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Why be a kids entertainer?

 As a DJ, one market that is generally overlooked is the kid’s entertainment market. If you perform Bar/Bat Mitzvahs or School Events, then you already have the experience to perform for children between the ages of 3 and 7 years old.

There are several pros and cons to providing children’s entertainment that you may want to consider. Among the advantages:

• Kid’s Entertainment can be profitable! If you set up a children’s entertainment program that appeals to the younger audiences, you can book your services for kid’s birthday parties. And parents SPEND MONEY for their kid’s birthdays. (Click this link for a feature from “Good Morning America” that tells more: http://youtu.be/mEH_G9MVqMw
• Potential clients such as Day Care Centers, Camps, Shopping Facilities, Sport Events are ALL looking for entertainment for kids, and will spend money on quality.
• You CAN increase weekday bookings with an entertainment program for kids.
• Performing for kids can open doors to bigger events as a mobile DJ (with the right marketing, networking and follow up.

The cons to performing for kids include:

• Even though your clients will spend money for your services, these events generally do not pay as much as your typical Wedding or Bar/Bat Mitzvah.
• Kid’s entertainment is NOT for everyone. If you are unable to be “kid friendly”, or you simply do not like kids, then you will not be successful. It WILL SHOW in your performances!

In considering whether you can or will provide kids entertainment, developing an entertainment program to market these services is important. If you can sing, then a program such as “Kiddie Karaoke” can work for you. A few changes in the library, as well as a kid friendly persona can help make you successful. If you are a Bar/Bat Mitzvah DJ, you probably offer games as part of your services. KIDS LOVE GAMES, and it can be an avenue into entertaining for younger kids. Promo Only offers 2 Music Video discs especially for younger kids which could be integrated into a program.

In developing a kids entertainment program (or becoming involved with one such as Bubble Parties.com or Campardy), there are a few things you need to know:

CLEAN MUSIC: Clean versions of music is a MUST! You will not go far as a kids entertainer with music that has inappropriate lyrics for children.

HAVE A “KID FRIENDLY” PERSONA: Hosting a kid’s birthday party and emceeing a wedding are totally different. You can not be in “Wedding Mode” when you are entertaining young kids. They LOVE entertainment that is funny and fun. In fact, every interactive dance that most brides and grooms hate can be elements to a successful kids party!

HAVE A PLAN: When developing your program or show, have it formatted out and remember that you need to keep the kids engaged for the entire performance. Planning your format out and spacing out interactive dances and games will allow you to keep your performance at a comfortable pace for kids.

BE ACCESSIBLE, BUT APPROPRIATE: As you begin to do your performances, you may find that kids will become “fans” of your kid friendly persona. As they do, they begin to look at you as a “friend”, which may mean that they may try to get a hug from you at the end of the show. Even though it is harmless, it can be perceived the wrong way. Also, remember you are a kids entertainer and not a parent, teacher or another person in authority. So correcting children at your event, or even disciplining them as if you were in these roles may not be a good idea. Be sure to ask for cooperation from those people in charge to help you with these aspects. They are rare, but they do happen!

As I said before, performing for young children is NOT for everyone. It does take a certain skill to be successful as a kids party entertainer. If you are looking to generate extra revenue for your DJ business, this is just one way…and it CAN BE FUN!

With over 20 years experience in the Mobile DJ industry, Rob Peters is the owner of Rob Peters Entertainment, Inc. located in Braintree, Massachusetts. Rob is an Endorsed Professional Entertainer, author of “The Business Of Mobile DJing” from ProDJ Publishing, and the owner of Bubble Parties.com, which offers a business plan and materials to help DJs make money performing Bubble Parties for children.

Rob is also known as “The Bubble Music Man” throughout the greater Boston area and performed over 180 children’s events in 2010. In 2010, The Bubble Music Man was a finalist for a Parent’s Pick Award from Nickelodeon for Best Kid’s Party Entertainer in Boston

 

Using Scaffolding at Events

The best thing we have done with our school dances is buying scaffolding. We bought the portable Bil-Jax system. It’s not always easy, nor fun, to pack and load, but it has saved our backs!

Even with low-lying crank stands, you still need a chair to reach up to the truss in a comfortable position. Rather than getting up and down every two feet (which strains your back and knees and can wear you out quicker), the scaffolding can hold you and a few lights. Not to mention that you can grab the trussing and use it to push your scaffolding alongside it. You can already imagine how much time this will save as well.

Buy tote bags for your extensions (especially the 5′ DMX) and hang them on the sides of the scaffolding so you have easy access to your cables, tie wraps, tools, etc.

As a bonus, you can use the Scaffolding as a cart. Set it at a low level and you can bring your speakers and most of your lights in one trip! This has reduced our overall load-in time by half and setup time by almost 25%!

You can even use two scaffolding rigs in lieu of speaker stands. Drape the scaffolding and place your tops on it (securely) and you have instant speaker stands that are more secure. Please do not place the speakers ON the poles of the scaffolding; I’m talking the flat surface itself. Make sure to paint the scaffolding black so it blends better. While I’ve only done this a handful of times, I’ve seen many other DJs do it, including my good friend, Johnny Dee of Ambassador Entertainment in the NE region.

We use BilJax scaffolding. It’s easy to set up and break down, it’s durable as it’s taken a lot of abuse, and it’s easy to maneuver. The wheels roll smoothly and they lock. All it takes is two out of four wheels to be locked to keep it from moving around if you’re going to stay stationary for a bit, but once all 4 wheels are locked, it’s not moving anywhere at all.

I’ve often thought about putting two together for makeshift staging. I just need to find out how much weight it could handle. This stuff is so versatile, you could use it for several parts of your setup! Scaffolding has MANY purposes, so explore as much as you can!

Keep in mind that this is not going to fit in a minivan, but if you’re doing school dances, you will need something bigger. If you have a trailer or a cargo van, the the load in will be much easier.

Remember: SAFETY FIRST! Follow all instructions and warnings. Pay attention to the weight limit and always give yourself 20% headroom. Make sure that the beams are LOCKED in or your scaffolding WILL collapse! Just like anything else, this is 100% safe until you cut corners.

Are You A School Dance Star?

I believe there is a DJ for every event and an event for every DJ. School events are a huge percentage of my business because I want them to be. Like many DJs, I have another job – I am also a school teacher. Believe me, this does not mean I am a “part time” DJ. It just means that I have little time for sleep! School events are a great fit for me because it brings together two realms I enjoy. My experience as an educator has provided me with a new frame of reference for which I am able to approach my school performances. I have begun to see many of the qualities I possess as an educator make me successful at performing school events. This is not to imply that one must be a teacher in order to do a great job playing a school dance, but I encourage you to evaluate your own personality and beliefs to determine if you really have what it takes to be a school dance star:

Do you believe that teenagers today can be trusted?
Do you leave yourself open to guests coming up to you during events?
Do you feel that most kids today lead drug, alcohol, and tobacco free lifestyles?
Do you believe that many teens are still naïve to explicit content in music today?
Do you think teens have an open mind when they are carrying on a conversation with you?
Can you guess the 10 most popular songs in the country right now without the list?
Are you OK with answering the same question multiple times?
Do you have a teenager of your own right now or spend at least 5 hours a day with one?

Count up your “Yes” responses above and score yourself!

Less than 4 – School events are not for you
4 or 5 – School events probably should not be your bread and butter, but you can pull them off
6 or more – You’re a school dance star!

Introduce Your Services to Schools Through Back to School Orientation Events

Make no doubt about it, July is the slowest month of the year around schools. Teachers and even most administrators are off for the entire month, away from their school buildings and rarely checking e-mail, if at all. However, in a mere 30 days back-to-school season will be in full swing, with schedule-pickups, freshman orientation lock-ins, and fall sports booster functions. A few industrious teachers and organizers ARE working in July to make preparations for these events. Back-to-school events such as these are some of my favorite to perform for the following reasons:

• They are usually held on a weeknight
• They are short – sometimes they only need us for an hour
• They are well-attended – you’ve got a captive audience and the students are excited about the coming year.
• They are a great way to introduce the school to your company, in hopes of booking big dances during the year.

