Yellow
Pages Or Not!
For
the working magi, tweaking and planning an
advertising strategy is a necessary ritual.
Like a general plotting his next troop movements,
the magician must plan where to advertise
his or her services - while attempting to
maximize value for cost.
While
advertising often works - sometimes it doesn't.
It also depends on what area you are situated
in. Local papers, free papers and even cards
in shop windows can help, but many venture
into the Yellow Pages. Over the years, on
and off, I've appeared within the pages of
this directory which is fairly large, because
Devon is a wide area.
I've
had small one-line ads, which cost a ridiculous
100 English Sterling with no real blurb, as
well as illustrated display ones that cost
a good sight more.
The
sales people from Yellow Pages are always
keen and persistent in obtaining your advertisement.
The trouble is they don't always have your
best interest at heart. They obviously wish
to sell you the largest space they can. They
never seem to study your profession. One girl
said, "Mr. Adair, you will be out every moment
of the day if you place an ad in our pages."
I replied, "Amazing, because as a children's
entertainer, the children are at school all
day!"
Just
how many shows we do a week means it is often
impossible to receive back the best from advertising
in a volume such as Yellow Pages. Another
girl assured me "You will receive bookings
from all parts of Devon and Cornwall." I shook
my head and told her I didn't really want
to perform children's birthday parties down
in Penazance. There are others living there
who would obviously charge less, and the distance
would be out of the question. Yellow Pages
are distributed miles and miles over the country,
but many times your paying for exposure in
areas you really can't service. "I was turning
down more distant work than the more accessible
work I was accepting."
It
is always important to note how many others
in your profession are advertising against
you, and who your competitors are. Competitors
are more then the other magicians in your
area - they are other types of entertainers,
mimes, ventriloquist, clowns, etc. It is also
important to study different sizes of space
available and, if you are going ahead, how
much you can afford.
The
usual assurance, "you don't have to pay now,
we will bill you later" always makes me smile.
It almost sounds as if they are giving it
away free!
Yellow
Pages are a thing of the past for me, but
many magicians and members may well disagree
with me.
