( 
)Welcome to the first article of the “Business of Show Biz”. In this column, it is my goal to share as well as to learn from others the best way we, as entertainers, can promote and present ourselves to prospective clients in order to increase our bookings and fees. Often, the difference between a $1,000 act and a $10,000 act has less to do with entertainment value and more to do with perceived value. This perceived value is often a result of our marketing efforts, or lack thereof. Many different schools of thought on the definition of marketing exist, but for the purpose of this column I would put it as “marketing is the ability to uniquely present your primary service to your target audience thru the use of advertising, publicity and promotion.”
Your service is what you do; whether it is an Elvis impersonator or a stilt walker. I say primary service so as not to dilute your marketing efforts. For example, presenting yourself as a premier stage act, while at the same time, as a walk around or strolling type of entertainer may turn off prospective clients (your target audience). This is not to say it cannot be done successfully, but it must be done carefully to avoid confusing your target audience. Such services as a magician performing close-up magic during the cocktail hour of an event and then performing an after dinner stage show can be complimentary services. This can add value to your client and increase your fee. I have had requests from clients to dress up as my Chaplin character to warm up the crowd before my participation in a stage show. It ended up working quite well since people didn’t make the connection between Chaplin and my stage character. Clients can make some strange requests, so make sure to adjust your fee accordingly when accommodating them.
Most acts will perform for any occasion within reason (and a price), but we all prefer and work best for a certain type of crowd and venue. This is your target audience. You can get by with a general message in your marketing efforts for multiple target audiences, but it may prove difficult to attract both moms planning for children parties and the high end corporate clients. It’s possible to have a wide target audience, but separate your marketing efforts into different campaigns. I’ve had the opportunity to work in just about every type of venue as an entertainer, and in future issues we will discuss the more popular and profitable ones and ways to market to them specifically.
You have defined your primary service and your target audience, but what is the difference between advertising, publicity and promotion? They all serve the same purpose in getting your message to your target audience.
Advertising is anything you pay to get your message across to your target audience. Unlike national products, you shouldn’t concentrate on brand advertising which just gets your name out there. Focus on direct advertising you can track in term of your return on dollar for that specific investment. If you send out a 1000 post cards and get little or no bookings from it you should change your address list (target audience) or your postcard (marketing message). A good way to keep track of your advertising is through redeemable offers, such as discounts, add-ons, or free gifts.
Publicity is getting your message out without cost to you. In order to get this “press,” you usually have to have a newsworthy angle and send out press releases or contact a specific media outlet yourself or through a hired a publicist. You generally don’t need your own publicist unless you have more media requests than you can handle, or are too busy or uncomfortable to contact the media yourself. Unlike advertising, you cannot always control your target audience or your message. You could get a great review of your show from prominent publication that hits your target audience, do a radio interview that gets your message across but no one tunes into to, or be attacked by someone personally in an online blog. P.T. Barnum said there is no such thing as bad publicity, but in the era of computers, negative publicity can be permanent, magnified and multiplied. On the other hand, most professional non-celebrity entertainers are generally received positively by the media and good publicity is worth its weight in gold and can easily be shown off on your website and in your promo material. Be sure to get permission when duplicating media for your site or promo due to copyright laws. Typically, it is not a problem especially if just using excerpts, but I once got a notice to not use a photo of me taken by press staff.
Promotion is everything else that doesn’t fall into advertising or publicity. It costs little time and money. It could include handing out business cards at networking events, cold calling prospective clients, sending out promo material to event planners and agents, sending an email newsletter, or donating your show for a charity event. The best form of promotion is your actual show. What better way to get your message across than showing the service you are selling? Whether it is a paid gig or a charity event, you will often get leads, referrals and rebookings from happy customers.
Keep in mind in this and future articles that what may work for one may not work for another. I believe that if you uniquely present your services in a distinctive manner to a target audience, you will be successful in getting more shows. With increasing demands, you may raise your fees. No one is going to market oneself as well as you have the potential to. You can always negotiate down but never up. Higher fees can have an impact on your perceived value.
Will Roya has been performing professionally since 1993. He specializes in magic, juggling & comedy while performing as the “Master of Variety” for corporate functions and VIP events. He welcomes your comments and can reached by clicking this link: More About Will Roya
Thank you for voting. If your vote meets our 
