What do you guys think of Gig Salad?

I was just wondering if any of you use gig salad and how you would rate it? Do you get gigs from it? Which package do you use and/or suggest is best? I don't really wanna put a lot of money in something and not get any results.

I get good enough results without having to pay...so I haven't upgraded.

what I HATE about it is that if you give a quote and the person says they don't want it, GIGSALAD harasses you with emails and notes saying basically (not a quote, just the jist of it)"you better not be booking outside of gigsalad or you will be banned"


really offensive to my senses, as I am not the type of person to do underhanded crap like that, so I just don't enjoy it for that aspect.

however, all the warnings go away as soon as a client signs the booking agreement.

the other thing I HATE is that gigsalad will gladly collect DEPOSITS and booking fees....but will NOT let the client pay the balance.

you have to do that part separately, and that really sucks because sometimes the client is unable to do it separately without a ton of work on their end.which, if they aren't willing to put in that extra effort, they will go elsewhere..



LUCKILY, "elsewhere" is usually gigmaster.


nothing thrills me more than seeing a quote request on gigsalad, gigmaster AND thumbtack, all by the same person but all with different vital bits of information....luckily I have all 3, so I can compile the data and give an accurate quote.
the bonus of having all three is 1)don't have to pay a fee on thumbtack, 2)can draw up the contract on gigsalad, 3)bigger gallery on gigmaster.
I also am able to gather the contact info of the client this way-either the phone number, venue, date, time, length of party, expected guests, and even find out how many other people already responded saying yes or no.





as a stand alone, I rate gigsalad a 7 out of 10....in combination with gigmaster and thumbtack, gigsalad is a 10.
if you want to pay for it, go ahead...but if you check google, gigmaster is a link above gigsalad....which in my opinion, means more people will hit up gigmaster before checking gigsalad...so if you invest, i'd go with gigmaster because it works out well for me.

Wow! That sounds kind of complicated. Thank you for all your insight Nikki.

I read what I could find from all three to compare and it seems that gigsalad is the only one that is totally free for the vendor unless you choose to upgrade. It seems that gigmasters charges a 5% fee to do a booking and that thumbtack charges $1.67 to quote a gig... not sure if I got that right but, sites like this ain't cut & dry...

Thanks so much for taking time to give me your opinion on this. I can see how all 3 may help you give a better quote.

Have you had any trouble collecting your deposits and how long does it usually take?

May I ask what you mean by gigsalad? I don't quite understand what gigsalad is? Is it a sort of booking agent or what?

Creabella wrote:May I ask what you mean by gigsalad? I don't quite understand what gigsalad is? Is it a sort of booking agent or what?

Gigsalad is kinda like kapaza and the likes, but especially for booking facepainters, artists, bands, etc. You can advertise your business, and people contact you through Gigsalad.

http://www.gigsalad.com/

Its a website that u can list your services or business on and customers go there seeking various services and they list u to choose from and then if customer selects u then u can give quote for gig.

I have the upgraded version of gigsalad. I swore I wouldn't do it, but changed my mind so I could list my website on my promo kit. It generates more web traffic and boots my google ratings, so I figure it's a cost of doing business. Besides, with the business it sends me, which I can book outside of gigsalad, it pays for itself. I don't pay a booking fee to gigsalad for individual bookings anymore and I have direct access to the customer's email and phone number, so I can call them and pitch my services directly.
And I don't get any harassing emails about NOT booking outside GS, because that's how it works. You either pay for the upgraded version, or pay a booking fee to book THROUGH GS. Either way, you pay something. I just chose this way, because it means I am dealing directly with the client, which is my preference.

profile visits
396/2,246
90 Day/All Visits

in the past 90 days I received over 98 gig leads my close rate is around 38% of leads received.

that is way above average for a lead close rate.

I am featured on gigsalad and as such im the first one to get hit up. I have it going to email, text message so i get the alerts right away and respond to them within 5 minutes. im the first one hit, the first one to respond, and i normally close the gigs I want. a turn away a lot of gigs because they do not pay enough or it is to far to travel for what they are willing to pay.

I would rate gigsalad high if you are featured in a area that has a lot of competition. it costs me less then $30 a month so one performance pays for almost 7 months for me.

^^^^all good advice...

in the previous area, i was the only facepainter within the area, so i was always the top of the list...

that really does make a big impact!

and yes, if you pay for membership, you will not have the issue about booking outside of gigsalad....

try out the free version-if you get a good amount of business, you may not need to pay, especially if you are the only one in that area.



and also, it is basically an online booking agency.....i find that if you respond immediately-like mike said, you will book a hire percentage of your quotes.


not only do i respond right away-but i will also follow up with a phone call to help seal the deal on the gigs i REALLY really want.

novice tammy wrote:
Have you had any trouble collecting your deposits and how long does it usually take?

never had a problem, which is why i really like gigsalad
it takes 3-4 days, because it goes to my paypal account.

My best bet then would be to go for free one and try it out... Thanks everyone for all the input.

your best bet is to do a search on gigsalad and see how many hits you get for your area. then give your self every edge you can get. do the same for every city you will be working in. see how many people are doing what you do and how much they are charging.

just a simple search on competition in ashville

google pace painting in ashville
https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&q=face+painting+in+Asheville,+NC&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&channel=suggest

gig salad in your area Results 1-15 of 145 front page is featured artists
http://www.gigsalad.com/Variety/Face-Painter/NC/Asheville

when I did a search for you personally I came up with all kinds of hits just not your company when searched for face painting. hope this helps you make a decisiion. all the best!

Michael Magick

Thanks Michael. When I searched gig salad for face painters there are 2 that are close to me.Which made me think to maybe sign up for the semi-pro...(just can't afford the featured right now) My daughter is a balloon twister and when I searched that there are none listed on gig salad for Asheville. So, wondering if maybe should list as balloon twister instead? But we offer both for 1 price for parties & events. I'm going to try the free, and if get some hits will probably go pro.

and you're right about google search. I clicked on your link and my website homepage is on the 3 page.. my yelp ad on the 2nd page, but gig salad and thumbtack right up at the top....
Appreciate the help!

no problem Tammy, the beauty of gigsalad is that you can list face painting and balloons both! on the same account. Shannon and I offer

magic
mentalism
psychic readings
balloon twisting
face painting
santa

and like 10 other types of entertainment.

novice tammy wrote:Thanks Michael. When I searched gig salad for face painters there are 2 that are close to me.Which made me think to maybe sign up for the semi-pro...(just can't afford the featured right now) My daughter is a balloon twister and when I searched that there are none listed on gig salad for Asheville. So, wondering if maybe should list as balloon twister instead? But we offer both for 1 price for parties & events. I'm going to try the free, and if get some hits will probably go pro.

and you're right about google search. I clicked on your link and my website homepage is on the 3 page.. my yelp ad on the 2nd page, but gig salad and thumbtack right up at the top....
Appreciate the help!

monopolize whenever you can.

if there are no twisters, GET IN THERE.

with the free account, you can only choose one-but if you pay, you can list more.

definitely list that you are twisting.
you can use a picture of facepainting so when the client looks you up as the only twister, they will see your art and know you paint.


many times, they want both.

I loved gig salad till they required payment for leads. I ditched them after that & had myself removed from their site....

thanks... I think I will go for the free one and try it with the twisting as the main category, and good idea about the pic of both!