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Did You Miss Opportunities This Year? Don't Let Next Year Get By Without a Plan!
CLOWN MARKETING ANNUAL GUIDE If you would like a complete guide to ALL the crazy special days of the year, visit http://www.emotionscards.com/locations.html (There are other lists, but his one does not have annoying advertisements) Be sure to bookmark this site. I will be regularly adding new ideas as they develop.
While you should be working your marketing efforts all year long for the Birthday Party portion of your business, this marketing guide is intended to get you thinking about all the other opportunities for growing your business in other markets. The formula for success is to market yourself for these opportunities before that month approaches. I suggest start planning your marketing efforts 3-6 months before the month arrives. JANUARY There are 2 good markets that are looking for entertainment in January - Pre-schools and Libraries. Pre-schools You see, the Pre-schoolers are having to take their recesses indoors and so they are looking for any kind of activity to liven things up a bit. Fortunately, they can make decisions pretty quickly and so you can still capture some of this business for January 2005. Libraries This month has Martin Luther King day and so kids are off from school. Most libraries will be offering some sort of activity that day. Libraries typically have their programs booked up months in advance but it won't hurt to call and find out if they are already booked. If they are, find out how you can get your show booked with them for next year. Library like "themed" presentations so think about what you will say to them first. Super Bowl Sunday Why not find the perfect venue for you to liven up their Super Bowl party? Or consider entertaining the kids while Mom and Dad enjoy the game? FEBRUARY Libraries Presidents' Week is typically a very business time at the libraries due to it's historical nature. think about putting together a Storytelling show that weaves in some Presidential history and you should get some bookings. Retail Stores Also retail stores are usually running special Presidents sales during the month and may be looking for someone to liven up their store. Consider approaching them about doing some strolling magic or balloon sculpting as part of their in-store promotions. Valentines Day This is an ideal day to run around delivering special Valentine's balloon surprises or even singing telegrams. Start thinking about how you can get some special promotions going for this now, like posting flyers at schools, community college campuses, grocery store community information boards, etc. Festival of Purim It's only a one day event but most synagogues have a very festive holiday this month. Last year I did 2 synagogues back to back and it's a very exciting costume party with lots of games. Almost like an indoor carnival. MARCH If you are into school programs, this is a very busy month. If not, consider getting into it. It's great work and really helps level out your income for the year from summer frenzy to winter dead-spots. I schedule most of my school work during these winter months. Many times I don't even have to do the presentation dressed in full clown. I still use my clowning skills but mostly put a show together that has a theme that is educational, interactive and fun! Check out www.CharacterCounts.org for the 6 Pillars of Character that you can use to create a themed show.
Mardi Gras A very popular holiday for festivities. Check out local resorts, restaurants and civic organizations who might be having special events planned. Mardi Gras is all about costumes and festivities. What more can a clown ask for? Corporate Opportunities Did you know this is "International Mirth Month"? And many corporations are looking for ways to reduce stress through the use of humor. This was actually started by Allen Klein. Check him out at www.AllenKlein.com and tell me if he is not a clown with a message! You don't have to wait until the summer to get corporate work. Libraries Spring break usually begins at the end of March so the libraries should be gearing up for special programs. If you want to get into these programs it typically gets booked 3-6 months earlier. If you missed the opportunity for this year, go watch a local library show and then find out what you would have to do to get booked for next year. APRIL The weather should be starting to break so soon those outdoor party bookings should be starting up. And April is a great opportunity to get some FREE publicity. Tax Day Local TV, radio and newspapers are always reporting human interest stories on the phenomena that occurs on April 15th. Long lines and traffic jams occur while last minute tax-preparers are trying to beat the deadline. This could be a very busy day! Approach local postmasters to find out if they would like to have you make balloons and entertain the long lines to defray the short tempers that occur due to long lines. Or how about approaching a local accounting firm to see if they will sponsor you. Be sure to work with them to send out a press release and think of the location where the TV cameras will most likely be at. Go out and make things happen! Easter "Breakfast with the Easter Bunny" is getting very popular. It's usually weekend morning work the weekends leading up to Easter and balloons are ideal for providing entertainment. Try inflating 5" rounds and decorating them as giant Easter Bunny eggs. MAY Mother's Day It's big business at the restaurants. Long lines need stress relieving and face-painting and ballooning are ideal talents for this venue. Or you can work it the same as Valentines day and provide delivery of balloons. This could be a very busy weekend. First Communion This is typically the month that most Catholic churches hold these ceremonies and these are big parties for the 14 year olds. Most of the parties will be at catered banquet halls and your show needs to be geared more towards an older audience. Or consider doing strolling work. Many churches have bulletins that are very reasonably priced for advertisement. Start your marketing campaign in these bulletins a few months before May and you should keep very busy. Plus it opens up more birthday party opportunities. Memorial Day Be sure to get into local parades and showcase your clowning ability in front of a very large audience. One of my most lucrative repeat bookings was as a result of a large corporation marketing manager seeing me perform my crazy antics in a local parade. He has since booked me for all the Lube Stop grand openings in the area. Since Memorial day is typically the holiday that ushers in the summer, many pools and recreation departments are having a special splash that weekend. So are campgrounds and