Hoping to get some great marketing suggestions to help keep the shows & parties rolling in.
Perhaps we could have a prize for the best suggestion of the month.
What could a good prize be :idea:

Graham Lee

I give out fridge magnets. The ones I use are flat, about 3" x 2" and 2 mm think.

The reason I give these out is because no-one ever throw away fridge magnets. How many of you have magnets on your fridge? How long have you had them? Your advert could be on display for many many years to come.

I got mine from http://www.vistaprint.com At the moment they have an offer where you can get 25 for free, all you pay is the postage which is about £.50 I think. You can also upload your own design. I did that first, loved them and then ordered 5000 to last a while longer. Better than a standard business card.

How about setting up different sections like:

Getting Prospects
Converting them to Customers
Up Sell
At the event
After the event

Just a few ideas to get started.

Fuzz

I agree fuzzy as this is a big subject but as we post it will sort it self out

So what are the best marketing tips. I think you can't beat meeting people in person,
so when I have no shows it's good to go out busking in my local high street.
I don't make a fortune but I get to meet the parents of the children that hopfully I'm making laugh.
So if there looking for an entertainer why not book me rather than looking on the internet or yellow pages for someone they've never seen.
Yellow pages seems to have gone past it's sell by date to me. The latest one for my area has shrunk by about a third, goodness know's how many less adverts that is. I did hear they were thinking about putting the book onto a disc so that all the adverts came up on your computer.

Graham Lee

Then you might as well use Yell.com?

I did try yell.com a few years back & have spoken to others that have advertised with them,
as yet not found anyone that has any positive feedback.

Graham Lee

Hi

I have a friend that is only using yelldotcom for his advertising and it works for him. He has dropped all other advertising for it.

There are loads of people using it who do not even have a link to their web site WHY?

This is web based advertising where people are going to go to your web site so make it easy for them.

Put yourself in the shoes of your prospect and check it out for your self...You will be surprised.

Fuzz

I think you should always be in yellow pages, even just a small ad. I only get a few 'new' bookings every year from YP, but people still often go to the book to find your number. They might have seen you at a recent party, but if they can't find your number in the book, chances are they'll go to someone else who is in there.

As for Yell.com it didn't work for me. I tried it about 4 years ago and got nothing from it, so canceled it. I tried it again from January last year to January this year and got hardly anything from it. It might work for some areas but not others?


I'm quite lucky that I do a lot of work for two big companies near Plymouth, one is a posh garden centre and the other is a farm providing family entertainment in their barn style theatre. I get to hand out promo cards at both and also get a lot of work from people who see me there.

I dont have any adds any where but i am out on the streets busking handing cards out and i did a deal with a football club i worked cheaper  and they put me on there web site and in there mag for free,but get in the paper thats the best thing make big stuff if you know the paper is going to be there .
But this would be my best tip be nice to every one you meet you never know who they are or who they know

I haven't really started advertising balloons yet as I am not good enough but for face painting I have free ads in Yell, Yell.com, Thompson Local, I hand out cards to the host parent at parties, I have the rear window of my car sign written and I have personalised sunshades with an example (very old) of my work for both of the rear side windows of my car.

Other than that I can't think of anything else other than word of mouth.

Oh yes I have just had 100 postcards done by Vistaprint showcasing some of my work and as soon as I get 5 mins spare I shall be posting them out to all the local companies I can think of that may need a face painter, twister, sfx etc.

Looking forward to copy it.. ..would love to see it....

Here are a few that works for me...
Thomson & Yellow Pages
Car sing written
Mail out by post, Fax & Email
Follow up to clients after booking
Newsletters
Auto responders on web site.
Google Adwords
Yel dot com
Brochures
Books
Leaflets
Business cards
Puzzle cards
Labels on balloons
Name retention

Each of the above are a small part of my system that keep me busy.

Fuzz

Hi Guys

An interesting topic............... as well as now being a balloon enetertainer i am also a major account manager for yellow pages and yell.com and would happily share honest unbiased info if u need any help or advice.(pm me)
I advertise in the book and yell.com and so does my wife, she is a childrens entertainer, she is is in the childrens entertainer heading and i advertise in entertainers.
The book does still work and so does yell.com but there are plenty of other routes to market dependant on who you are trying to attract to your business.

Feel free to pm me

Norm

I've used yellow pages and yell.com successfully for my disco business but I've pulled out of those now as I'm trying to run down the disco side and get on with magic and twisting, as I get more proficient I may use them again but the Children's Entertainer section is much bigger with more competition for your business.

Apart from those two I haven't advertised my disco for over two years and I'm still really busy with repeat and 'word of mouth' work, the balloons sort of sprang out of doing kids parties or balloons for kids at family functions. The 'twisting only' gigs I've got so far were from people asking for my card at these functions.

I also present a radio show on hospital radio and I'll be doing some balloon work as a fund raiser when we do PA work at local carnivals and fetes - if that goes well I'll get the marketing machine going full belt then so keep the tips coming - I'll need them