Advertising on Craigs List

During the big Q & A, Cheryl Ferguson (www.bayareastars.com) asked:

"Hello John,

Craigs List is very popular here for a myriad of things. Advertising in the "events" section under "services" is a place where a lot of entertainers have their free ad. Your ad expires in a week, so you have to put it up again.

What are your thoughts on the content of the different ads? Does it really make a difference?

Happy Stars to You,

Cheryl Ferguson"

Here's your answer:

I don't personally advertise on Craigslist, but I know a number of entertainers that do. They seem to get mixed response. I've never heard anybody saying that it's the end all be all. But certainly, if you can book a few gigs with a free listing, by all means do it (as long as it's worth your time).

The Nuts and Bolts - First, you need to recognize the nature of the Craigslist beast. It's a place where people go to get DISCOUNTS AND DEALS. This is super important (In fact, I just bought a stand up piano for only $200). If you're a high end entertainer, Craigslist is not the place to be. If you do have prices that will work with this market, then it may work for you.

So with that in mind, the first thing you need to look at is the actual title of your listing. Treat the listing like a headline. Use all the standard marketing techniques to drive them to your listing (for headline writing techniques, refer to my Rebel Entertainer Success System)

Lots of folks will just say something like "Face Painting". I suggest something more enticing like "THE VERY BEST DEAL BY THE MOST EXCLUSIVE FACE PAINTERS IN TOWN".

Remember the nature of the beast.

Also, all caps seems to stand out.

Next, use the text and photo in the ad to drive them to your website. Don't try to sell your services on the ad itself. Entice them with a "Click here for your SPECIAL CRAIGSLIST DISCOUNT PRICING. Only available for Craigslist customers." or something like that.

Then direct them to your website for the exclusive offer.

That's it. By driving them to your website, you take them away from clicking into any other Craigslist ads.

Also, you have much more room and flexibility on your site than on that small ad.

Try that and tell me how it goes.

-John Abrams

Rebel Entertainer and Fan of Bay Area Stars
www.rebelentertainers.com
www.facebook.com/rebelentertainer
www.twitter.com/johnabrams1

Oh the Pain!

What's the most painful and scary thing in business? Other than losing all your money or getting stabbed in the eye with a red hot poker?

The most painful process is this:
STARTING

Starting to put together a new show.
Starting a new marketing campaign.
Starting a new job.

Most people wait their entire lives talking about what they are "going to do" and are simply too frightened of the pain of starting.

It's kinda like a new exercise program.

The first week you're tired and soar and hungry. You may even feel weak. But once you get through that start, things get easier. You can exercise longer. You feel stronger. You're body and mind become stronger.

It's the same way with starting a new show, or new business, or new routine. Once you get through those opening stages, it becomes very easy.

The solution is, of course, to SIMPLY START. But if you really want to get into the psychology of getting started, here's a step by step process that all "SuperAchievers" use.

1.) Figure out what you want to achieve. Write it down.

2.) Figure out what needs to be done to achieve it. Write it down.

3.) Do it.

That's it. It really is as simple as that.

If you need a little kick in the butt to start building that new show you've been thinking about, you're welcome to take a look at my Rebel Entertainer's Show Building Course.

It'll walk you through the process, step by step, using your own talents to create your own sellable show from scratch. It's highly recommended by some of the top names in your field.
Click here to check it out: Rebel Entertainer's Show Building Course

Even if you don't invest in the course, take action. Start that new marketing campain. Put together that new show. Put up that new website. With this new economy we're living in, now's the perfect time.

- John

Rebel Entertainer and Pain Reliever

www.RebelEntertainers.com

www.Facebook.com/rebelentertainers

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Marketing with No Budget

I love variety artists. They have the coolest names.

This next question from the big Q & A came from Ken "Super K" Shute. He's a great balloon artist out of Southern California.

Ken writes:

John,

"What about marketing when there is no real budget for it, I mean, what are the things I can do that have little or no direct cost to me? "

Thanks, Ken
-----
Great question Ken.

Every entertainer in the world has asked this question at some time in their career. Sometimes it seems like if you have no money there's no place to start.

Not true!

Here are a few things you can do:

- Set up a blog that looks like a single page website. You can add video, photos and great copy. Absolutely no cost.

- Set up a Facebook Fan Page. These now get full indexing from the major search engines. Not as flexible as a blog, but is another way to get on the search engine list. No cost.

- Set up a Youtube account. Also full indexing. Use a video to drive people to your blog. No cost.

Make sure to use key words for your market, your art and your area and have each site link to the others.

But believe me brother, if it's only internet marketing your doing, it's not enough. Here's an excerpt from my Rebel Entertainer’s Success System that talks about that exact subject.