condos. Consider calling the local Condo Homeowners Association for special pool openings in their area. JUNE This is a hopping month for graduation. And it happens at daycares and pre-schools too, not just high schools. This is getting increasingly popular. Elementary schools are always looking for special entertainment for their last day of school festivities. Company Picnics These are now coming into full swing when summer rolls around. Check Yahoo Yellow Pages or your local library for a list of local companies. Typically these picnics already have their entertainer booked months before the event so it's actually a good idea to start approaching these companies right after the Christmas season. Fire Departments/ Civic Clubs These organizations typically have special summer events as well as Christmas events. Make sure you send out a sales letter to all the local departments. Groups like Lions, Elks, Rotary, American Legion, VFW. Also hunting and fishing clubs have regular family events. And how about your local Boy and Girl Scout organizations? Libraries School is out so libraries are starting to crank up. This goes for July and August as well. Check with your local librarian and find out if they have a regular showcase for library performers. Our state has one and it lists all the performers for the librarians to choose from. It's actually a website. I'll post it up for you to take a look at soon. Some library systems actually have an actual performers showcasing event where you have to pay to have a booth for them to see you and what you do. Libraries want themed shows like "Reading is Magic" featuring a special presentation that is entertaining and educational. Some libraries do not allow balloons, so be sure they are aware if you will be using balloons. Libraries are very loyal clients and can be hard to break into. But I would use this as a message in my marketing material. Libraries also like workshops! Teach how to be a clown, how to facepaint, how to twist balloons, how to do a magic show. Make this a separate option from your performances. JULY & AUGUST Outdoor party galore for these 2 months! Try your local Parks and Recreation departments. They will also be looking for workshops. Be prepared for large groups. Local YMCA groups are always looking for entertainment for their summer functions. Methodically go through your local Yellow Pages book and look for just about every type of club imaginable. Chances are they will be looking for summer entertainment. Keep the list for Christmas entertainment as well. Fairs and Festivals This market is ripe from mid-August into September. I regularly get booked to tie balloons at our local fairs by a local car dealership who wants to get the edge on the other car dealerships. It's usually multi-day bookings, 4-5 days for 3-4 hours per day or longer. For a state by state listing of festivals, visit www.camping.about.com/blevents2.htm?terms=Outdoors For a listing of state fairs, visit http://www.breedersworld.com/fairs.html For step-by-step instructions on how to get into the marketing, go to www.ClownMarketingTips.com/fairsfestivals.htm
SEPTEMBER This is going back to school month. There's school supply sales at local retailers and end of summer flings, especially as the local pools and recreation departments close for the season. Did you know it is National Humor in Business Month? So wrap your marketing message around that and send your list of businesses a special sales letter. It's also Self-Improvement Month. Labor Day weekend is a repeat of Memorial Day type events. Get in those parades and strut your stuff! National Grandparents Day is this month. Call local schools and find out who does the organizing for this event. ` OCTOBER There are still some good themes for this month in the National holiday schedule where a clown can really perform well. Special days like "Teachers Day" at your local schools. Consider presenting a balloon flower arrangement to the principal or at a special assembly. And of course lots of events around the halloween weekend that are looking for entertainment. Everyone from banks to grocery stores and malls are promoting lots of kids entertainment around this time. There is also National Magic Week and National Clown Week, so send out a press release and get in the news! NOVEMBER Other than Thanksgiving, things are typically slow this time of year. There's National Children's Book Week so consider approaching your local Borders or Barnes and Nobles to get a top notch clown for celebrating this occasion. And Veterans Day is a great time to do some volunteer work at your local Veterans hospital. DECEMBER Whenever school is out, libraries are in. Are you considering getting in this venue? It can be a tough market to get into but look at how many opportunities there are. This is typically a very busy month between all the festivities of Christmas parties, end of the year parties, and New Years.
Here's the bottom line...if you are not busy right now, look around you and see what activities are going on in your area right now. Ok, so you missed the boat to get booked for those events this year. But don't make the same mistake for next year. Find out who organized it and get their contact information for next year. Most event planners are at the ripest moment for deciding on next year's performer right after the current event. Then they can rest assured that they will have a start on next years planning. My local area has a publication that comes out every season listing all the events in the area. It also typically lists the contact name of the person in charge of the event. I save these and add them to my list of contacts for future event. Get a jumpstart on next year by thinking 6 months out. In December, you should be writing your sales letter for your target summer events and mailing them out right after the holidays. In July you should be mailing out your Christmas sales letters right after the 4th. It all starts with getting yourself organized and developing a laser-focused plan. One resource we have available at the Clown Marketing Institute is the Customized Clown Marketing Plan. Another resource is the Telephone Script That SELLS! If you aren't booking 70, 80 or even 90% of the people that are calling to inquire about your services, it could be the way you present yourself on the phone. This script works and its yours to use for your business. Want in on Fairs & Festivals ? Get it early...this market takes patience to get into it. And the ULTIMATE Resource to grow your Clown Business is the Clown Marketing Blueprint. There's nothing like it! If you don't already have this valuable resource, you are losing money! Get it and watch your business grow!
Esther Beris Clown Marketing Institute |
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