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Marketing and Sales

Mobile Marketing - original text excerpted from Spinnin 2000 - 1997 Edition

How quickly you get your first Mobile DJ gigs will depend greatly on how much time and effort you devote to promoting and “marketing” your mobile music/entertainment service. It’s helpful to be familiar with some basic concepts.

In simple terms, marketing is the process of finding buyers for a specific product or service. For example, at harvest time, a farmer sells apples at a roadside stand. To be successful, he must sell apples. Just putting them in baskets along a deserted road won’t get it done. To move his apples, he might design a marketing program based on:

1. Positioning. Who buys apples? The best apples in the world of are no interest to people who only eat oranges.

2. Pricing. Are the apples a good value? Regardless of quality, there’s a limit to what most people will pay for apples.

3. Promotion. How does he attract apple buyers to his stand? Once the farmer defines his buyers, he must inform and educate them as to why his apples are the best.

4. Packaging. Do the apples look good? People may walk away from his stand if the apples don’t look enticing.

5. Performance. Were the apples worth the money?

After a knowledgeable apple connoisseur has eaten one of the farmer’s apples, will he tell his friends about the exceptional deal he got or tell them to stay away?

How do these 5 P’s of Marketing apply to a MDJ Entertainment service?

1. Positioning. Define your primary market segment. Pick a starting point. The market for MDJs is wide and varied. Not all DJs pursue the wedding and family party market. In positioning your DJ service, you will determine what part of the overall market you wish to target. You may decide to specialize in entertaining primarily at high schools or colleges because no other DJ in your area has established themselves in that market. After calling a few schools, you determine that, between the homecoming dance and senior prom, there are plenty of events to keep a DJ busy. After talking to a few of the advisors who book DJs for the institutions, you set a reasonable price and design a package that they should find attractive. You have now positioned your service for this particular market.

The next step is to create a “positioning statement” that describes what you do that ties you in to the potential market. This statement will be used on your business cards, your ads and anything else that you put before the eyes of the public. If you were to specialize in high schools and colleges, along with a huge selection of Top 40, dance and alternative music, you would need a big sound system and a lot of lights because that’s what this particular market wants.

A simple and possibly effective positioning statement could be “Lots of Lights and as Loud as you Like.”

Most MDJs do all types of parties but concentrate on wedding receptions because it’s a large part of the market. A positioning statement, such as “Fun DJs for Weddings and other Events,” lets potential clients know what you offer in a single line. If your organization offers additional services, such as karaoke and video recording, your positioning statement could say something like, “Walla Walla’s only full service Video, DJ and Karaoke Sing-along Service.”

2. Pricing. Is your fee on par with the services you offer and the market?

Pricing can be determined by checking with the people who book DJs for various high schools and colleges in a particular area. If you are more interested in going after the lucrative wedding reception market, call (or have a friend call) other DJs in your area. Play the part of a bride or groom and request information, including pricing, for an upcoming wedding reception.

Ask such questions as:

Minimum hours they will play?

Standard rate for four or five hours?

What’s the required deposit?

How much for overtime?

Does the price include special lighting?

After speaking to five or six different DJ services in your area, you should be able to establish an average price. If you are just starting out, you may want to price your service ten to twenty percent below the average. This will give you a little price advantage and help you pick up bookings from those shoppers who must stay within a certain price range. You can then increase your prices gradually as your calender fills up. If a special engagement calls for a larger than normal sound and lighting system or demands extra travel time, your price quote needs to reflect it. Supply and demand will also affect your prices. Raise your prices a bit during the peak season, then drop them when things start to back off. If a client calls five DJs and is torn between three of them, price will usually be the determining factor.