If I Only Had $100.00
to get My Entire Marketing Campaign
Off The Ground,
What Would I Do?

I’ve been asked this many times. Down and dirty, here’s what I’d do. I’d sit down and put together two kick-ass sales letters (doesn‘t cost a thing). I’d buy a domain name from Godaddy.com (about $10.00). I would have a friend put the long sales letter on a website as a 1 page website (a friend would do it for free). Then I would get a list from the internet of the people I want to sell to (also free). I would then sit on the phone and call them to introduce myself and find out if they were interested in my service. I would then ask if I could fax over a list of my services (faxing is free if you have a fax machine or can use a friend’s). The fax would be the shorter of the 2 kick-ass sales letters that would ask for the sale and, if they thought they needed more info, direct them to my website.

This whole process would cost about $10.00 - $15.00 and done right, would make a lot of sales. The only other thing it would cost is time.

Now, of course you can replace the website with a blog and do the entire thing for by yourself for free.

There ya’ go. Some quick tips for absolutely no cost.

By the way, if you want more info on my Rebel Entertainers Success System, just click on it.

If you like these tips, spread the word.

I welcome your comments and experiences.

-John Abrams
Rebel Entertainer and Guy that's been there
http://www.blogger.com/www.rebelentertainers.com
http://www.blogger.com/www.facebook.com/rebelentertainer
http://www.blogger.com/www.twitter.com/johnabrams1

Marketing During Your Show

The last word on name recognition comes from one of my most prolific Rebel Entertainers Carmen Tellez. You read her success story a few weeks ago. Well, there’s a reason she’s so successful.

Before you read what she says, notice that even in writing this letter to me, Carmen mentions her own website 5 separate times.

Also, notice all the contact web pages at the bottom.

Ok. Here's what Carmen had to say:

The routine with Jeff & Peanut is superbly funny to me regarding his name and dot com. Myself, I hired a singer/songwriter to assemble a CharmandHappy.com jingle. I have it posted on my website for viewers along with a page that includes the words and the option to download.

Funny bit of info.... My friend Jack M., who is a Magician/Balloon Artist even has my Jingleon his iPod that HE takes to events. ;0).

I have this song play at the beginning & end of most of my appearances on a portable music player next to my CharmandHappy.com Photo Banner I hang on my ShowBox.

One of the magic tricks I perform is to use a Magic Bag with the end revealing a CharmandHappy.com T shirt as a gift for the Bday child. If working a company event, then I make sure I choose a child that the t-shirt would fit and the shirt would be one that excludes Happy Birthday printed.

One of the contests at the party is for the participants to say "CharmandHappy.com" 3 times clearly without messing up.

And another contest is the Singing Contest where participants get a print out of the words as they try to sing their own way to the CharmandHappy.com Jingle.

I started an online YouTube contest, but with being pregnant at the time and dealing with other biz & family, I never followed thru with that, but I plan to soon

Well, that's all for now. I'm gonna post this as a note on my FaceBook too so it can nudge me to continue that contest. Your email has made my wheels spin yet again John.
Thank you so very much!

Carmen@CharmandHappy.com
- Artist Entertainer with a Twist of Charm -

http://www.CharmandHappy.com
877-725-6967 office
562-237-3327 cell
Face Painter - Balloon Artist
Whittier (Los Angeles) CA

FOLLOW OUR DAILY UPDATES:
http://www.FaceBook.com/CharmandHappy
http://www.Twitter.com/CharmandHappy
http://www.YouTube.com/CharmandHappy
http://www.MySpace.com/CharmandHappy

PERSONALIZED PHOTO BUTTONS
http://www.aPhotoButton.com

ONLINE PARTY SUPPLIES
http://www.CharmandHappy.MakesParties.com

As always, an awesome post from Carmen!!!

- John Abrams
Rebel Entertainer and Guy that learns from other Rebel Entertainers every day

www.rebelentertainers.com
www.facebook.com/rebelentertainer
www.twitter.com/johnabrams1

Why is Jeff Dunham so famous?

There’s a lot of reasons. First he’s amazingly good at what he does. He’s hilarious. And he’s put together a great act.

But how did he get so famous so fast?

He didn’t.

He’s been doing it for a loooooong time. I first saw Jeff at the Comedy Magic Club in Hermosa Beach some 15 years ago. He was somewhat famous then.

But he now has his own show with signature routines that everyone knows from his Cable special.

What people don’t think about, is that he is a master at MARKETING DURING HIS SHOW. This is where most entertainers fall short.

I recently watched a routine of his on you tube. You all know it. It’s where he’s arguing with Peanut about his name. And over and over he and peanut repeat his name. And then peanut always adds “dot com!”

I counted fourteen (14) times that they said Jeff Dunham. And seven (7) times that peanut said “dot com”. I think there were more.

Do you think that every single person that has seen his show, either live or on tv, remembers his name? The answer, of course, is yes. And how many people went to his website right after the show and joined his fan club?

How do you market during your show?

Well, you can’t steal his routine, but you can certainly figure out interesting ways to say your name throughout your show. You can also simply hang a sign with your name and “dot com” in front of any working “table” that you’re using.

How do you use name recognition?

I welcome your comments.

- John Abrams
Rebel Entertainer “dot com”

P. S. I forgot which Rebel Entertainer reminded me of this, so if it’s you, I want to give you full credit. Email me if it was you.

www.rebelentertainers.com
www.facebook.com/rebelentertainer
www.twitter.com/johnabrams1

Are your clients Rock Stars?

How do you get your clients to hire you back again year after year? There are many ways including reminders, follow up phone calls etc… but here’s a sure fire plan to get them to remember you.

Simply put - TREAT ‘EM LIKE A ROCK STAR!

Here are five quick ways to do it.

1.) Make booking, set up, follow up material etc. so easy, that they literally don’t have to lift a finger.

2.) Recognize the person that hired you or the VIP of the event during the show. Something like “Did you all have a good time!? Well, I’d like to thank Joe Smith for bringing me here today so we could have such a great time. Let’s give Joe a Hip Hip (Horray), Hip Hip (Hooray!)…” (NOTE: For line twisters and face painters, make sure to send some of your happy customers over to the VIP to thank him/her personally)

3.) Follow up the very next day with a phone call to make sure everything went as planned

4.) Have a small gift for the person that hired you BEFORE the show (hand it to them) and AFTER (by mail)

5.) Have a dynamic entertaining show (should go without saying. But there, I said it)

Do these things work?

Here’s an email I just received from the PTA President of a school I performed at a couple of weeks ago that prompted me to write this blog.

John,

“Thank you for two great assemblies. Everyone thinks that I’m a rock star and I didn’t even do any of the work. Thanks again for making my job easy.”
-Tricia

Think they’ll come back? I’m gonna do everything in my power to make sure of it.

Now, what else can you do to treat your clients like a rock star?

I welcome your comments.

-John
Rebel Entertainer and Guy That Treats His Clients Like Rock Stars
www.rebelentertainers.com
www.facebook.com/rebelentertainer
www.twitter.com/johnabrams1

The Art of Repitition

I was driving down the 91 freeway on my way home from a show, and saw something very different. It was a billboard for the Lapband. I guess it's some kind of weight loss surgery or something. I'm not sure and I really don't care.

BUT, here's the odd thing. There wasn't just one sign. There were three huge billboards. Of the exact same sign. The EXACT SAME. One right after the other.

It caught my eye not because it was a good billboard, but because there were three of 'em.

Then, this weekend, I was in Vegas and I noticed the same thing. Giant billboards advertising the exact same act. One billboard right next to another right next to another. Three in a row.

Then, driving back from Vegas (a torturous, traffic packed 8 hour durge that should have only taken about 4 hours), there were signs that advertised Alien Jerky.

I think I've written about that before.It starts out "Alien Jerky 50 miles". Then the next "Alien Jerky 30 miles" then "10 miles" then "Next exit". Well you gotta stop and get yourself some Alien Jerky!

It's the art of repetition. If you're not using it in your marketing, then you're not marketing right!

Here are a few ways to do it:

-Three or four letter campaigns
-Three ads exactly the same in a magazine
-Three separate thank you cards

People don't always respond to one single contact. The more you contact someone, the more they'll respond. In fact, it'll increase your response rate exponentially.
What other ways can you use The Art of Repitition? I'd like to hear YOUR ideas. I've started a discussion on my Rebel Entertainers Facebook Fan Page. Check it out and join in with your own.

-John
-John
-John
Rebel Entertainer
Rebel Entertainer
Rebel Entertainer
http://www.rebelentertainers.com/
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You Can BITCH and MOAN About The Economy When...

One of my pet peeves is the darn media incessantly Bitching and Moaning and droaning on and on about the state of the economy. Daily stats on unemployement. Minute by minute reports on why the stimulus packages isn‘t working. Weekly griping about CEOs still taking huge bonuses. ENOUGH!

Well, as the lead Rebel Entertainer and someone who is always thinking of every possible way to keep ahead of this “new economy”, I thought I’d give you license to Bitch and Moan. You read that right. I am officially giving you license to bitch and moan about the economy.

BUT... you have to meet some qualifications. Here they are:

You can bitch and moan about the economy if....

You’ve created and implemented a 5 - 10 step email campaign for anybody who visits your website or requests info about your services.

You can bitch and moan about the economy if....

You’ve contacted all CURRENT customers at least 3 times in the last three months by email, mail or phone.

You can bitch and moan about the economy if....

You’ve contacted all PAST and DEAD customers to find out why they left and see if they are in need of your services now.

You can bitch and moan about the economy if....

You’ve created a new show or brand new services that you can present to your current and new customers.

You can bitch and moan about the economy if....

You’ve started an entire new campaign either through direct mail or website or magazine ads or Facebook or Twitter and every other media you can think of to get NEW customers.

You can bitch and moan about the economy if....

You’ve contacted all agents and party planners around your area.

You can bitch and moan about the economy if....

You’ve attended every convention and expo within your target market.

You can bitch and moan about the economy if....

You’ve become a member of your local Chamber of Commerce and contacted every business in the Chamber about your services

You can bitch and moan about the economy if....

You’re blogging regularly to your target market.


OK. If you’ve taken every single one of these actions and you’re still struggling with making money in this economy, then you are officially licensed to Bitch and Moan.


- John
Rebel Entertainer and Official Licenser of The Bitchers and Moaners
www.rebelentertainers.com
www.facebook.com/rebelentertainers

Another Brilliant Marketing Strategy for Variety Artists

You must read this entire post to understand the BRILLIANCE of this strategy. Here we go...

The owner of the Yardhouse restaurant chain spoke at a high-end charity function on Sunday night.

He made a very special offer to the crowd at hand. He was offering 200 gift card opportunities for his restaurant. The cards were worth $25.00 each towards food at the Yardhouse. You had to commit to a year's worth (12 gift cards, total $300.00). You could buy them all in a batch or commit to one a month.

But here's the spin. All the money he received for the gift cards would be DONATED TO THE CHARITY (a wonderful children's fund).

He was only offering them that night until 9:30. So we had to act fast.

Well, to me this was a no-brainer. I'm giving $25.00 a month to a really cool charity and getting $25.00 worth of good food. Plus it'll get my butt out of the house once a month.

From a marketing standpoint I thought "What? Is this guy stupid? He's selling gift cards but he's giving away all his profits from the transaction".

Then I started thinking about it. Here's what he really did:

1.) Let's face it, if you go to the Yardhouse you'll be spending a helluva lot more than 25 bucks. I have a wife and kids. I imagine my bill will be closer to the hundred dollar mark. Twelve separate times. Even with the gift card, that's $75.00 profit X 12 months. That's a brand new customer that's going to spend $900.00 a year at one of his restaurants.

2.) Less than 50% of gift certificates are actually redeemed. So even if you did go to the restaurant and only spend the $25.00, his exposure is minimal.

3.) Chances are I'm not gonna go every month. But it's likely that I'll give the card to a friend if I'm not using it. There's another new customer.

4.) If he sells all 200 opportunities, that's $6,000 he's giving to a charity. That's gotta make he and the charity feel pretty good. I'm sure he's using that as a promotional tool "Yardhouse donates $6000.00 to children's charity." Heck, might even make the news.

5.) How much money has come out of his pocket? Zero! Ok, maybe the price to print the cards. A small price to pay.

6.) Lastly, guess who's going to be telling everybody that the Yardhouse donated $6000 to their charity? Answer: The Charity. They will definitely be the restaurant's own personal viral cheering section.

So, let's review. They donated $6000.00 to a good charity. They've brought in a ton of new customers. They've made a huge profit for every card redeemed. If they played their cards right, they got great press for it. Their exposure was minimal. And it cost them nothing.

WOW!

Now, how can you use this info? The obvious answer is to create a gift card or gift certificate. But there are a few rules.

First, the gift card must be in an amount that is less than your services cost. 25% is a good start. For example, if you normally charge $400.00 for an event, make the gift card for $100.00. That way when someone does redeem it, they will have to pay you 75% of your normal fee. Hint: Write on the gift card "Can not be combined with other gift cards or other offers"

Secondly, you can certainly put them on your website individually, but the best way to sell them is in bulk at a discounted rate. For example, sell them to real estate agents. Offer ten $100.00 gift certificates at a discounted rate of only $50.00 each. They can then give them to their clients.

Lastly, the press comes with the charity. You can do this with or without giving the money to the charity of your choice. But that's where the free publicity comes in.

Final note: I've donated many of these types of gift certificates in silent auctions and such, always with the stipulation that the client put me in the program as a sponsor AND that the gift certificate is used to increase the value of an already existing gift or gift basket.

Nobody has ever redeemed one. I'm convinced that either I suck really bad, or, more likely, when someone buys the gift basket, my certificate isn't the thing that they had they're heart set on.

That's a tons of free advertising!

But don't limit yourself to that scenario. Be creative with your gifts. Remember, they are gifts.

-John
Rebel Entertainer and Gift Giver
www.RebelEntertainers.com