How far in Advance do you Market?

How far in advance do you market?

Do you know how far in advance the venues you work with schedule programs?  Do you keep a record of when they contact you to schedule a program?  

These are valuable bits of information that can help you get more gigs and not miss out on great opportunities.

Here are some example of what I mean:

Senior Centers I have worked with seldom schedule 6 months ahead of time.  They tend to look at their calendar quarterly, so I expect their requests to be within 1-2 months of their contact.

Summer Reading Program for many libraries will be scheduled by October of this year for next year's June and July programs.  Many libraries plan their budget by October so they can submit it to a government body for approval. If you wait till next year to make contacts you may be way too late!!

Festivals often plan a year in advance!  Many times I have been asked on the last day of a festival if I will commit to performing next year.  I like those invitations!  Keeps the calendar looking good.

With that in mind, do you plan your marketing accordingly?

I am sending out festival information right now for next year.  Schools were sent an initial contact this week and last week because school is back in session.

When I do a 90 Day Mad Marketing Workshop I give everyone a calendar and we brainstorm what events/holidays might take place in a particular quarter.  We make a list of all the possible events or holidays first and then begin to list possible venues and audiences for programs specifically designed for those events or holidays.

Valentines Day is a good example.  Possible audiences would include women's groups, churches, youth groups, senior centers, libraries, coffee shops, couples retreats, Red Hat Societies and even men's groups.

I designate the first 2 weeks of February as possible dates for Valentines Day programs. I don't really market for this program prior to January 1st.  There are too many other things on folk's calendars that will be on their minds.  

However, a contact the first week or two of January can get several great gigs if you make the contacts.  These might be programs that you will schedule during a time that is often slow for storytellers.

What are your action steps?  First take a look at your 2014 calendar and think about the programs you offer and also concentrate on the seasons/events/holidays that would be a good fit.  Maybe determine to develop programs to coordinate with those times/events.

Think about when you should begin to contact venues to market the programs you select.  Plan your marketing calendar.

Now, spend a few minutes brainstorming about the audiences for those programs and that event.  Write them down, spend some time brainstorming...

Last of all, do your homework.  Develop your databases of venues.  Get addresses, contact information, if you can.  Who is the president/head honcho/scheduler for events at that venue?

If you don't know a name or can't find one, use a title; "Children's Librarian", "Activity Director" or maybe "Program Chairperson".  Build your database and plan your contact dates.  

Then make the contacts and follow up.

Dressing for Success?

Recently there was an online discussion on a list of storytellers about costumes, appropriate dress and "storyteller traditional garb".  It was interesting to say the least.  It also was informative.

It touched on the edges of marketing and developing a "brand", but it missed some important points (in my opinion).  Performers need to remember that the folks that hire them don't want negative feedback about an event.  They don't want paying customers to walk away and talk about how someone looked.  They want paying customers to be entertained.  They want a great event. 

AND YOU WANT TO BE REHIRED!!

Since this is my soapbox, I want to make mention of a few of these.

First of all to the most important point!  Storytellers and other performers do themselves NO favors by wearing wrinkled, dirty or inappropriate clothing.  Wearing jeans to perform is fine.  Just be sure to wear clean ones.  Treat them like a stage costume and set them aside from everyday wear.  Don't do your painting or garden work in them.  Tee shirts should be treated the same way if you wear them on stage.  Wrinkled or "thrice worn" and pulled out of the pile may be overlooked by college kids, but may turn off the folks who PAY you.  Remember them?  They actually have a dog in this fight (more about them later).

Ill fitting clothing is one of the horrors I see on stage for all types of performers.  I was at an event lately and a band had a musician who thought he still wore the same pant size as he did in college.  Unfortunately his waistband was significantly lower than his belly (which was pretty large and hung over his belt like an avalanche waiting to break loose).  His shirt buttons were stretched tight and his shirt tail too short to cover his hang over.  the gentleman wore no tee shirt under his shirt and eventually his hairy belly became a star attraction on stage.

Then there is the dear woman who sat on stage and kept leaning over as if to whisper secrets to her audience.  It was a great performance... but her blouse was a bit too low cut and her "have mercies" became the focus of many who wondered if they would overcome their imprisonment and escape.  Low cut is one thing, just remember this is not a night club.

