Customer Spotlight: House of Guitars

[Amanda-S]

Customer name: House of Guitars

How long they’ve been a customer: 12 years

Fun fact: The House of Guitars’ CD & Record Shop features a “Wall of Rockstar Signatures” with hundreds (if not thousands!) of rockstar signatures, including Steven Tyler, Ozzy Ozbourne, and Nancy Sinatra.

Where you can find them: House of Guitars website, Facebook, Instagram

The House of Guitars in Rochester, NY isn’t your average music store. With vinyl records, posters, and autographs covering the walls, stepping into the music supply and record store is more like stepping into a rock ‘n’ roll museum.

The story of House of Guitars began back in 1964 when brothers Armand and Bruce Schaubroeck started the store in their mother’s basement. They didn't have much money, but what they did have was a passion for music and a gut instinct about just how much others loved music, too. 

“It was perfect timing. Everybody wanted a guitar, everybody wanted to be like the Beatles,” said Bruce of their humble beginnings. Fast forward to today, and House of Guitars is known as the largest music store in North America.

They sell all kinds of guitars, amps, and other musical instruments, both new and vintage. But they're not just a store. They also host live performances, offer music lessons, and even have their own record label, making it a world-class destination for musicians and music lovers.

With famous bands and musicians like Metallica, the Ramones and Steven Tyler just swinging by to hang out, it has a storied history and a lot of credibility in the music world– but that doesn’t mean they don’t have to market themselves to keep the business thriving and the music playing.

After their inception, House of Guitars relied on traditional marketing methods like word-of-mouth and direct mail. But as the internet grew in popularity (and so did potential avenues for competition), they knew they had to adapt. So they turned to social media, email marketing… and Constant Contact.

For nearly 13 years, House of Guitars has used Constant Contact to stay in touch with their fans and customers. Their regular subscriber newsletter keeps their audience informed about new music releases, product sales, upcoming performances, and events. And with open rates higher than the industry average, it’s easy to see that it’s working!

“People don’t like getting a bunch of stuff sent to their [physical] mailboxes. So with Constant Contact, we can email more regularly without annoying them,” said Michael Schaubroeck, Manager of House of Guitars. “It makes it very easy to reach out to our customers on a weekly basis.”

Constant Contact provides them with email templates, drag-and-drop functionality, and video embedding, making it easy for them to design unique and engaging content. 

“We're focusing on the Internet more than ever. whether it be texting or emailing or Facebook or Instagram, that's the way to reach people today. That’s our goal, to really focus on what we can do to get people excited,” shared Bruce.

Want to be a marketing rockstar like House of Guitars? Here are their greatest hits:

• Using Constant Contact mobile-friendly templates 
• Keeping things efficient and easy with image upload and drag-and-drop design
• Including video in their emails to drive engagement and interest
• Including a sign-up sheet at their checkout to grow their list
• Using Constant Contact analytics to keep track of open and engagement rates

By embracing digital marketing and continually seeking new ways to engage and rock with their customers, House of Guitars is reaching more people and providing a strong backbeat for their small business community.