3. Promotion. How do you promote and advertise your service?

The best and least expensive way to promote your service is by demonstrating what you do. Rather than sit by the phone waiting for the big paying gigs to start coming, offer to play at fund-raisers, fairs, store openings, chicken barbecues and similar gatherings at no charge or a greatly discounted price. It doesn’t have to be a dance, just a place where you can expose your service to potential clients. To get the most mileage out of these appearances, display a professional-looking sign or table banner that advertises your name and phone number and put business cards everywhere. Do a good job and people will recommend you. To speed the growth of your service, get out and play whenever you can just for the fun, experience and exposure. As for paid advertising, new options and opportunities appear almost daily. In order to keep pace, businesses have adopted advertising strategies that are much more focused. Considering the options and costs involved, it is imperative that you know what resources are available and how to use them in creating an effective and comprehensive advertising program. See “Think Promotion” later in this chapter for some ideas that will help you plan an advertising program for your business.

4. Packaging. Does your service appear professional and reliable?

Remember the apples? Let’s assume two different farmers produce apples that are identical in variety, size, price, color and taste. Farmer Fribus picks his apples and sells them in plain brown “grocery bags.” Farmer Framus packs his apples in attractive boxes that say, “Fresh from Farmer Framus” on the side. In almost every instance, the consumer will buy a Farmer Framus apple over one sold by Farmer Fribus. Why? Because people judge a product by the way it’s packaged. It’s not enough to just be able to offer people good service, you have sell them first. To create an attractive package for your DJ service, offer your potential customer little extras like:

• A complete and professional presentation brochure that describes your service in detail.

• A high quality, color photo taken at one of your performances or at a photographer’s studio.

• A video tape of your DJ service in action.

• A list of satisfied customers and their comments.

• A list of party houses where you’ve performed.

You only get one chance to make a first impression. Package your service properly and your prospects may not even bother to call the others.

5. Performance. Does your product live up to its claims?

The final “P” in marketing a DJ service is the end product: your performance. It starts with investing time in preparing for each gig. This includes: checking equipment, making sure you can pronounce the names of anyone you will be introducing, and being certain you have the music your client has requested.

One of the best and least expensive ways to intensify your marketing efforts at your performances is with a colorful custom table drape or banner with your company name and phone number. A tastefully designed table drape visually reinforces the name of your service in their minds. It also hides cases, boxes and wires. Nothing looks more unprofessional than disorganization. Until you get a banner, a bright, solid-colored table cloth will work fine.

Practice and preparation are paramount to a good performance. Do a good job from the start and you’ll come away from your very first gig with two or more referrals. This will start a cycle which will continually bring more new bookings via “word-of-mouth” advertising; that’s the best promotion there is.

Think Promotion

Each day we are bombarded with advertising from newspapers, radio, television, yellow page directories, direct mailers, community papers, penny savers, billboards, bus boards, milk cartons, sweatbands, race cars and so on. Just when it appeared radio dials and TV channel selectors were about to burst at the seams, along came a host of high quality, tightly targeted, cable TV channels. How can you insure the best return on every dollar you spend on advertising?

First, define your priorities and set your budget. What is the maximum you can spend on advertising over the next twelve months? Think annually even though, during your first year or two, you may need to plan your advertising on a monthly or quarterly basis. Come up with a figure with which you feel comfortable. You can always change this number according to your income and needs. A good starting goal is to commit five to ten percent of your total (gross) income for advertising.

Business Cards

Phase one of your advertising campaign will be the distribution of business cards. They are inexpensive, so you should be able to afford to buy hundreds, even thousands, of them. You can mail them, post them on bulletin boards and hand them out to everyone you meet. It’s very important that your card have a professional look and that it appeals to the type of people you most want to work for. When designing your business card, think of it as a miniature billboard. Most printers offer a variety of stock designs which can be printed in virtually any color. Color sells and is worth the additional expense. Raised print (thermographic) is also a nice touch.

Tip: If it’s in the budget, work with an established designer or graphic artist. Their expertise and talent could make a big difference with the impact of your business card.

To be effective, your card should contain the following basic information and little else:

A. Your “Positioning Statement.” As was explained in the section on positioning, you need a short but powerful statement that emphasizes your strongest points. If your service specializes in weddings but you also want to do birthdays, anniversaries and bar mitzvahs, a suggested phrase might be: “Exceptional Disc Jockey Entertainment for All Events. Weddings a Speciality.” If your target is high schools and colleges, your statement could be: “Best Selection of Top 40, Alternative and Dance Music in the area.” Even something as simple as, “DJs Extraordinare” gets the point across in a classy, positive fashion. If your service offers music with a full-blown light show, then a phrase such as “The Ultimate Entertainment Experience” would apply. The important thing is to come up with a phrase that describes what you do in a quick and positive way.

B. Your name and/or the name of your organization. Once people know what you do, make sure they know who you are.

C. Your phone number. If you have a fax number and e-mail, include them as well. Anything that will expedite a conversation between you and prospect is important. It is advised that you not include your address unless you have a bona fide, secure office. As many DJs work out of the same location where their equipment is stored, an address could be an invitation for a rip-off.

To make your business card more interesting and, therefore, more memorable, include a custom logo designed for your business. A logo is a graphic representation or picture that leaves the person receiving the card with a positive mental impression about your business. A good logo for a DJ or KJ business should be fun, possibly showing people enjoying the company’s products or services. To get a logo for your DJ business, go to a respected graphic artist. A good artist will come up with several different design ideas from which to choose. Once you have a good logo, use it on all your advertising and stationary.

Distributing Your Cards

The only way business cards will fail to get you bookings is if you leave them in the box! As soon as you pick them up from the printer, start handing them out to the different organizations in your area. Particularly, target groups that hold fund raisers and could use a DJ. Ask the receptionist if you can meet the director. If yes, introduce yourself and pass along a card. If no, leave the card with the receptionist and call back within a few days.

Take your business cards to work. As you hear of employees planning weddings or other celebrations, send each a note of congratulations with your card tucked inside. Give a card to the person in each department who hires the entertainment for the annual office parties as well.

Contact your local high schools and colleges. Get the names of all the advisors and send each a card. When you’ve completed this initial mailing, begin following up with phone calls.

Continue your “card blitz” by dropping off a card at every nightclub, bar and pub in and around your town. Sooner or later their band or DJ will miss a night and they may call you. Look for “community bulletin boards,” as found in supermarkets and laundromats. Tack your cards up where they can’t be missed. At every business you frequent, ask if you can leave several cards on the counter. Before long, your cards will be in every neighborhood grocery store, liquor store, dry cleaner, pet shop, record shop and party supply store in your area.

Finally, enclose a card every time you send in a bill payment. This is a great way to pick up holiday parties from banks, utilities and department stores.

Once you begin getting calls and bookings from your business cards, you can begin to look into other advertising options.

Planning an Overall Advertising Program - original text excerpted from Spinnin 2000 - 1997 Edition

Why advertise? Advertising is the catalyst that gets the ball rolling and keeps it rolling. A properly planned and instituted ad campaign is essential for getting your initial customers to call and inquire about your service. Through an ongoing advertising program, the public is continuously reminded of the service you offer. When business is slow, a brief advertising campaign in conjunction with a special offer such as a free hour of your service can get things back on track.

The purpose of advertising is to motivate the largest number of qualified potential buyers to call and inquire about your service.

There are three intertwined concepts involved in accomplishing this: • Choose the right media. • Place your advertising so it reaches those most interested in buying what you sell. • Work with people who can produce ads that will effectively get the message across to your potential buyers. Choosing the Right Media Consider the choices. Regardless of where you live, you are sure to have many good advertising possibilities. Your mission is to place your advertising so it reaches those most interested in using your service. Start with a little common sense marketing research using your current customers. How did they find out about your business? What radio stations do they listen to? What papers do they read? Do they respond to direct mail promotions? Select media according to the lifestyles of your customers.

Once you have selected a particular media, think about where your ads should be placed. Because newspapers run a variety of sections built around the different interests of their readers, you can place your ad to impact a specific group. Many newspapers run bridal guides three or four times a year. These are very effective for DJs targeting the bridal business. Check with local bowling lanes and find out when the bowling leagues hold their annual banquets.

This would be a good time to place an ad in the sports section or on the scoresheets at the alley. If you’re not looking for any specific group but just want to put the name of your service in front of the public, then an ad on the theater page would be appropriate. Where Mobile DJs Most Commonly Advertise When people shop for a product or service they’ve not purchased before, they usually go to the telephone yellow pages. Not all yellow page directories have a classification for DJs. You may have to list under “Entertainers” or “Music.”