Two of my most popular programs are of characters, Mark Twain and Buffalo Bill Cody.  I researched and put together costumes that fit the appearance pretty well.  Most tellers do not wear costumes, but have some type of clothing they prefer.  Most wear comfortable clothing or perhaps a piece or two that is part of their brand. (Bil Lepp in jeans, tee shirt and ball cap, or Donald Davis in bow tie and nattily dressed for example)

 As a storyteller I began my "career" telling Appalachian stories and wearing a fedora style hat.  I still do that as part of my brand.  I have lots of hats, lots and lots because I like hats.  These days when I am just me I wear a hat most of the time (not always), nice slacks, usually a white long sleeve shirt and some type of vest.

I like vests.  I wear them off stage too.  I have quite a few vests, actually and wear some type of vest most days in winter.  I don't wear sweaters much, not my preference.  So, why wear them onstage?  First of all, as I tell audiences, they are like "guy girdles".  They help a middle aged (or older) guy keep the love handles contained.  Hopefully they do make us look slimmer.  Lots of storytellers wear vests and hats.  It has almost become "traditional storyteller garb"

Several tellers noted that women storytellers often dress better than men dress for telling.  I would agree and suspect many men don't even give it a second thought.  I wonder if their careers would be better of they did?  I wonder if those who hire them care.

A couple tellers also mentioned that THE STORY is most important.  Yep, I agree.  However, distraction can take away from the story, can hurt the performance and might even be something that causes one not to be rehired in the future.

So, the take away?  Dress comfortably, do what you want, wear a kilt if appropriate to your stories for goodness sakes.  DO dress for success.  Do make sure your clothing fits well, is clean and not pulled from a pile of twice or thrice worn clothing in the corner of some dormitory room. 

As you market yourself try to remember that you are selling a product.  Companies spend millions of dollars getting just the right colors, fonts, package shape and even smell of a product.  Believe it or not shelf position has an impact on sales.

If all that is true... then do you really think what you wear for a performance DOES NOT MATTER?

Just sayin'.

Block That Calendar Now!

 I am hoping you purchased your 2013 calendar long ago and are already writing down appointments and gigs for this New Year!  I purchase an 18 month calendar every June so I can have the next year available at all times.  I know, yes, there are online, computer and even phone apps.

I use a daily/monthly calendar so I can see a whole month at a time and use the day page to make notes, write down specific info about gigs like addresses, phone numbers and contact people.  

I think it is easier,at least for me, to plan my travels and my month when I can see the whole and use it to plan.

As you look at that new calendar, let me encourage you to think with your marketing hat on and begin blocking out marketing opportunities.  I often use hi-lighters to do this.  It is a great way to not only find opportunities, but also it will help you plan when to do mailings, e-mails and phone calls.

For example,  Martin Luther King Day is on January 21.  This is a great opportunity to market stories about civil rights, equality and believing in dreams that can change the world.

February is Valentines Day and has great opportunities for stories about love, sacrifice (do you know the story of St. Valentine?), humorous stories about marriage and couples.

March could be Irish stories and Celtic stories. Passover begins March 25 and this year Easter is March 31 and an opportunity for religious stories of faith.

There are plenty of other holidays that can inspire your marketing.  don't forget the seasonal storytelling also with scary stories in October, fall stories of harvest and change.  Christmas stories!

Then last of all, gigs that happen only during certain times - Summer Reading Program around here is mostly June and July.  Many libraries have already scheduled their programs LAST FALL!

Your marketing should be 3-6 months out usually.  There are always exceptions, but if you plan well in advance and market in advance you should see that calendar filling up more in 2013.

More about that later!

Best of 2012

I was thrilled when I received the e-mail telling me Storytelling Santa had been chosen as "Best of 2012"!

They also gave permission to use the artwork on this page in my blogs, Facebook and promotional material!

That was the most important part of receiving the award - using it for marketing purposes!  For me it will be a great help for the 2013 season.

Honestly, my schedule for this Christmas season is pretty much set and I  doubt that I will add many more gigs between now and Christmas Eve.  I did immediately place it on my Storytelling Santa blog in a prominent position:
 www.storytellingsanta.com

Other than tooting my own horn, I want to make a point.  If you receive recognition, awards, newspaper articles you can link to...

Show them off!  Link to them, list them, do a press release, put the logo on your blog!!!  It helps your marketing! 



 

End of the Year "Thank You"

Twenty days are left in the year!  Hard to believe, right?

Now, I know you are already finishing up all your marketing plans for 2013, but there is one item that should be on your "to do" list for 2012.

Why not take a moment and send a simple note or  "Thank You" note to each venue or person that hired you this year?  I am not suggesting anything complicated or extreme.

Also, don't make it about marketing or selling something else.  Remember, these are the folks that paid you, that hired you, that believed in you enough to schedule a gig.  For that we should ALWAYS be grateful.