Your marketing objective is to create the need for your services with this type of event. Here are a few tips for summer marketing to schools:

• Forget snail mail! No one is at the school over the summer. By the time your materials are read, the time will have come and gone.
• Be patient with e-mail responses. Some teachers check their email once a week or less during the summer. Even if you’ve engaged in an exchange with an organizer, don’t get impatient for answers.
• Be lenient with contract deadlines. Organizers can’t always get the appropriate signatures over the summer. I usually just offer to bring a contract the evening of the event if they are comfortable with that.

May your back-to-school events lead you into another successful year working with schools!

Inappropriate Dancing at Schools: What Can a DJ to do Help?

Several times each year, I come across an article in the newspaper or see a segment on the news discussing the increasing problem schools are having with inappropriate dancing at their school dances. The pieces always feature interviews of local school administrators to discuss what they are doing to curb the problem. Ultimately, an increased public awareness of the issue results and therefore increased sensitivity to it among school administrators. I’ve heard of some schools taking drastic measures, as far as cancelling dances altogether because of their concern over inappropriate dancing. In several of these instances, I’ve heard groups of students decided to host their own function because the school dance was cancelled. From a philosophical standpoint, I would much rather see students at school, in a safe, chaperoned environment, having fun at the dance, than out on the streets getting into the hundreds of worse alternatives available to them. For this reason, I believe dances need to be fun – on the students’ terms – but still within the scope of what is generally deemed acceptable for school settings.

DJs understand better than anyone that the inappropriate dancing concerns are nothing new and probably date back to Elvis in the 1950s or even before. Music evolves and so does kids’ dancing. Schools are working hard to keep dances safe and clean and going about it in many different ways.

Many schools will approach you, the DJ, as the first line of defense. Even for me as a school teacher and multi-op DJ owner for 15 years, this area turns very gray. There are certainly musical selections that are not appropriate for school settings based on lyrical content, but strictly using music as a means to control the type of dancing students are doing has never proven effective for me. Students will dance as they choose to anything short of Disney show tunes. Slow dances are somewhat effective for breaking up the dance floor a bit, and I can think of a few selections that elicit rough dancing, but for the most part the specific type of dancing that takes places is largely out of the DJ’s control.

So what is a school to do to keep the dancing clean? More importantly, what is a DJ to do when a school dance advisor brings up the conversation? As one of my school clients so eloquently put it, “this is a battle that must be won with the hearts and minds of the students.” There is no quick fix that any school or DJ can put into place to solve the problem overnight. Schools that are making headway with this issue are holding class meetings, putting segments on their video announcements, posting specific guidelines for inappropriate dancing, providing many chaperones at the dance, and enforcing the rules. There is no one magic solution and it really takes a substantial effort from the school – not just unloading the issue on to the DJ, setting him or her up for failure.

As a DJ serving schools, you must be committed to helping them address this issue, but not by making promises you cannot deliver on. The best way you can help is to be a resource for your school dance advisors, sharing with them ideas you’ve seen work well with other schools. Schools’ reputations hinge on their ability to provide a safe environment for their students and they will not put that reputation on the line for an extra-curricular dance. Savvy DJ business owners understand the future of their business is dependent upon loyal clients such as schools, so it is in their best interest to partner with the schools to develop solutions that satisfy everyone involved to allow dances to remain a fun part of the school culture.

Is there any MONEY in school dances?

I’m sure everyone’s heard it from the legions of wedding DJs on the boards and through other networking opportunities:
“We don’t do school dances because there’s no money in that market, schools are cheap, it requires too much equipment, etc.”
This article is going to discuss if there is any REAL money in the school dance market and if there is any truth to the above statement. Please keep in mind that this is one man’s opinion (and of course, a biased one… My company specializes in school dances and I keep this topic close to my heart). I will try to present the facts as I have seen them over the years working hundreds of school dances.

