they answer my questions when I call. They provide quality support and contact me from time to time to see if I need anything. That’s a true one-to-one approach. You can be sure when I make my next music-related purchase, it will be from Sweetwater. Even in today’s oversaturated media environment, maybe especially so, a personal phone call can make a big difference.