As every self-employed entertainer knows, talent, hard work and great people skills are essential requirements of the job, but they don’t confer success, or at least not on their own.
No matter how talented you are, or how well you engage with an audience, you still need to get your name out there; if people have never heard of you, you’re unlikely to become successful any time soon.
Possibly though, you’ve already spent hours promoting your business, but failed to get the response you’d hoped for?
Here at Party Wizz, we understand that it’s not always easy to find time to work out the best way to attract new fans and convert them into sales. So, to help you promote yourself successfully, we’ve come up with a list of sales tips for entertainers.
Let’s get started.
Tell Your Story
Your story is your brand, and conveying it is imperative to your success. However, simply telling people what you do won’t cut it; you need to tell them how you started out, why you do it and what motivates you, or why you love performing. An authentic story creates a brand that stands out because it is unique to you.
Take Adam Kay for example. After witnessing a tragedy on an NHS maternity ward, he ditched a career in medicine to become a writer and comedian. Although his audience will not have experienced identical circumstances, they nevertheless relate to the way this would have affected his mental wellbeing.
Telling your story and explaining how you overcame any challenges you faced gets readers’ attention and helps them connect with you on an emotional level. Consequently, it is one of the best ways to build a relationship with potential clients.
Identify Your Target Audience
OK, so you know what your story is, but do you know who your target audience are?
The term ‘target audience’ refers to the specific group of people who are most likely to be interested in the type of entertainment you offer.
You should be asking yourself roughly how old these people are, which social media platforms they use, where they are based and what interests them.
Initially, you may feel that your target audience encompasses a broad demographic. However, it makes sense to narrow this down to those who are most likely to engage with the entertainment you’re offering. You can get your message across much more effectively if you’re not trying reach out to all and sundry. And a customised, targeted message is much more likely to yield financial returns.
Social Media
In January 2023, 84% of the UK population were classed as ‘active social media users.’ (Statista). Consequently, it’s vital that you have an active social media presence to connect with existing customers, attract new fans and build loyalty.
Before you rush to post content on several sites though, ask yourself which channel/s your target audience use. If, for instance, the demographic you want to connect with are mostly Facebook users, there’s little point posting on Snapchat.
Connect with fans:
- Ensure posts are relevant and engaging.
- Include videos and photographs that showcase your work.
- Always respond to messages!
- Keep your posts up to date.
- Like / comment on others’ posts too.
Network on Linkedin
As the saying goes, it’s not what you know, but who you know. Making connections with other professionals is just as important as reaching out to potential customers, which is why you need Linkedin.
As a social media site that’s designed specifically for business-to-business networking, it’s perfect for entertainers who want to grow their sales. Once you’ve set up your first-degree contacts (people you are directly connected with) you can ask them to introduce you to others with whom you can set up mutually beneficial relationships. For example, you might use a first-degree contact to introduce you to an events planner who is one of their direct contacts.
Website
Social media platforms are great places for building a fan base, but in order to get hired, you’ll need to have your own website too. This should include:
- Contact information, including a work email address.
- About you page – where you should share your story.
- Events page – are you performing somewhere?
- Photographs – compelling visual content gives viewers a sense of your personality and can depict a delighted audience too.
- Video clips
- Testimonials from happy customers
- Booking information
- Links to your social media accounts
Having your own website allows you to showcase everything you offer in one place, and it also makes you easy to find. When people are looking for an entertainer, they’ll often ask family and friends for suggestions. If your name comes up and you have a website, you’re much more likely to get hired than someone without one.
If you already have a website, make sure it’s up to date. Potential customers are likely to assume you’re no longer working if the last photos you added are five years old! Keeping your website up to date will also help you show up near the top of Google searches, which matters as it’s the top few results which get the greatest number of hits.
Don’t forget that a large percentage of potential customers will be viewing your website on a phone, so make sure it’s optimised for smart phones as well as tablets and computers.
Blog
Writing a blog can be an excellent way of selling yourself. Don’t make it sound too perfect though; others are much more likely to connect with you if you are authentic. Readers love to see that you have faults and problems, just as they do, and it makes you more relatable.
Be Consistent
Ensure that your marketing is the same across your website, blog and social media platforms. You may well feel that you are repeating yourself, but it’s important that your message conveys your brand consistently.
Enhance Your Reputation
Your personal and professional reputation needs to be exemplary, so ensure you do nothing to jeopardise it. This means:
- Doing what you say you will.
- Being an excellent communicator.
- Exceeding expectations.
- Being reliable.
- Being punctual.
Join PartyWizz
If you’re based in Ireland or in the UK, consider joining PartyWizz. An all in one booking platform for entertainers & event service providers.
We work with all kinds of entertainers and service providers. Singers, Photographers, Face painters, Magicians… If you work at events, you’re probably a good fit for PartyWizz!
Be Persistent
Even when you’re very busy, you should never stop promoting yourself and engaging with customers. You might have sufficient work to keep you going now, but that doesn’t mean you will have in the future. Fans soon lose interest if you drop off their radar, and there is also the risk that your competition will step in to fill the gap, or worse, lure your current clients away!
That’s A Wrap
We hope you’ve found these sales tips for entertainers useful and that they’ve given you a fresh perspective on how to increase your sales. If you’re based in Ireland or in the UK, consider joining PartyWizz:
