[Dixielandjazz] Advertising ideas

[tcashwigg at aol.com]

Hi Larry and all:

Steve of course made additional valid points and great suggestions for 
advertising your bands and even as a side man service.

I preach about the Sonicbids electronic press kit because after three 
years of using it I find it to be very successful for me,  just this 
morning I got a great offer for a  major 12 day event  from sending it 
out four months ago to a list of talent buyers for Fairs and festivals.

What I like so much about it is that it is in real time, unlike a 
regular website,  and once you have it set up you can indeed edit it 
live and customize your Sales pitch to the specific kind of buyer or 
gig you are trying to attract, and then turn around and  do it again 
for  the next scenario of marketing.   A second priceless feature is 
that when I see an advertisement for a band or music services on the 
internet on such sites like Craigslist etc, which I do every day I can 
drop my electronic press kit in their inbox before anybody else can get 
a promo package together and enclose a Cd and get it to the Post office 
which will take a few days normally to get delivered.   I usually will 
book  the appropriate gig if the deal and situation is right before 
anybody else can get to the post office.

By maintaining several pertinent databases of talent buyers I can mass 
mail them and see who raises their hands first and then book my shows 
around them.  Somebody always raises their hand some where, and yes I 
do often turn down more dates that I take depending  upon where they 
are and what the circumstances are.

You can load up to ten photos, which would allow you to show a trio , 
Solo, full band, and guest singers available or whatever.

You can also post up to six songs to show the versatility of the music 
and your act (s)  Song lists geared for specific target audiences, and 
a live calendar to show booked dates and times and places, which too 
can be updated instantly, and anybody coming back to your epk link even 
months from now will get the current picture of what is happening.

The costs for this great tool is about $60.00 per year, and One booking 
pays for it.   The best part is that you can direct it to ANYBODY with 
an email address and it gets right to them in seconds.    You have a 
great tool to send it out for free to as many people as you choose 
whenever you want to do so.

Trust me once you get used to using it you will wonder how you ever got 
along with out it.

I also have specific postal mailers that I do from time to time, but so 
far they have not been very effective for me, I am however 
experimenting with full color postcards created and targeted for 
specific kinds of gigs and will report back on their success in the 
future or not if they don't produce any desirable results.

I also post links to the epk on every music website that I find 
suitable, some get referrals and some don't, the hardest thing to do is 
keep track of everywhere you post it on the internet :((  almost 
impossible,  damned Al Gore !


And as Brother Larry said below,  If you indeed do this business of 
music for a living then it damned sure is about the Cash, which we need 
to support the business of being in the music business and earning 
enough money to pay our overhead, bills, support our families and pay 
and support the families of the sidemen that we employ as professional 
respectfully paid musicians.   Try getting your auto mechanic to fix 
your car for free, or your dentist to give you a free root canal, heart 
surgery, boob implants for your wife or girl friend etc. etc.

Like  it or not Money does make  the world go round.


Cheers,

Tom "Show Me The Money"  Wiggins



-----Original Message-----
From: larrys.bands at charter.net
To: barbonestreet at earthlink.net; dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
Sent: Wed, 14 Mar 2007 12:03 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Advertising ideas

    > 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.

lw. Got another call this morning and an e-mail  so that's 4

>
> 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?

LW - we really don't travel much so National ads don't interest me much

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

LW - I am aware of that and have taken that into consideration with 
separate
lists.

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.

LW - Great future project but I don't have the mailing list. or e- mail
list.  My e-mail list is about 20 names none of which have responded.  
I
have been sending them stuff for about a year.  These are people who 
hire
bands or plan events.

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

LW - There is one on the list that said "money isn't everything" and 
that's
true and I don't expect anything when I show someone how to fly a model
airplane or get a ham radio license but those are my HOBBIES and I 
enjoy
them.  No one expects me to be at the flying field at a certain time 
and do
something but they do with music.  People all of a sudden find out 
what's
going on if you don't show up for a gig and get sued.  There is a local
hobby band that makes a few bucks here and there and is being sued by 
one of
it's members.  All of a sudden what wasn't a business suddenly is.  I 
have
made a significant part of my living from professional music and I 
don't
intend to start giving
away what people will pay me for.

> 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.

LW - I'm working on it.


Every so often I will ask the same question - the guys on the list come 
up
with ideas and some are good for me and some aren't.  There may even be
lurkers out there that are making their way to the bank right now on
someone's idea.

I have tried mail in the past but I have developed a whole lot more 
graphics
and other skills since then.  Little things like a good laser printer 
and
the web are helping.

Thanks guys - I do appreciate the time you take
Larry
St. Louis




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