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For this October,
we turn the monthly article over to a friend who has graciously offered
to write about clown marketing, while we are overwhelmed with preparing
our Costume Shoppe for Halloween rentals. Thank you for preserving
our sanity, Brittany!
Hey
Clowns, How’s Your Marketing Going?
I’m Brittany Allen, owner
of Red Nose Design, a graphic design company dedicated exclusively to
the marketing needs of our clowning family. Oh yeah, I’m also a clown
named Zoe :.)
I thought I’d take a moment
to share with you a few ideas and tips that might be helpful to you
in marketing your business. Here are a few that you may find useful…
Brand Yourself – No
silly goose, not like a cow… Think of branding yourself as developing
your public image. From your business cards to your advertising pieces,
to your thank you notes, (you do send out thank you notes, don’t you?)
you should strive to present a polished, professional appearance that
is reflective of not only your clown character, but also your professional
approach to business.
By consistently including your
logo or photo on all your printed materials, you reinforce your existence
in the marketplace as a talented, professional entertainer. Don’t
skimp on quality. Again, these pieces represent you! While business
cards may be small in size, their impact is HUGE! Your business card
plays an important role in helping to establish your brand. From the
moment you hand one out, they leave a lasting impression.
KISS -- “Keep It Simple
Silly” In my 20 years of designing, the most common problem I see
is too much stuff in too small a space!
Your business card should be
every bit as readable as any other professional’s. Flyers should be
fun, colorful and attention grabbing, but simple enough to clearly deliver
your message.
With all the computer programs
out there now, many of you can put together flyers on your own, but
if you know you are out of your league, find a designer to help you.
There is truth in the old saying, “you never get a second chance to
make a first impression.” If you are up to doing it yourself, here
are some things to remember when creating your card, flyer, or printed
advertisement:
• Is there a clear message
to what you are offering?
• Is there a good strong
headline? For example; “Is your Fall Festival Missing a Big Red Nose?”
• Less is more. Do you really
need to list every single thing you do? Or include 15 pictures of yourself?
Simplify - “Cute & fun” can be clean and simple.
• Is it clear and easy to
read? A great design teacher once told me NEVER use more then 3 fonts
in a design and always have your “basic important information” in
a nice simple font, not something so curly or funky you have to strain
to read it.
• Use only high quality pictures…
It’s a reflection on you; pixilated or fuzzy pictures do not make
a good impression.
• Include a “call to action”.
Make your readers an offer they’ll want to take advantage of, or a
time constraint they need to meet. Don’t tell your reader to
“book soon”, tell them to book by a set date and then tell them
why they need to heed this call to action; book by November 1st
and receive a 10% discount on a two hour party.
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Let Marketing Work for You
– While most of you will have a handful of business cards in your
pocket when you are working an event, why not go one step further and
have a framed advertisement sitting on the table as you work. I noticed
a measurable increase in inquiries and subsequent bookings after I placed
my ad in a cute frame, a business card holder full of cards along with
a clear acrylic holder full of coloring sheets (with my contact info
on them) on the tabletop as I worked.
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Be on the lookout –
Always be on the lookout for an opportunity to advertise for free. Look
for opportunities to post a flyer or business card wherever you go.
Many places offer a bulletin board for local businesses to post their
services. Every Starbucks I’ve ever been in has one, so take
advantage of them! Local rec centers, YMCA’s, public libraries, company
break rooms, the local fitness club; keep your eyes open and your push
pins handy!
Just because you don’t get
calls right away, doesn’t mean your ads and business cards are being
ignored. I once had a customer that found my card on a bulletin
board and carried it in her purse for six months before calling me for
a three-hour gig.
Keep extra flyers and business
cards in your car, along with push pins or a stapler so when opportunity
knocks, you are ready to answer.
Thanks for the Memories
– Always, Always, Always, send a thank you note. If you do a birthday
party, write it to the child. “Thanks for letting me be part of your
super special day!” If you do a commercial function or festival, write
it to whomever hired you and maybe also to whomever your handler was
during the event if it was someone different. By letting them know that
you enjoyed being there you will have increased your chance of repeat
business.