Is there any truth to the statement that “there is no REAL money in school dances?” Absolutely! I would say for a lot of mobile DJ companies, it simply is not worth their time or investment to pursue this market. It takes a certain kind of DJ, a certain kind of company, and certainly a different business plan to effectively attack the school dance market. If someone thinks they can just send a few flyers out to pick up a few dances on Fridays throughout the year, they should save their time and money! As with any market in the DJ business (and probably any business), you have to dedicate yourself to make it happen.

First let’s look at what is required to perform successfully at school dances (generalizations, of course). One would need big sound, big lights, big transportation for the sound and lights, the newest music, the knowledge on the newest music (having it and knowing it are two different things), and the ability to deal with rude students. Does is sound like a lot of work? Absolutely! Does it sound completely different than a wedding? Yep! Keeping up on current music, along with the larger gear requirements can get very expensive, but there is a tradeoff. School dances generally do not require the pre-planning meetings or time that a wedding requires. Photo montages, love stories, multiple meetings with the engaged couple and their families, and ceremony systems simply do not exist in the school dance market. School dances are big sound, big lights, and big energy for 3 hours. This is why it takes a different business plan and business approach to successfully engage in the school dance market.

Next, let’s look at the payout for school dances. There is the low end of the spectrum where the schools only have a few hundred dollars for their entertainment, but there are also the “high-profile” events that often budget thousands of dollars for their entertainment. There are schools in our area that will pay over $4,000 for their entertainment several times per year. The key is being able to handle and perform the high-profile events while making that school a long-term client. Just with the wedding industry, there are those clients that don’t fit your business just as though your business doesn’t fit their needs. There are very loyal school clients and very fickle school clients. It is important to take the time to build relationships with genuinely good clients that can budget for your entertainment while you perform beyond their expectations.

The school dance market is great for referral and repeat business. Schools have an average of 3-5 events per year, every year. If your company performs flawlessly at a school, you could have a repeat client throwing thousands of dollars your way every year. If you can land multiple schools for multiple events over multiple years, you can see how that could add up to be substantial money.

As I stated above, you have to dedicate yourself to this niche market. If you were to show up to a high school homecoming with two speakers on sticks, a tripod light system, wedding music library, and YMCA hats, that would be the last time you would work at that school. I have written another article on DJU dedicated to performance and gaining repeat business entitled “Tips to Make Them Want You Back”. That article explains in more detail how to keep the repeat schools calling!

The school dance market is not without its own problems, though. There are two large, insurmountable problems that will affect your business plan and ultimately, the money you take it. The first problem is that school business is very seasonal. Schools are only in session for nine months of the year, and they generally only have dances at certain times of the year (forget November and March, they’re usually dead months). Another problem is that most schools have their big dances around the same time. For example, EVERY school in Chicagoland has their Homecoming dance on a Saturday in September or October, so a single system operator can perform at a maximum of 6-7 Homecoming dances. Ultimately, your business plan will have to adjust to compensate for these problems (market Sweet 16s & Mitzvahs throughout the year, add multiple systems, etc) as it will for other bumps along the road.

Overall, school dances can be very lucrative for a certain type of DJ. If you enjoy performing for teens, this can be a very successful endeavor for your DJ business. If you can’t handle the “in-your-face” attitude that teenagers sometimes present, this market may not be for you. Please feel free to PM me with any questions!

The School Gig – Tips to Make Them Want You Back

The key to true profitability in the school dance market these days is repeat business. With the amount of money it costs to send out quality marketing material that has a decent return rate, repeat business is almost required to make the school dance market worthwhile. There is nothing better, easier, and more profitable than a long-term school dance client. We have certain schools that have used our services for a decade; here are a few tips and tricks we have learned to help build our repeat business. 

Be reliable and easy to work with

It may seem like a no-brainer, but this is the number one way to gain repeat school business. As DJs, we sometimes forget about what REALLY is important to our clients (the TEACHERS, not the students). While we are focused on the best possible performance, wow factor, and the overall success of the dance (e.g., how much the students danced, how good of a time they had, etc), the teacher’s definition of a successful dance and an excellent DJ is usually quite different. Their list of factors usually includes profanity-free music, a DJ that is ALWAYS on time and very reliable, and someone that is easy to work with (answers their phone calls during the week, returns emails in a timely manner, answers any and all questions, etc). Basically, peace of mind is the most important element a teacher looks for in a DJ. They will be busy running the dance and dealing with any issues that may arise during the event. Knowing they have a reliable DJ that does not need any babysitting makes their job a lot easier!