Most yellow page representatives will tell you that the larger your ad, the greater your response. This is a selling point and not necessarily true. You may not need the biggest ad, but you must have the best looking ad. Most people who use the yellow pages have not hired a DJ before. They tend to call between five and ten companies. If your display ad is clean and professional in appearance, your ad will get noticed.

On the other hand, merely running a line listing will generally not generate a high volume of calls, especially in a yellow page book with a lot of DJs running displays. The key is balance. Being in the yellow page directory is a necessity but it’s also expensive. Don’t run an ad you can’t afford. In most cities, the people who sell the yellow pages work under contract with your phone company. If you get too far behind on your monthly payment, they simply change your phone number and put a, “That number is no longer in service,” recording on the one in your yellow page ad. There goes your business cards, letterhead and anything else you’ve had printed with the phone number on your yellow page ad. An effective advertising program includes a variety of media. By keeping your monthly yellow page costs down, you’ll have money to use elsewhere when your business needs a little boost. The cost to advertise in newspapers or on radio or TV is proportionate to the number of readers, listeners or viewers each has. By carefully choosing the right media, you can expose your service to thousands, possibly millions, of potential new clients.

When planning a radio or television campaign, keep two things in mind:

• Buy only broadcast times that reach the greatest number of your potential customers, and • Buy as many spots as your budget will allow.

When you meet with your media salesperson, you’ll be shown all sorts of impressive numbers and audience shares that look great on paper. But think! Do these numbers represent the same people you want to reach? Maybe yes, maybe no. In order for your advertising to do its job, you must focus on those most apt to buy your product or service. You may be able to do this best by using a lower rated media and a higher number of spots. Avoid the temptation to place a few token spots on several stations. You’ll get better response by running more spots on just one or two stations. When possible and practical, you can save money by buying packages.

If your objective is to build your wedding bookings, one place to advertise is on radio stations that reach women 18 to 35 years old. Obviously, there are women in other age groups getting married, but you want to hit the area of highest concentration. If you are using television, place your commercial during the daytime soap operas. This time is less expensive than evening prime time and more efficient in reaching the women you want to reach. Regardless of the media you choose, avoid “one-shot” deals. Spread your ads out over a two-to six-week period. You can further maximize the effectiveness of your spots by “compacting,” which means running heavily the first week (or two) of each month, then backing down to just a few ads during the remainder. If, after the first month, you find there’s been little response, change the ad or use a different media. If, on the other hand, it’s working to your satisfaction, leave it alone.

How well should an ad work? If your ad is bringing in enough new business to pay for itself twice over, then you’re doing very well.

What Should Your Ads Say? - original text excerpted from Spinnin 2000 - 1997 Edition

Your advertising should paint a very positive picture about your business. Think about your most positive points: Product? Service? Price? Quality? What is it that makes you better than the competition? The best-placed ads will fall through the cracks if your message fails to stand out.

Most broadcast stations and newspapers offer a staff of copywriters and artists who will work with you. These people are quite competent. Because your’s is a service business, the most important entity of your advertising is your phone number. In print, people can see the number and dial it while holding the paper. With the electronic (radio and TV) media, this is not true. If they don’t catch your number and write it down when they hear the ad, they won’t remember it. Make your number more memorable by having it repeated often. If possible, get an “alpha” number such as 456-DJDJ. The electronic media offers you the opportunity to creatively give your potential clients a taste of what you do. But you must stress the name of your company and your phone number. Tip: When advertising on radio or television, a tag line such as “we’re in the white pages” will encourage people to look up your number, providing they caught the name of your service. Do not, however, reference your ad to the yellow pages, as this sends your potential client looking for your number in an area that’s infested with your competitors. If you’re not home, your line is busy or they don’t want to leave a message on your answering machine, they’ll probably call the next DJ listed. Other Media Most areas have an entertainment guide which provides a complete listing of what’s going on around your town. These can provide a very effective and inexpensive way to reach people shopping for a DJ. Check out everything from church bulletins to “community shoppers” and “pennysavers.” Any one of these publications could be the key that will boost your business. Just remember to choose only those media that actually reach people who hire DJs and keep track of the response to see if the ad is working. Each time someone calls inquiring about your DJ service, ask where they got your number. Networking Networking is a term left over from the 1980s that basically means to promote your service by helping other people promote theirs. In effect, you surround yourself with a network of talented individuals who offer many services.

