target marketing....BE THE SPECIALIST!

I have noticed that when people get into event entertainment they tend to want to be a jack of all trades and master of none. they are chasing every booking and wondering why they are not getting more. the fact is they are showing a scattered unfocused desperation to the potential clients.

I will talk about a lot of different forms of entertainment here to try and illustrate what I mean more clearly.

lets start with the young magician. he puts on his card

"magic for ALL occasions!
corporate, private,illusion, stage, close up, children..." yada yada yada...

now you have the seasoned pro who puts his card out like this.

Michael Magick
Corporate magician.
let us make your next event the best ever!

ok look at both of those for a moment......if you were wanting someone to impress your high end clients who would you book? the guy who looks like he is chasing work? or the guy that demonstrates professional confidence in his ability to help you get the most return on your investment?

the same goes for balloon twisting, face painting, or any other variety act or service. your marketing approach needs to be laser focused to the target audiance your seeking.

does this mean you can not market in more then one area? no way! but treat each area of specialization as its own business. as a magician I have a card for each type of magic i perform. i never use blanket cards. the goal is to be the "specialist" in the eyes of those that are booking you. you would not take your child to the dentist to have his tonsils out would you?

now lets put this in a perspective for face painters, and some of you will not agree with me here but hear me out.

as a painter you know that your skill set, supplies and inventory, and set up needs are different with each type of venue you do.
fairs and festivals (PPF)
private parties and events(hourly)
make up artist
body painter
henna artist

and so on. each one is a different specialty. each one has its own needs and challenges. each one has a different target market.....so why do most of you treat them as the same thing?

would you target everyone if your trying to sell womens shoes? no you would target women. you would place your marketing material in places with a strong womens presences.


I am hoping to get a dialog started here that everyone will take part in so that we all benefit from each others experience.

OH, this is a great post!!!!!! Gonna keep it in mind for my next set of cards!

Michael, thank you for this. I like your ideas very much and it's made me think about getting two kinds of cards. If you have more incredible ideas like this (I know you do), post away!! I'm all eyes ...  

Good advice, especially if you want more corporate gigs (where the money is). As much as I love to face paint, its not my best money maker. I combine my services on general advertising, but I also separate them for some marketing where I am dealing with companies that can afford the big $$ for services.

Its easy enough to throw things out there in conversation when they inquire about one or the other.

You have to put yourself in their shoes and think "What would I want for my dollar?" You would always want top notch - so promote yourself that way.

Thank you for your post. Love it.