Solid performance vs. gimmicks

All companies should have their little gimmicks that help them sell their services to schools. These are what usually set DJ companies apart. Whether it is interactive dancers, glow products, or confetti, these gimmicky items may help you book events. These items may help you book the initial dance and help set your company apart from the rest, but your solid DJ performance along with more-than-adequate sound and lighting will be the elements that have the students and teachers calling you back. Gimmicks get you the clients, PERFORMANCE keeps those clients!

New Flavor

When performing at a school multiple times over the course of multiple years, you need to make sure your show has some “new flavor.” Offer different add-ons (add-ons and gimmicks are great, but don’t base your repeat business off the fact that you’re the only DJ in the area with dance platforms or interactive dancers), different packages, and different equipment to your clients. Let them choose if they want to switch it up each time or keep the same show year after year. We have both types of clients. We have clients that book the exact same package for every dance, every year. We also have schools that will try a new package/add-on combination every time. Whether they decide to “try new things” or want the same show, make sure you offer it to them. Also, you MUST keep current on music. The music you played at that dance one month ago is probably completely different than the music you play this month. Keep it new, keep it fresh, and switch up the ordering and flow of music each time.

 
Teacher vs. Student client

There are two different ways the schools book DJs. Teachers can either book the DJs themselves or they can leave the decision up to the students, the first being the easiest and best way to build repeat business. If the teachers allow the students decision-making power and the job of hunting for a GREAT DJ for their dance, it will be much harder to build repeat business. Usually these are the teachers that are too busy to be bothered with such miniscule tasks as booking entertainment for their event (sigh) so the entire school is at the mercy of the student council president, class president, etc. Sometimes the only contact you have with the staff at the school is their signature on the contract and a quick phone call (“Hey our dance is this weekend; we’re just making sure you’re still showing up”). You perform the dance and do a great job, but it sometimes won’t matter. The next year, the new student council president will probably start from scratch, cold calling all the DJs in the area. You may be lucky enough for them to remember how great of a time they had at last year’s event, but that is not to say they will even have your contact information anymore.

While we will certainly book an event no matter who calls, our repeat business concentrates on the teachers. We send out a “Thank You” letter at the end of the school year reinforcing our marketing, contact information, and name. We also send out holiday cards in December, which also reinforces our name (We usually get a surge in the “Oh yeah, now’s a great time to book next semester’s dances, let’s give them a call” clients). We focus on building relationships with the teachers that run these events. They know us by first name and we know them by first name. They trust that we will be at their school to perform in rain, snow, tornado, or any other circumstance, and we trust that we will be paid in full for our services (of course we have a contract just in case)!

I’m going to sum up this entire article in one sentence: The best way to gain repeat business is to be easy to work with, extremely reliable, customer service oriented, and have a performance that keeps students interested and having a good time.

Pursuing The School Market : The “P” Factor

When you are talking about school dances you have to remember what I like to call, “The ‘P’ Factor”: Personality, Performance, Professionalism and Persistence. Let us take them in order.
Personality – No matter what you do at a gig, no matter how good you or your gear is, if you are a jerk people will not hire you back at any price. You have to be friendly and schmooze with everyone – the teachers, students, chaperons – even the custodians. Try and get the names of as many people in charge as you can and then use them. Doesn’t it make you feel better when a photographer uses your name other than saying “hey Mister DJ?”Also, you must BE a personality. In these days of radio station sponsored DJ companies, you have to be able to stand out. Don’t be afraid of using your name during the dance. Introduce yourself and not only say your company name, but your name also. The students will relate to you better and you won’t be that anonymous DJ like they had last time. Have giveaways made up with your name on them or have a “DJ Chuck Party Crew.”

During the dance you can use students as guest DJs and make them part of your show. Don’t just sit back and “push play,” get a light to shine on you and BE a personality! I know of okay DJs who get hired over and over again just because of their personality.

Performance – This can mean different things to each DJ. We can no longer just stand back and “push play.” In order to take our profession to the next level and make the kind of money we all would love to be making, we have to improve our show. Spend a little to make a lot. Buy it and it will fit!

Your performance might mean being “in the mix” and wowing students with the skills and tricks you can do on turntables. It might mean audience interactiveness with games, props and contests. Whatever your style is make sure that you draw the crowd in.

One of the best ways to do this is with your mic technique. Good mic technique is essential in getting to that next level. There are thousands of great mixers, you also need to be a great MC and audience motivator. A solid sounding wireless microphone/headset is the best way to go. It leaves your hands free to mix while you get the crowd going. Like Sly says, ” I wanna take you higher!” Take your crowd there. And, always remember that at school dances the crowd might just want to dance. Don’t let your ego get in the way of giving the students what they want. After all, that is the bottom line.

Professionalism – You see it everywhere. A phrase that is way overused. I would bet it is on seventy percent of business cards, ” PROFESSIONAL MOBILE DJ COMPANY.” The question is: “What is a professional?” That is another whole story in itself. However, when it comes to school engagements, there are a few basics that will show the people in charge you are worth the extra money they have paid you. After all, the first thing a professional does is charge more than the weekend warrior. Most schools are smoke and drug free zones so professionals never smoke or do any drug at school dances. One of the most asked questions is: “Are you bringing guests ?” Of course, the professional never does. You bring the people you need to run your show, never more. Leave the girlfriend or boyfriend at home. Leave your friends there also. If you bring somebody with you, make sure you put him or her to work. There is nothing a teacher hates more than to see a “groupie” sitting in a chair behind the DJ or a friend hanging around checking the girls out. If your friend HAS to come, have them take requests, set up games or activities, interact with the students or if they are good at it, have them schmooze.

A professional takes great care in the set up and appearance of their show. Hide your cables and cords. Who do you think you are, a band? Carry your gear in road cases when possible. Purchase real DJ gear. Stay away from home stereo equipment and homemade lighting effects. It not only looks unprofessional but will always let you down in the long haul if not right through the starting gate. You may think you are saving money, but believe me, you are not.

Finally, dress for success! For load in get you crew into matching shirts with your company logo on the front. Nothing looks more professional than matching shirts and/or jackets. Change for the show. I call them “show clothes”. Do you think teachers and students really want to see you wearing the same thing they are? Dress a step above the crowd. If there is a theme dance, ie: disco, beach or 50s, wear something to go along with the theme. The student council will love it and in turn will hire you back. Step up and in turn you will make more money.

Persistence – DJs always ask me: “Chuck, how do I break into a new school?” One word, PERSISTENCE! You might get lucky and get a bunch of calls from that first school mailing, but usually it takes a while. Mail, call, mail and call. In between these, send postcards, magnets, pens, whatever you might have to get their interest up. Don’t give up. I personally hate cold calling but whenever I do it, I always book a gig or two and tell myself I need to do it more. By calling the school and asking if the activity director is available and then giving him or her your pitch, you have a good chance of booking a dance. You never know when a good time is to call. If you know teenagers in your area and they go to school dances, ask them how their last dance was. Find out when the next dance is and the day afterward talk to them. Maybe the DJ was weak. Maybe their speakers blew and the dance ended early (I’ve heard this more times than you would think!), maybe they didn’t even show up! Or maybe they were just jerks. Call the school the next Monday and talk to the person in charge of the next dance. Chances are they are not going to want that same DJ and “Wow, how cool it is that you called, we do need a DJ for our next dance!” Remember, NEVER, EVER give up! I get calls from mailings that I did four years ago. It always amazes me. If I lose a school or they change teachers or find a cheaper DJ, I do not write them off, I wait. They will come back. Schools are a great source of Friday night cash and you want some of that. RIGHT?! Of course you do!

