Where to Start With Marketing

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DJRayne

New DJ
Dec 31, 2011
9
0
26
Hello,

I am new in the DJ business. I am in high school. I am just interested in doing some parties for my friends, school, church etc. Bottom line is I don't know how to market my service in the right way. So any advice for how to do this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
Rayne, it all starts with you and your personality. Also, professionalism goes a long way towards people looking favorably upon you. I don't mean bussiness plans and top level gear, etc. Dressing appropiate to the event, edited music, legal music (that's a biggie around these parts). Having some sort of even basic contract helps as well.

Basically, word of mouth is the ultimate marketing and advertising...but it takes some time to get things rolling. A small run of business cards, and a website are probably the place to start. If you can get through all of the crap some of the members will give newbies, there's a lot of folks here who are willing to help out by taking a look at a website, business card designs, etc and offering feedback. Just if you offer up anything for feedback, be ready to hear the good, the bad and the ugly.
 
I would say starting with a written marketing plan and then matching it to a financial plan is the way to start. In other words, write down what you would like to do and how you plan to pay for it. This will serve as a map or blueprint for your marketing. You can expect to change it often as new opportunities come and go. Maybe your plan is: I want to get some school mates parties but I have $0 budgeted. So now you have a small plan and need to figure out ways to work within your plan like: Ok I can have an art class friend design a flyer with contact info like Facebook, use the school copier to print some, distribute during lunch and book thru facebook. You now have a marketing plan! It's kinda simple really but working it out on paper first then executing it will build a sound foundation. There's an old saying I was told, " Start F'ed up, end F'ed up" Rock on lil dj.

Paul
 
There are plenty of free ways to market yourself. In addition to a website, put together a Facebook Page. Most neighborhoods and communities have Facebook pages and you can usually do free advertising on those pages. I have a community Facebook page that lets local vendors advertise on every Wednesday. I place a link to my business Facebook page every Wednesday and sometimes offer incentives for people to "Like" my page. I have booked a few gigs this way.

Also, in my community there are clubhouses that I have been placed on the preferred list. Since I live in the neighborhood, I just went to the facilities manager when I first got here, introduced myself, and gave her a bunch of my cards and told her I lived in the neighborhood. After doing a few events, she saw I was trustworthy, and added me to the list. I get calls all the time now as I am usually the first person she referrs people to who book weddings there.

You can also sign up with two services I like, Decidio, which you can sign up with for $20 and pay 1$ per lead they throw you. It is worth it, although my Decidio leads have slowed way down for some reason. The second service is Gigmasters. It is a bit more expensive, but they send a ton of referrals to you. You must bid against others, but it is not as bad as it sounds.

Once you do all this, keep doing gigs and events and make sure you give your clients extra cards and tell them to tell all their friends they know about you. Most are happy to do so if you did a great job with them. It takes some time, but maybe these sussgestions will help you.
 
I was fortunate enough to meet up with the guy who owned the most popular DJ business in my area
(I was attending a wedding he was DJ-ing)
after chatting for a little while, he asked me if I wanted to work for him
and started me out with the gear, the music, and the gigs...

like most of the good things in my life....
it was pure luck and a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

but for you, try contacting the other local DJ's and see if they need some help.
you may start out hauling gear, rather than playing music...
but you can learn a lot sitting on your butt, if you pay attention and ask questions.

J Mac is correct. WORD OF MOUTH is your best selling tool
so if you're good...
the more you work, the more work you'll get
 
Get a website, make it look good. Contact info. Word of mouth. Print out some eye catching flyers, hang them up locally on public bulletin boards in stores. Business cards. Talk about it to people. Youtube videos of gigs, pictures........They're are many ways..... Start doing gigs, offering gigs at a low price, and have fun!
 
craigslist. I suggest $50 per night (don't forget to require free food).

Don't mind Rick he's scared of new things ;)

I was in your position 23 years ago Rayne back when marketing was much harder.

I don't think anyone can give you a right response here because we don't know your market or your budget for marketing if you have one but there are some great ideas here. Paul hit it on the head with have a plan and stick to it. Determine how much you have to spend, how much you can get for free and go from there. There is nothing wrong with Craiglists type sites regardless what the DJ elite would have you think. Anything free that gets the name out is good. Wedj.com, partypros.com and many others offer free advertising. As someone mentioned Facebook has been good to many of us.

Look at what others are doing in your market and do it better
 
Don't mind Rick he's scared of new things ;)

I was in your position 23 years ago Rayne back when marketing was much harder.

I don't think anyone can give you a right response here because we don't know your market or your budget for marketing if you have one but there are some great ideas here. Paul hit it on the head with have a plan and stick to it. Determine how much you have to spend, how much you can get for free and go from there. There is nothing wrong with Craiglists type sites regardless what the DJ elite would have you think. Anything free that gets the name out is good. Wedj.com, partypros.com and many others offer free advertising. As someone mentioned Facebook has been good to many of us.

Look at what others are doing in your market and do it better

Good advice Jeff, and Rick totally forgot about the free beer clause.
 
Haha thanks for the advice. I did some major talking today and I scored a smaller gig with a friend in a few weeks for about 50 people. I will get 50 bucks off it. I think I'm gonna spend it on a new pair of speakers as mine are for smaller gigs or studio recording. Thanks again
 
Don't mind Rick he's scared of new things ;)

Actually, I was entirely serious about Craigslist. If you're starting out I can't think of anywhere you can get as much traction as there.....and for zero dollars investment. I was entirely kidding about the $50 and the food.
 
Actually, I was entirely serious about Craigslist. If you're starting out I can't think of anywhere you can get as much traction as there.....and for zero dollars investment. I was entirely kidding about the $50 and the food.

Rick is right.

I've been at it a long time and I still use Craigslist. It's free... did I mention that it is free? There's room for everyone there. If you make up a tasteful ad and remember to be honest, you'll do well. If you scream PRICE like most of the C/L DJ's, you'll get lost in the shuffle. Be sure to be on the top of your game when you get calls or emails for gigs. Write constructive sentences in emails, speak well and clearly on the phone. Don't get bummed out when things don't light right up for you...it takes a while. How bad do you want to be successful as a DJ? Perseverance will pay off.

Best,

Paul
 
Get a website, make it look good. Contact info. Word of mouth. Print out some eye catching flyers, hang them up locally on public bulletin boards in stores. Business cards. Talk about it to people. Youtube videos of gigs, pictures........They're are many ways..... Start doing gigs, offering gigs at a low price, and have fun!
Don't forget as you improve your prices need to improve. Don't make the mistake of staying at the bottom ttoo long. Look at ways to improve on your business and i said business because you need to think of it as such if you're to get somewhere. Have fun but don't forget you're running a business.
It also helps when doing a gig (depending on the type of gig) that you don't wear your pants hanging off your butt like probably some of your friends do. Get you at least one suit to wear when doing gigs so people can take you seriously. That means looking professional when doing gigs. Hope this helps.