> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.fanaura.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Fan Heatmaps

> Visualize where your fans are located on an interactive map. Use fan density data to plan tours, target campaigns by geography, and identify underserved markets.

The Heatmap is one of Fanaura's most visually striking and strategically useful features. It takes your fan location data and paints it onto an interactive map, showing you exactly where your audience lives — not in abstract numbers, but in glowing color on a real map.

If you have ever wondered "Where should I tour next?" or "Am I marketing to the right cities?" — the Heatmap gives you the answer.

***

## Accessing the Heatmap

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Fans section">
    Click **Fans** in the left sidebar.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Switch to Heatmaps">
    Click the **Heatmaps** tab at the top of the Fans page. The map loads centered on your highest-density fan area, with your entire fan base visualized as a color-coded heat layer.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## How It Works

### Location Data Collection

<Info>Fanaura collects fan location data from multiple sources and geocodes them (converts "Nashville, TN" into latitude and longitude coordinates) so they can be placed accurately on the map. Fans without location data will not appear on the Heatmap — make sure your smart link forms include location fields to improve coverage.</Info>

Fanaura collects fan location data from these sources:

* **Signup forms:** When fans enter their city and state on a smart link or RSVP page.
* **IP geolocation:** When fans click a smart link, their approximate location is inferred from their IP address.
* **Shopify addresses:** When fans make a purchase, their shipping address is captured.
* **Manual entry:** When you add a fan by hand with location data.
* **CSV import:** Location columns from your import file.

### Density Visualization

The Heatmap uses a color-coded gradient to show fan density:

| Color                     | Density                                                     |
| ------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Dark purple**           | Low fan density — a few fans scattered in the area          |
| **Blue**                  | Moderate density — a noticeable cluster                     |
| **Bright pink / magenta** | High density — a major fan hotspot                          |
| **White / bright core**   | Extremely high density — your biggest concentration of fans |

<Note>The visualization uses **exponential scaling**, which means the colors reflect relative density accurately even when you have one city with 5,000 fans and another with 50. The most dense areas glow brightly while less dense areas stay subtle.</Note>

### Feathered Glow Layers

At higher zoom levels, the heatmap switches to a feathered glow effect so you can see individual clusters within a city. Zoom into Nashville, for example, and you might see distinct hotspots in East Nashville, Music Row, and Germantown.

***

## Interacting with the Map

### Zooming

* **Scroll wheel:** Zoom in and out
* **Pinch gesture:** On trackpad or touch devices
* **Plus/minus buttons:** In the bottom-right corner of the map
* **Double-click:** Zoom into a specific area

### Panning

Click and drag the map to move around. On mobile, swipe to pan.

### Clicking a City Cluster

When you click on a visible cluster (a colored area on the heatmap), a popup appears showing:

* **City name** and state/country
* **Total fan count** in that area
* **VIP breakdown** — how many Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond fans are in that city
* **Top sources** — where those fans came from (pre-save, SMS, Shopify, etc.)
* **Save as List** button — create a fan list from everyone in that city with one click

***

## Filters

The filter bar above the map lets you change which fans are shown on the heatmap. Filtered results update the map in real-time.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Fan Type">
    | Filter                | What It Shows                          |
    | --------------------- | -------------------------------------- |
    | **All Fans**          | Every fan with location data (default) |
    | **Pre-Savers**        | Only fans who pre-saved a release      |
    | **RSVP'd Fans**       | Only fans who RSVP'd to an event       |
    | **Merch Purchasers**  | Only fans who bought merch via Shopify |
    | **SMS Subscribers**   | Only fans who opted in to SMS          |
    | **Email Subscribers** | Only fans who opted in to email        |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="VIP Status">
    Show only fans at a specific tier:

    * Bronze
    * Silver
    * Gold
    * Platinum
    * Diamond

    <Tip>Filtering by Diamond tier on the heatmap is a powerful way to see where your absolute most dedicated fans live. Use this to plan VIP events or surprise pop-up shows.</Tip>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Date Range">
    Narrow the map to fans added within a specific time period:

    * Last 7 days
    * Last 30 days
    * Last 90 days
    * Last year
    * Custom range

    <Tip>This is especially useful for seeing where a recent campaign (like a new single pre-save) is generating fans.</Tip>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Tour Overlay

The Tour Overlay is where the Heatmap goes from "cool data viz" to "essential business tool."

### Enabling the Tour Overlay

<Steps>
  <Step title="Toggle on tour dates">
    Toggle on **Show Tour Dates** at the top of the heatmap.
  </Step>

  <Step title="View your tour pins">
    Your upcoming tour dates (from the Events section or MasterTour integration) appear as pin markers on the map. Each pin shows the venue name, city, and date.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Compare fan density to routing">
    Look for bright fan hotspots with no tour pins nearby — those are missed opportunities. Look for tour pins in areas with low fan density — those may need extra marketing.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### What You Can Learn

With tour dates overlaid on your fan heatmap, you can instantly answer critical questions:

* **Am I touring where my fans are?** If you have a massive fan cluster in Atlanta but no shows within 300 miles, that is a missed opportunity.
* **Are there markets I am ignoring?** Look for bright hotspots with no tour pins nearby. Those are cities hungry for a show.
* **Am I playing to empty rooms?** If you have a tour date in a city with almost no fan presence on the heatmap, your ticket sales might struggle — or you need to ramp up marketing in that market before the show.

### Sharing with Your Team

The tour overlay view can be screenshotted or shared with your booking agent, manager, or label. It makes a compelling visual argument when discussing routing decisions.

<Tip>Before your next routing conversation with your booking agent, pull up the Heatmap with Tour Overlay enabled. Nothing makes the case for adding or dropping a market better than seeing the actual fan data on a map.</Tip>

***

## Top Cities Modal

Click the **Top Cities** button in the upper-right area of the heatmap to open a ranked breakdown of your fan geography.

### What It Shows

A sorted list of your top cities by fan count, including:

| Column            | Description                                                  |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Rank**          | Position in the list (1 = most fans)                         |
| **City**          | City name and state/country                                  |
| **Fan Count**     | Total number of fans in that city                            |
| **VIP Breakdown** | Visual bar showing the distribution of fans across VIP tiers |
| **Top Source**    | The primary channel driving fans in that city                |
| **Growth**        | Percentage change in fan count over the last 30 days         |

### Using the Top Cities List

* **Spot trends:** If a city is growing fast (high growth percentage), something is working there — maybe a playlist placement, a local influencer, or a recent show.
* **Prioritize markets:** Your top 10 cities are your core markets. Make sure they are always included in tour routing and targeted marketing.
* **Identify emerging markets:** Cities ranked 11-30 with high growth rates are your emerging markets. These might be worth adding to the next tour cycle.

***

## Save as List

One of the most actionable features of the Heatmap is the ability to turn a geographic cluster into a fan list.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="From a City Popup">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Click a city cluster">
        Click on a city cluster on the heatmap.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Save as a list">
        In the popup, click **Save as List**.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Name and create">
        Name the list (e.g., "Nashville Fans" or "ATL Pre-Savers") and click **Create**.
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    All fans in that geographic area who match your current filters are added to the new list.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="From Top Cities">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Open Top Cities">
        Click the **Top Cities** button.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Save a city as a list">
        Click the **Save as List** icon next to any city.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Name and confirm">
        Name the list and confirm.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### What You Can Do with Geographic Lists

Once you have a geographic list, you can:

* **Send a targeted blast** — "Hey Nashville! We're playing Exit/In on March 15. Grab your tickets before they sell out."
* **Trigger a flow** — Enroll fans in a city-specific nurture sequence leading up to a show.
* **Track growth** — Monitor how your fan count in that city changes over time.
* **Compare markets** — Put geographic lists side by side to see which cities have the most engaged fans (by average engagement score or VIP tier distribution).

***

## Use Cases

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="For Booking Agents">
    "My artist has 3,200 fans in Denver and 4,100 in Phoenix, but we've never played either market. Can we add a Southwest run to the spring tour?"

    The Heatmap gives you data-backed evidence for routing decisions instead of gut feelings.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="For Managers">
    "We've been spending ad money in Miami, but our organic fan growth is strongest in the Midwest. Should we shift our budget?"

    Use the Heatmap alongside the Top Cities growth data to see where your money is working and where organic momentum is building.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="For Marketing Teams">
    "The new single just dropped. Where are the pre-savers concentrated? Let's run geo-targeted Instagram ads in those markets."

    Filter the Heatmap to Pre-Savers and see exactly which cities responded to the new music. Then create lists from those cities for follow-up campaigns.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="For Artists">
    "I want to do a surprise pop-up show. Where should I do it?"

    Pull up the Heatmap filtered by Diamond and Platinum fans. Find the city with the highest concentration of your most dedicated fans. That is your pop-up city.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Tips & Best Practices

<Tip>Check the Heatmap after every release. A new single or album drop often shifts your fan geography. New playlist placements can drive fans in specific regions.</Tip>

* **Compare filtered views.** Switch between "All Fans" and "Pre-Savers Only" to see if your pre-save audience matches your overall audience. Differences might reveal where your streaming promo is strongest.
* **Use date range filters for campaign analysis.** After a marketing push, filter to "Last 7 days" to see where the new fans came from geographically.
* **Save lists early and often.** Whenever you spot an interesting cluster on the map, save it as a list. You can always merge or refine lists later, but you cannot go back and recreate a moment-in-time snapshot.
* **Review before every tour cycle.** Make the Heatmap part of your pre-tour planning process. Share it with your booking agent and manager so everyone is making decisions from the same data.

***

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Some of my fans don't appear on the map">
    Fans only appear on the Heatmap if they have location data (city and state at minimum). Fans with no location information will not be plotted. To improve coverage, make sure your smart link forms include location fields.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The map looks empty even though I have fans">
    Check your filters. If you have a restrictive filter active (like "Diamond fans only" when you have no Diamond fans yet), the map will appear empty. Reset filters to "All Fans" and verify.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A city shows more fans than I expected">
    Fanaura geocodes to the city level, so all fans in the Nashville metro area (including suburbs like Franklin, Brentwood, and Murfreesboro) may cluster under the "Nashville" pin depending on how specific their location data is.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## What's Next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Fan Lists" icon="list" href="/fans/lists">
    Turn geographic insights into targeted segments.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Fan Directory" icon="address-book" href="/fans/directory">
    View and filter your full fan table.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>