Marketing for Schools

When it comes to marketing schools remember one thing, you have to do it over and over again. The bad thing is that every year the student groups change. At the high school level this can be a pain. At the middle school level it is not as bad because the teacher in charge, or the Activities Director usually stays on year after year. There are some schools that I have worked with the same A.D. for eight years! Other schools change a lot. You just have to take the good along with the bad, but most of the time once you are in, you are IN!
Just like in sales of any kind you need to qualify your schools to fit your needs. Some schools may like a great mix of music while others only like one style such as Hip-Hop or House. If you go into a school for which you are not prepared, it will be a terrible experience for both you and the students.If you have a large DJ company you might have to put the right DJ at the right school. All it takes are a few questions from you when booking the dance. Don’t be shy and ask things like the make up of the student body or do they play a radio station during lunch and if so which one. This will give you an idea what you are getting into.

When designing your flyers for schools think hip! Students don’t want to see wedding promos or boring pictures. Use bright colors, cool graphics and show some pizzazz. One of the best investments I ever made was a professional shot of my light show. You can tell people that you have Robo Scans, Beamers or whatever, but show them a picture with a big WOW factor and you will win half the battle. Have a bubble machine? Show them! Do not take this picture yourself. Unless you are a part time professional photographer with all the right gear, your shot will not be worth it. You don’t want somebody to rent a jukebox do you? Hire a pro! It will be worth it in the long run.

Now you have got your picture and some cool graphics, what do you say? Each area is different. If you are in an area that likes Country and Western music you are not going to use a lot of Hip-Hop wording or street talk. Make your promo geared toward your area. You always want to tell people in short easy to read lines. Let them know how professional you are, or that you take requests, or that you have the best light show or sound system in the Tri-State area. However, don’t ever stretch the truth. Schools see lots of DJs and if you think they won’t know any better, you are wrong. Let them know how much fun you are and also where you have played. List things that you do that set you apart from the competition. Use quotes from past Activities Directors.

Although you want to get enough facts in your promo material, it’s also important that you don’t pack too much information into the flyer. You want just enough to wet their appetite. Do be sure to put your phone number on every page! If people have to look for your number they might not call! People often buy on impulse. You want them to read it and call you NOW!

When it comes time to mail, who do you mail to? Call the schools at which you have decided you would be willing to play. We all have our own boundaries. Will you drive two hours to a school? Maybe you’d prefer to drive only an hour or less.

To start off, when you do your first mailing to a school, you want the blanket effect. For the first couple of years, mail everyone. As time goes on you can narrow your field. To start off, you should mail each class advisor, all the student class presidents, the prom committee, dance committee and other groups that may have something to do with dances. Some DJs also mail the PTA or other parent teacher groups. This may mean that each school is getting five or six packages and that’s okay. It gets your name out there. Like any other market, you have to start big.

I do my first mailing the first week of school. Then I do another mailing in January. Some DJs mail every other month to push for each type of dance i.e.: homecoming, after the game, winter formal, spring fling, prom and graduation. Here again it depends on your market and the size of your company. A single system person might not need the phone calls that ten system company might, so they can be more selective.

You can get the phone numbers and addresses that you need from your local library or you can call the State Department Of Education and request a listing of the schools. There is also the phone book. I’m sure that you may be even able to search the internet by areas to find the schools.

Once you get the numbers call the school and put a smile on your face. A smile carries over to the tone in your voice and people are more willing to help you out when you start asking for five or six names. Also take the time to confirm the address to which you will be mailing.

Always be honest and explain to them that you have a DJ service and would like to mail some information about your service. If you think you have the time, see if the Activities Director is available. Introduce yourself and give him or her your pitch. It is really amazing how many dances you can book just by asking! One word of warning, NEVER CALL THEM KIDS! It’s always students or student. When talking to anyone at a school never ask ” how many kids do you have come to your dances?” It’s always “how many students do you have come to your dances?”

It might even pay for you to do a free lunch time promo. When starting out be prepared to go all the way! Don’t be afraid to be persistent. You may call one day and the next is the day that they are planning a dance.

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