My personal choice would be for you to HAND WRITE each note. Hand written notes say so much about you and go so much further in expressing gratitude.  If you don't have time to hand write a note do what you can... but DO IT!

Last of all, HAND ADDRESS each envelope.  Make it personal for the holiday season.  

Take the time to do it right.  Who knows, it might get you a gig or two in the future!

Storytelling White Sale

What does your first quarter look like for next year?

Do you have the number of gigs you want?  Is the calendar full? 

Do your coffers jingle with coin of the realm?



NO?  Then what are you doing about it?


First quarter tends to be slow for me.  December was always slow for me... so I created Storytelling Santa and I don't have too many days off in December.  I try to take time off to rest and recover after a crazy December schedule.

I try also to find opportunities for that cold and dreary first quarter with PROGRAMS that fit seasonal needs.

How about marketing "Stories to Warm the Soul on Cold Winter Nights" and offering special pricing for January?

Try Stories about Marriage and Love for February and Valentines Day, stories about freedom and equality for the days surrounding Martin Luther King Day.  Celtic and Irish stories (my heritage after all) for March and St. Patrick's Day?

 Ever wonder why WHITE SALES are in January?  Because the stores want you to have a reason to shop in January!!!

So, why not create a "WHITE SALE" of your own and find opportunities during those slow months??

Do You Have a Business Card?

For the past several days I have been telling stories and doing Doc Hollen's Traveling Medicine Show at a festival.  The weather has been great and the crowds receptive.  More than once over the weekend as I left the stage someone stopped me and asked for a business card.

Of course I had cards each time.  I had on a vest and kept dozens in the vest pockets.  When someone commented on the performance I also stopped and spoke with them.  I offered them a card also and several dozen folks took cards.  (How many times have you seen a teller move away from the crowd and not spend time with fans?)

For many storytellers things end there.  They walk away feeling pretty dad-gum good about giving out a bunch of business cards.  However, the conversation didn't have to end there.

I often ask - with a bit of jest in my voice, "Now did you like the performance so much you want a souvenir or a card to pass along to someone else?"  The question varies but is always an opportunity to open a dialogue and get new gigs.  

Yesterday is a good example.  A Mom and her 8 year old son helped Doc Hollen and afterward she told me she enjoyed being a part of the show.  She asked for a card and after a similar question we had great discussion about program ideas for the school that she teaches at.  The same type of conversation happened often during the day.

On Friday and Saturday I gave away maybe 25 cards or so.  At Vistaprint.com 2,000 business cards are $49.99.  Over two days I spent 50 cents on faces to face marketing. 

The probing questions and time spent with interested folks who enjoyed the program makes that investment priceless!

The Intro Upsale

What is an "UPSALE" you ask?  Great question.  Have you ever gone into a restaurant, ordered a burger and Coke and had the waitress ask, "You want fries with that?"?  That is an upsale.  You might have been buying a new car and the salesman asks if you want pin striping or undercoating.  That too is an upsale. 

Today I want to mention a great way to use your INTRO to open opportunities for other gigs.  In selling this is called an "UPSALE".

The salesperson asks you to add additional items to your purchase or even suggests a more expensive item.

I know, you are thinking, "What does this have to do with storytelling?"  Lots!

Most of us have (or should have) an intro already written up that we provide to the person that will introduce us to the audience.  It usually tells just a bit about you, your experience and what you will be doing for that performance.

An easy addition to that introduction you provide can be a quick listing of a few programs suitable for the audience.

An example, "Mary's other programs include an anti-bullying program, Celtic Tales for St. Patrick's Day and "Mom to Mom" a fun filled look at raising a family in today's hectic world."

The quick mention of several of your best programs can them be coupled with your thanks as the end of your program.  "If you liked what you saw, don't forget the other programs mentioned earlier.  Stop by, say hello and ask about scheduling for your group or event!"

Those simple mentions can often lead to folks asking for information, cards and phone numbers.  I always ask if they would like for ME to call Them to discuss a program.  I have a card and a pen for them to give me a name and number.  They give me the card back and I tell them to keep the pen (with my name and info on it!)

Branded by Who?

In my last post I ended by the question that I will divide into two parts:  

WHO ARE YOU?        

                                    WHAT DO YOU DO?

I am not talking about an elevator speech here, though those questions are the ones always asked when you learn to put together an elevator speech.  Oh, an elevator speech is how you would answer those questions in a short period and in just a few concise sentences as your ride a couple floors up or down in an elevator.

I know, that happens so many times on elevators these days.  It is good to know how to answer those questions without making it obvious you are a storyteller who tells only epic stories and needs 15 minutes just for the intro to the story.

An important part of marketing is simply being able to define those questions.  They will help you gain focus on what you want to do as a storyteller or performer.  They help you define who you are in the storytelling world.  They are, in a sense your back story - that part of any story that the author knows but does not necessarily write into the story.  Your back story also sets boundaries for your storytelling. 

Take the "Who are you?" question;

In my case, I will answer that I am Appalachian, unashamedly Christian and a mountain boy at heart.  For those reasons I do not tell creation stories from other religions, sometimes include hunting and fishing in my stories because I grew up doing those things and they are a part of who I am.

I will not play the dumb hillbilly, as you might have heard me say at some point, "I am not Jethro or Lil Abner.  I come from a proud people.  They were not ignorant, stupid, lazy or dirty.  I will not dress as such and will not poke fun at my roots.  I will also be pretty offended if you do."

That begins to define who I am and helps me determine the types of stories that I will write or tell.  As I have mentioned before, I stopped calling myself an Appalachian Storyteller because it limited the types of stories others PERCEIVED that I told.

Asking "Who Am I?" can also help you to define your mission statement and begin to build your business and marketing plan.  How?  Simple actually because it can help you to identify groups and audiences that you have things in common with!

Define who you are and then start looking within a 30 mile radius around your home base for audiences!

Sort of makes sense, doesn't it?

Branded!

Branding is an interesting and important part of marketing for a storyteller.  Branding means many things and you need to understand what it is and is not in order to use it to your advantage.

The American Marketing Association defines a brand as:  a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."

Some examples you will be familiar with are the Nike "swoosh", McDonald's golden arches or believe it or not - Coke's vision of Santa that has actually influenced the way children and adults envision Santa Claus... which really is not at all like historical drawings and descriptions of Santa or St. Nicholas!

I hear many folks that have a little experience with marketing talk about the importance of using the same colors, fonts and pictures in marketing as if those things alone are the key to getting business.  While it is important to have a consistent image, using Times New Roman instead of Arial in the body of a brochure really is not such a big deal.

For a storyteller, branding can start when you walk into your closet or have a photograph taken.

Take costuming, for example.  I don't mean wearing some sort of outlandish costume, I mean what you wear when you perform... your costume.  

Think about Donald Davis, Baba Jamal Koram, Bil Lepp or Doc McConnell and you might think of Davis' dapper appearance and bow tie, Baba Jamal Koram's amazing African clothing, Lepp's ball cap. jeans and tee shirt or Doc's checkered vest and old hat.  Those are all part of their individual branding. 

Mark Twain is identified with a white three piece suit, even though he wore a white suit for the last years of his life.  Captain Kangaroo wore that coat with huge pockets (in which he always had carrots for Bunny Rabbit). Mr. Rogers always changed into tennis shoes and a sweater.  I can still see Ray Hicks in a pair of overalls on stage.

However, that is not all branding is about.  For you it may not be about clothing at all.  There are plenty of amazing storytellers that come to my mind and I have no idea of what they wear on stage.  It is just not important - OR PART OF THEIR BRANDING!  

It may be the types of stories you tell, like the ghost stories that Kathryn Windham told, or Ray Hicks telling Jack Tales, Brer Rabbit Stories by Lynn Ford.

You may be identified as an ethnic or cultural teller, telling Appalachian, Asian, African American, Native American, Jewish or Hawaiian stories.  You may tell stories about your religious heritage or even stories based on your geographic location.  All these can identify you, separate your from the crowd, create a niche for you.

It is all the start of your personal branding.  

Yep, there is more, but it all should start with two simple questions:

Who are you and What do you do?

Keeping Up Appearances

On Saturday, August 4th 2012 a select group of performers and storytellers spent the day with me for the Hard Times Marketing Workshop.  It was a great day and each participant had much to offer.

Sherry, one of the participants who is a librarian and a brand new storyteller made an interesting observation about appearance and dress.  Some time ago she hired a performer to visit her library based on a brochure they had sent.  When the performer showed up she had to ask twice if they were the performer she had hired.



Why?  Because they had multiple photos in the brochure of them in a particular costume that appeared to be part of the program.  When the performer arrived they were dressed in plain clothes, not the costume.  Not only was she disappointed, but all her promotional materials she had printed had the performer in costume.

Several folks including our librarian friend offered another observation about some performers, including storytellers when they mentioned that performers AND storytellers often come to gigs dressed  poorly or inappropriately.  When I asked privately for more details several things were mentioned often...

