[Dixielandjazz] Advertising ideas

[Steve Barbone]

Larry asks about advertising ideas. He mailed 85 prospects and got 2
replies. That's a good ratio. and cheap, given the cost of about $35-$40.

Tome suggests Sonic Bids electronic bids and supplied his site as a model.
That's also good.

My 2 cents is that Direct mail is the better way to go for most "local" gigs
and Sonic Bids is better for the higher profile gigs nationally or
internationally. Why?

Direct Mail is easily modified to suit the prospect. Use a basic format, and
change certain sections to suit.

Venues like Municipal parks, are different from venues like bars/restaurants
and so what they receive should be different.

Larry, what works for me is slightly different mailers to each category on
my prospect list. And for which band version I am trying to market to them.
(trio, quartet, sextet, etc) And what type of gig, like St Patrick's Day,
Armstrong's Birthday, Mardi Gras, etc.

What also works is an expanded prospect list. Mine is now about 500, and
easily handled by computer with different segment mailers going out each
month to different prospects. I also have a fan list of about 600 which gets
e-mailed at least 6 times a year and surprisingly generates wedding gigs,
funerals etc., besides attendance at our gigs. Cost is relative cheap
compared to profit returned.

Because I've been direct mailing for 10 years, I have all the gigs I want to
handle and am taking only the better paying ones, or those that are very
interesting, musically or audience wise, to the band. And because of the
local visibility, my sideman gig offers have increased over the years to the
point where I limit them in the same manner.

Some may detest this "hustling for gigs", but then, nothing happens in this
world until somebody sells something.

Electronic bids, as Tom agrees, are also becoming the preferred method in
some high profile local gig prospects. Example is the City of Philadelphia.
Their venues, like the Art Museum, Robin Hood Dell, and others will no
longer accept anything but electronic bids. Sorry to say, however, that they
do not accept "Sonic Bids" either, but insist on their own electronic bid
structure which cannot be accessed by a MAC. (I borrow my son's PC to bid)
Philly's system sucks big time (eight page electronic contract, disclosure
of all political campaign contributions nationwide for a year following the
concert, etc) and I may just not bid any more as who needs that stuff?

Good luck in your advertising venture.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone