Marketing & Self-Promotion

By Dianne de Las Casas

You just invested a nice chunk of money and have a nifty-looking brochure. Now where should you send it? You've been performing part-time at birthday parties and want more work. Where do you find other markets? You have mainly a word-of-mouth business, which has worked well for you but you are ready to branch out. How do you begin a self-promotion campaign? No matter what your goals are, if you want visibility and work, you can reach more people through a varied marketing approach.

Where do I market myself? There are several organizations to whom you may market yourself. Schools, libraries, churches, daycare centers, summer camps, nursing homes, birthday parties, corporate functions, boy/girl scouts, parks, conferences, museums, and festivals are just the beginning. In any state, you can contact the Department of Education and find out how to obtain a directory of schools, which lists contacts and addresses for schools in your state. Your local or regional library should have The American Directory of Libraries. Your state library may also have a directory of performing artists in which you can be listed.

Festivals can be found by contacting your State Tourism Office. Advertising in a local or regional parenting magazine can earn you birthday party work. Ask your local library's reference desk for listings of organizations and associations. Find out if your state or local arts commission has an artist directory. If your state does have one, send for the application and get listed! Many school districts also have artist listings or cultural resourcedirectories.

Personal Contact

Nothing beats the personal touch when it comes to marketing. Go out there and introduce yourself to your potential clients. If possible, call and make an appointment. Introduce yourself to people by telephone. Cold calling is not the most fun activity in the world but it has proved effective for me. I have received bookings over the phone without even meeting the person on the other end!

Mail-outs

Mail-outs are time-consuming and laborious but they are worth the effort. Even if you don't receive immediate bookings, your information is out there and your potential clients have exposure to you. They may file the brochure away and call at a later date. It's happened to me several times. Mail-outs are great marketing tools for seasonal and specially themed programs as well. There are companies that provide mailing lists if you do not have your own mailing lists. A great way to establish a mailing list is to ask people if they want to be on your mailing list. Following your performance, set out a notebook where people can write down their addresses so they can get on your mailing list for future mail-outs.

Advertising

There are many ways to advertise yourself. You can take out an ad in a newspaper, a parenting magazine, or a trade magazine such as a storytelling magazine. A magnetic sign on both sides of your vehicle and a large sign with your name/logo displayed at your performances serve as great visibility tools. Websites are a great way to advertise, reaching people in remote and distant places. T-shirts with your name/logo are another way to advertise. The bottom line is creativity. There are many ways to advertise your services. Be creative and innovative so that you "stand out from the crowd."

Visibility

Even well established storytellers have to engage in marketing and self-promotion to maintain their visibility. The more visibility you have, the more people will hire you. And that means you will be doing what you love best more often sharing the joy of stories!