Birthday Party Marketing
Bob Miller describes easy marketing methods for birthday party shows
What are your marketing goals with Birthday Party Shows?
I never aspired to make birthdays as my main source of income, so I didn't do every marketing technique under the sun to get birthday shows. But I did many common-sense marketing techniques to promote my shows to current and future customers. Thats' what I'm sharing in this post.
1) Ask the parents to use your name when inviting guests.
Example: "When you send out your invitations, could you please use my name Bob Miller MAGICIAN! (BobMillerMagic.com)? It will help to increase the anticipation for the event. "
Why it matters: You don't just want to be an inter-changeable commodity. "We're having A MAGICIAN at the party." You are unique and special. No performer does it like you.
Go even further: Ask the parent if they'll be mailing or emailing invitations. If so, offer to print them or to send the parents an email template. At one time, I had a template where I could just insert the party data, and then send it to the parents. It included a nice birthday party graphic and my logo/photo and contact info. Then the parent could print it and mail it or email it.
You want all the parents to know your name before, during, and after the party.
2) Bring promotional give-aways for each child.
Examples:
• Jumbo Dollar Bills with your photo and contact info on one side and several easy-to-do magic tricks printed on the back.
• Coins. I had quarter-sized plastic coins printed with my logo and contact info. I hand them out to children at birthday shows and to children at the restaurants I perform at as I say, "Give this to your parents as a reminder when your birthday comes up."
Why it matters: You can't depend on the parent who hired you to remember your name later when a parent asks, "Who was that magician?" If you give the child a promotional item, it may stay in the house for months and the parents may see it several times.
If you don't have any promotional give-aways, then hand your business card to each child. They will all like it and some of them will make it to their home.
3) Make balloon animals for all the kids.
This was me when I first started performing Magic Full Time: "I'm not a clown, I'm a professional magician. I wouldn't stoop to doing balloon animals!"
Here's what I've learned since that proud declaration decades ago: Kids love balloon animals! This will increase your marketability.
After I convinced myself of the need to include balloon animals in my show, I offered two price points of birthday party shows: One show without balloon animals, and One show with balloon animals. Do you know what happened? No one bought the lower priced show without the balloon animals!
And the same thing happened again when I started offering a magic show with a live rabbit!
That taught me to please my audience and give them what they're willing to pay for. They might as well give their money to me rather some other clown!
4) About inquiries:
Never respond to a request for prices by email or text.
If the only thing the prospect asks is the price, then you have no chance of selling the show and raising the value in their mind.
I always respond to requests like that with, "There are a number of factors to discuss before I can say the price. Let's talk, please call me at this number ----- or send me your phone number and I'll call you."
Why it matters: You need to get more information. The prospect may say "Birthday party for a child" but they might be planning a giant party with eighty adults to come celebrate their child's one year birthday. So, always talk on the phone because this gives you a chance to get all the information you need, AND
Its a chance to SELL the value of your show. Why should the prospect hire you when you charge $100 more than some other magical clown?
5) Talking on the phone: If you can get the prospect on the phone then you're almost guaranteed a booking. This is your chance to show who you are and to answer the burning question, "Why should I spend hundred of dollars on your show instead of something else?"
Why it matters:
You can raise the value of the show in the mind of the prospect:
• "This is all about your child. S/he is the star of the show! The magic only happens when all the other kids yell, "Happy Birthday [child's name]."
• "Take all the photos and videos you want because this will be a great memory to review!"
• "The birthday child will be the star of the show and become the magician at the end of the show doing a trick for all the guests!"
6) Followup:
Always mail a ThankYou note after the event.
"What? You mean like a real piece of paper with a stamp?"
Yes! This will make a good impression. It will put your name in front of the parent again. And it will give you a chance to include your business card.
Include a hand-written note that says something like, "Thanks for inviting me to perform for your young guests. I've included my business card in case any of the other parents ask. Best wishes."
7) Plan for the future:
Put a repeating event in your calendar ten months into the future to contact this family.
You may be thinking, "They won't hire me again next year." Do you know what you're doing, when you think that? You're deciding for the client. Don't do that. I'll admit that it's unlikely, but it's not impossible. I've been invited for repeat performances. But you have to sell it, not as a repeat, but as an "all new show." Let the parents know you have a new act with new tricks. They know you already so it will be an easier sale, when the time is right. And since this event will popup as a reminder every year, you have several more chances to get a booking.
Imagine this: Every time you perform a birthday party show, you put the repeating reminder in your calendar. After a year, you'll have birthday reminders popping up every month. What you're doing is creating a money-making SYSTEM. And a SYSTEM Saves You Stress, Time, Energy, and Money.
There's more to say about marketing, but I'll save it for another Profitable Performances post. If you have any marketing comments, please share in the comments.