There are two ways networking can help your DJ service. To network effectively, you must first put yourself in the right places. By getting involved with different service and trade organizations in your area, you’ll come in contact with many business people. As you shake hands with these people, ask them what they do. In most cases you will find they are involved with an organization that can use your service at some time or other. The person you’re speaking to may not be the person who would hire a DJ for the company picnic, but he can probably give you the name of someone to contact. In a like manner, once he finds out that you are a DJ, he may be able to offer you something, like the name of a friend of his who is selling off a nightclub sound system. Networking will put you in touch with key people in your area. It’s the way to establish yourself on a person-to-person level with the heads of charities, restaurant and party hall owners, and other business owners of all types.

The second type of networking involves setting up “job swaps” with one or two of the DJs in your area. As your business grows, you will get weekends with more work than you can handle. Through a “job swap’ arrangement, you turn over your extra booking to another service who agrees to toss one your way when he’s overbooked. This arrangement works best if it’s left on a casual basis. Neither you or the DJ you swap with should be concerned about how equitable it is, as long as all the jobs are taken care of properly. The bottom line is that you would have both turned down all those extra bookings. This way you were able to “keep them in the family,” so to speak. Lead the Season When someone decides to run for office, they normally start advertising three to six months in advance. If you are targeting a specific type of business, lead the season by the same margin. Start your campaign for Christmas parties no later than October 1. For wedding receptions, run your ads around the middle of December when many couples announce their engagements. Advertise again in March to catch late-planning June and summer brides. Leave a Message at the Tone Because many DJs have daytime jobs, or just can’t be by the phone all day, they are forced to rely on answering services or telephone answering machines. Answering services are preferable because it allows you to have a real live professional secretary answer your phone calls and take your messages. The rate of hang-ups is almost zero. An answering service may cost fifty to over one hundred dollars a month, but you’ll get more than double that back with one booking and you will get more bookings. Answering machines are now so common in our society that most people accept them and at least leave a name and number, although it may not be intelligible. You can encourage your callers to leave a message by keeping your outgoing message short (15 seconds maximum), friendly and to the point. Here’s an example: “Hi, this is Don Dorkus of Don’s DJs. At the moment, there’s no one available to take your call, so please leave your name and number and we will get back to you immediately.”

As most callers already know their name and phone number, this approach is very nonthreatening. In general, we are all very impatient. When we want something, we want it now. By telling your callers you will return their call immediately, you create the illusion that you really are there and will call right back. Make it a point to check your machine frequently. If you make them wait too long, they’ll call someone else. Many people book the first DJ they reach.

Tip: If you do not use an answering service, make sure your telephone is answered only by you or members of your household who can properly take a message or are informed enough to answer some of the client’s questions. Letting a child or someone who has no knowledge of telephone etiquette answer your calls is as good as getting no call at all. By now, you’ve invested quite a few dollars to get the phone to ring, make sure it is answered properly.

Using an Advertising Agent If you’re working with a substantial budget and want to set up a cost-effective, long-term advertising plan, consider retaining an advertising agency or consultant to help you develop your advertising program. Agencies and consultants see your business from the customer’s viewpoint. If you are looking for a unique approach, logo, special graphics or jingle, your ad agent can help you decide what you need and help you find it. Along with the professional quality your advertising message will have, you’ll save a lot of time in media selection and placement. Reaching the greatest number of potential customers with an ad that will motivate them to respond, while staying in budget, requires a great deal of market knowledge and expertise. If your advertising just isn’t doing what you want it to, talk with a qualified, experienced advertising agent or consultant. When you consider the amount of expertise you’ll receive, it’s definitely worth a small percentage of your total ad budget.