• Dirty jeans or pants... or shirts
• Inappropriate blouses for women
• Slogans on tee shirts that were not appropriate... even political tees at an event that is not political in nature.
• Shorts when not appropriate
• See through clothing
• Pants worn WAAAYYYY to low on men or women
• Sloppy clothes

Don't forget you are a professional!  As we talked three names were mentioned more than once.  Donald Davis was the choice for a great professional appearance.  Doc McConnell was mentioned because everyone remembers Doc in that plaid vest.  Ray Hicks always stepped onto stage in his overalls, but you knew they looked new and clean.  "They were his Sunday overalls" was the comment.


Think about how you look when you go onstage.  You may not think it matters... but those who hire you do!

A Marketing Balance

There is a lot of talk these days about social networking for business and for storytellers/performers.  Books have been written, blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are full of advice and salesfolks trying to sell you their latest take on how to market via the internet and social media.

I have been told by several storytellers that all their promotions and marketing is done online these days.  My response is usually the same, "That is great.  I hope it works well for you.".


My opinion I hold to myself is this:

If you do not create a balance online and offline you are missing out on opportunities.  There is a real difference in marketing and selling between active and passive marketing.


Your social media marketing depends on customers finding you and joining your circle of "friends", connecting to your social network or subscribing to your newsletter.


What if they aren't looking for you BUT would be interested if you asked them?  Are you missing many opportunities because you are not actively seeking them?


Social Media marketing is sort of like having a retail store.  Your customers have to come to you to buy.  That works fine if you are Wal-Mart.


The other model you need to look at is more like a B2B model - business to business.  Pharmaceutical Sales is a good example.  Drug companies put highly trained sales reps in the field to call on physicians and other health professionals to educate about specific drugs and ask for business.


To be a successful storyteller you need to FIND customers and market specific products/services.  DON'T EXPECT them to come looking for you.  


The first step is to know your 30, 60 and 90 minute markets.  Get a map and a compass and draw a 30 mile circle around your home.  That is your "30 Minute Market".  What possible venues are there in that circle?  do the same for your 60 and 90 minute market.

Search for venues, for likely customers and build a list of prospects.  Find out what NEEDS they may have and market to those needs!  Ask questions - what type of programs do they hire for?  If you see trends then build programs to fit those trends!


You may be passionate about the plight of myopic possums. You can have lovely stories about people who fit these short sighted critters with glasses... but will anyone pay to hear those stories?


Last of all, am I saying you don't need the online presence?  Not at all.  The point is that you need both.

Have you seen the car commercial where the young woman talks about her parents not having a life because they only have 19 Facebook friends and she has over 600?  She sits in front of a computer trying to figure out if a picture is a real puppy while her parents are out living a great life OFFLINE!


Balance your marketing - ONLINE AND OFFLINE.

My Template Change

First of all, I really liked my old template.  It was nice to look at, had a swing and a grasshopper on it.  It was NICE.  It just wasn't as readable as I would like.  Also, I don't know if search engines liked it.

So, after reading "Platform" by Michael Hyatt, I decided to make this change to something simpler and easier to read.  Michael's website is: http://michaelhyatt.com/


I highly recommend his book, his e-mails and his website.  I don't do that often or easily.

The new look will  be easier on the eyes of readers and encourage you to share the info, book gigs with me and buy my new CDs that will soon be out!

Your Best Sales Tool

If I could only have one sales tool in my tool kit it would have to be my business card.  Why?

• First, I can carry business cards in my pocket or wallet - AND I do!
• It is easy to pass along to others and small enough for them to put in their pocket or wallet.
• Business cards can define who you are and what you do in a small space.
• They are cheap.  I am a fan of Vistaprint.com and there are ALWAYS deals for business cards.

How often are you asked for your phone number?  I never just blurt out my number.  I get out a card and give it to the person asking for my number.  You wouldn't believe the times folks have said, "Wow, you're a storyteller!".  If I have something I need to write down for someone... you guessed it.  I write it on the back of my card.


As I am talking with someone and they ask what I do I simply reach for my card.  They read it immediately and usually comment.


Business cards are easy to place in a letter or card.  Anytime I send a "Thank You" I enclose a business card.


When I perform I always have a stack of cards I pass out to those who ask.  It is a lot cheaper than handing out brochures.  I DO keep a few brochures or postcards with me and pass them along to folks who have a serious inquiry at a gig.


IMPORTANT TIP: Always give someone who asks about scheduling more than one business card.  At the end of a gig give the person who invited you several cards and ask them to pass the cards along.





 Stephen Hollen is an award winning storyteller, humorist and Mark Twain Impersonator living in Beavercreek, Ohio.  He performs and tells stories in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, West Virginia, Michigan and throughout the USA.