7 Ways to Increase Your Bookings...
Want more bookings in 2024? Here's some ideas that will help you to achieve
this goal. Some can be implemented within minutes, others will take a bit
longer but the results will be worthwhile.
1. Update Your Website & Facebook Page
Keeping your
website fresh and up-to-date helps with your ranking in the search engines
and increases your chances of securing bookings too. If your last
testimonial was from 2009 then it won't instill confidence in potential
clients - either add some more up-to-date ones or remove the dates from your
existing ones.
Also add
your latest testimonials and photos from events onto your dedicated Facebook
page for your band. Encourage your clients to then share your posts with
family and friends who were at the event. This will increase the reach of
your service to new people and bring in additional enquiries.
If you
don't currently have a website or Facebook page then adding these as a
priority will make a huge difference to your marketing. Having somewhere to
send people who make an enquiry with you will vastly increase your chances
of converting it to a confirmed booking. The best part is that this is one
of the cheapest, yet most effective, forms of marketing currently available.
Starting a Facebook page for your band is free and a website need only cost
you the price of a domain name if you're prepared to do it yourself.
For a new website check out
MetaHost and free website
hosting for AMPband members can be found at
www.ampukhosting.co.uk
2. Directly Approach Local Hotels & Public Houses
There are several advantages you can gain over your competitors by doing a
bit of legwork in your local area. Firstly you get to meet the people who
could then refer you to potential clients. Meeting the decision makers
face-to-face for a chat makes a better impression than just sending them
information in the post or by email. Create a good impression and you could
become their preferred supplier.
Many venues will have an information board or an area for
local supplier literature so have some professionally produced posters,
business cards and brochures available to leave with them at the meeting.
Venues are always on the lookout for ways to increase their business. If
you can suggest some ideas for a new event to increase footfall into their
premises it will be beneficial to both parties.
3. Devise a
Follow-up System for all Enquiries You Receive
Experience
has shown that if you follow up on all the enquiries you haven't yet
converted, you will increase your conversion rate. It may only be 1 in 20
but hey, that's another booking on the calendar.
Prepare some short email templates
and send a follow-up two days after the initial enquiry and then another after seven days
if you haven't received a reply.
4. Revise & Update Your Templates
for Email Replies to Enquiries
Many clients now prefer
the initial contact to be made by email. It's important that your reply
is friendly and professional and also covers all the key elements of
your service. Simply replying with just a price gives your clients
nothing to compare you and any other bands they have made an enquiry with
apart from the price. OK so most clients will ask 'How much do you
charge?' because they don't know what else to ask but use your reply to
convince them that price is not the only consideration.
Spending
time now on composing an email template will save lots of time over the
next year as it will just need personalising for each enquiry which only
takes minutes. The template can also be easily updated during the year
to reflect new services or revised after feedback from clients.
5. Look at New Ways to Target Local Clients
You don't need to use a scatter-gun approach to reach new clients;
you can target specific groups that match your criteria. For example
with Facebook ads you can reach everyone in your area who has an
upcoming birthday or who has become engaged in the last 6 months. This
means that your advertising budget is only used to reach those people
who may need your service in the near future.
You can also put a
Google Adwords campaign in place and again be specific with your area
and keywords (you can even add negative keywords, for example -cheap
will exclude your ad from appearing if someone has used that word in
their search).
With both methods it takes a bit of time to get to
grips with and does need monitoring and tweaking every few weeks to get
the best results for your budget (which doesn't have to be high).
6. Produce a Video of Your Service
This is
one of the 'in' marketing tools. It doesn't need to be an epic
movie - just a few minutes long is best. Things to include: interviews
with previous clients, short clips of your performance etc. Keep the whole thing short and sharp to maintain the
interest of your audience.
Further tips & advice on
music videos is included here.
7. Compile a Free Guide to
Help People
You are an expert in your chosen field so
use your expertise to advise potential clients on how to plan a great
party/wedding reception.
Offering a free tips guide will show
that you are indeed a specialist who knows what it takes to create a
great event. It could be '7 Tips for a Great Birthday Party' and
include things like venue choice (even recommend some after your visits
in Tip 2), choosing the right band, having a theme to your party,
getting guests involved etc.
It's similar to the one you're
reading right now. Firstly come up with 7 headings and then expand on
each one with tips and advice. Make it unique to you and include ideas
for any additional services that you can offer.
8. Here's a Bonus One!
Having Public Liability Insurance cover will mean that you won't be
prevented from performing at some venues ...
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