Know your Neighborhood

Storytellers and other performers are always looking for ways to get gigs.  A storytelling friend of mine, D.J. Miller said to me, "The more that know, know".  It may not seem profound, but it makes a point.  do people in your area think of you when they think of storytelling?

More importantly, do you know your neighborhood?  Do you know ALL the possible venues and opportunities in your community?  Here is an idea for you:  Get that Yellow Pages book that was dropped off on your doorstep and look through it for ideas!  What about schools, libraries, churches, day camps, civic organizations?  Are they all on your mailing list?  Do you know who the contact person is for each one?  Who would you contact at a day camp to send info about storytelling?

A huge part of being successful as a performer of any type is letting folks know what you do.  Why not do a little "Google Detective Work" and find a contact to send an introductory e-mail to?  Why not find 5 a day and send e-mails?  That is 25 a week.  Run out of venues in your county?  Go to the next closest county and start there!  Send 25 a week there too.  Go to the next county adjoining your county and send out introductions.

Guess What?  You just planned to send out 1,300 introductory e-mails this year!!!  If you only get 1% response that will be 13 NEW GIGS!  Multiply that times your average fee per gig.  Is that worth your while?

You know I am a HUGE fan of postcards.  Vistaprint.com has 1,500 postcards (full color glossy) for $124.99.  Mailing 1,300 would be $416.  (THAT LEAVES 200 TO USE IN OTHER WAYS)  

Your weekly investment total would be $10.40 to send out 25 introductory postcards to venues around your community.

Want to improve your close rate - the number of gigs you get from this marketing idea?  Do your e-mails as follow ups to the postcard.

Newsletter Call To Action

Many storytellers and other performers regularly send out newsletters by e-mail and snail mail (printed mail).  I receive several and read them occasionally.  I do not subscribe to newsletters because I plan on needing a storyteller anywhere in the near future for an upcoming gig.  I would recommend myself!  I tend to take a controversial stand on newsletters in general.  I don't like them and don't use them for marketing.  My personal opinion is that they do little to bring in business.

I have heard all the arguments made by those who send them out.  Yes, they help with your exposure.  Exposure to the same mailing list over and over.  Hopefully that is to past venues as well as fans.  However, there are other more productive ways to get gigs.

If you do choose to do a newsletter, what is your "call to action"?  Are you asking the reader to buy a recent CD, to hire you for a storytelling gig, buy your new book?  Good marketing pieces always have some sort of call to action.  ASK for SOMETHING!

Start saving the junk mail you get.  Not the coupons, just the ones that have an ASK.  Look at how they are organized.  Get ideas and run with them.  Here is a great idea - do a newsletter to mail to specific prospects and offer a discount to anyone responding within 30 days! 

You might be surprised and get a gig!!!

YOUR INVITATION!

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Your Invitation to the "HARD TIMES" MARKETING RETREAT

Don't be a Starving Artist!

I recently read a blog that talked about the dreaded "gatekeeper" - the person who has the job of keeping you - the storyteller or performer away from the "decision maker" - the person who can actually say "yes" and hire you.  It was a great article about selling and marketing.  

Problem is, most storytellers and performers turn their noses up at the idea of "selling".  "I am an AR-TIST"  (usually pronounced "ahr-teest" with a terrible French accent).

Ever hear of a starving artist?

So, get off your high horse and be a realist for a few hours a day and do some down to earth, hard core, Fuller Brush, Amway and Avon lady marketing.  I'm talking two or three hours daily at a minimum dedicated to the other side of your craft.  The dark side!  The "GET ME A GIG" side.

"Step right up folks, gather round now, I have the opportunity of a lifetime right here in this little glass bottle.  While you wait you may see Madam Maybelle jump from a 40 foot tower into a glass of water!"

No, I am not talking Snake Oil right now (though I can give you a very good deal on a case wholesale). I hear so many tellers and other performers who say they would love to have more gigs but are just fine with one gig a month.  A good friend of mine who is a talented musician told me just yesterday he only had 3 gigs over the next 3 months... "but that's OK".  

I asked, "But if someone calls, you would take the gig?" 


His reply, "Oh yeah, I'd love to have more gigs!".

So, what can I do daily to get past the gatekeeper and get more gigs you ask?  Good question.  Here are some ideas:

• Improve your social networking presence by posting MARKETING info instead of photos of your cat/dog or parakeet!  Tell where you will be next, ESPECIALLY post gigs the day you are to do them.  This shows activity.
• I am a fan of postcard marketing, as you know.  I mail 20-30 targeted postcards most weeks.  These are program specific and timed to open opportunities for future dates - for example, if you haven't started yet, you should be sending out postcards now for scary stories in October.  Storytelling Santa will be sending reminder postcards out in June for December gigs!
• Identify EVERY venue that might be a possible gig in your community.  Determine who the best contact is by checking out their website (if they have one), finding e-mail addresses, mailing addresses and phone numbers.  Start a CRM/Contact Manager database of some type.  Define the databases by type: libraries, day care centers, churches or schools, for example.
• As you travel to the grocery or to shop, take a kid to soccer or the library,  plan a stop at a possible venue. Pound the pavement!  Stop in and leave some info.  PUT IT IN AN ENVELOPE and to a specific person or job title at least.  the gatekeeper is less likely to throw it away.  If you know a name include a note.

Bottom line?  Create opportunities!  Don't wait for the gravy train to stop at your door.  Get the flour and a fryin' pan out and make some gravy of your own!