A thank you note reinforces
professionalism and it’s the kind of touch that will make you stand
out because it’s such a rarity in this day and age. When you do send
out that thank you note, remember to drop a couple of your business
cards in the envelope to make it easier for your satisfied customer
to pass your info along.
That’s it for now, but check
back next month for more ideas and tips on marketing!
I hope that some of these ideas
will help you with the success of your clown business and if you have
a question, please visit me at www.facebook.com/RedNoseDesign or email me at Brittany@rednosedesign.net.
Red Nose Design offers affordable
graphic design and marketing products to our clown family to help us
all shine! Please stop by www.rednosedesign.net to see the super-duper, totally
awesome special on our clown package. While you’re there, take
a moment to peek through samples of clown logos and other marketing
pieces that I’ve developed.
Happy marketing!
Brittany (Zoe)
Click on
this link to open a PDF of Red Nose Design’s
“Clown Promotion Package”
Thank you, Brittany, for a
great article. I love the fact that my Mooseburger Alumni are so diverse
and willing to share their knowledge. I will say that once we put up
the flyers for Verry Cherry Entertainment, the phone started to ring!
Having professional advertising material is the first big step to establishing
your credibility as a performer. It is worth the investment. Don't feel
like you need to do everything yourself. Even on a tight budget it is
important to realize that you actually save money and time by having
someone else do things that you may not excel at.
In love and Laughter!
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Pricilla |
Clown
Coaching Details:
Welcome to the Clown Coaching
Call series! Through conference call coaching, I have been able
to do amazing things this year, from writing a new solo clown routine,
to organizing my clown office, to experiencing and enjoying the best
Moose Camp ever! I am eager to share this process with you my clown
family!
How it works: Once enrolled
you will be provided with a call-in phone number and access code. Just
use the phone number to call in to your conference call and use the
access code when prompted. You will be on a conference call facilitated
by me, Pricilla Mooseburger. Together I will guide the group (limit
to 6 people) through a group coaching conference call. You will be asked
powerful questions on what you want to achieve in your clowning, what
is causing your problems and what your dreams are. Together we will
find those answers and plot a course for success.
Coaching is not counseling,
nor is it therapy. It is insightful encouragement combined with
goal setting and powerful questions that will motivate you to your own
clowning success. Group coaching works because you find your own answers
that work for YOU. You have accountability to the group as you share
your challenges, struggles and progress. I provide the experience, guidance
and structure for each call so everyone has a roadmap for success. You
will be excited and thrilled with the results. Coaching is an innovative
way for people to empower themselves. Our clown community will work
together to address the areas of your clowning that need extra help.
Payment is EASY! The
program is a three month agreement at $75.00 per month. (That’s only
$37.50 per call!) You will be charged the first of each month. If you
miss a session, you can call in and hear a recording of that session.
Have questions? I will be happy to tell you all about this exciting
opportunity! Contact me at pricilla@mooseburger.com or 320-963-6277.
Listen to an actual call
for FREE!! Just dial this phone number: 605-477-2199 and enter the
access code 232412 followed by the # sign. Then enter playback number
2. You can listen for free to hear one of my actual coaching calls.
Private coaching also available:
Are you more interested in private coaching? I have a few time slots
available for individual clients. Private coaching gives us more time
to dig deeper and accelerate your success rate. Fee is $270.00 for a
three month agreement of 6 calls. Hey that’s only $45.00 a call to
have Pricilla Mooseburger as your own private clown coach. Cool!
New group starting in November!
Space is limited to only 6 clowns, so don’t wait to join. Sign
up by November 1st. Here is the list of call dates, which
take place at 7pm Central Standard Time:
November 2 and 16
December 7 and 28
January 12 and 26
Summary:
- You will get two
1-hour conference calls per month, for three months.
- Each group will
have a maximum of 6 participants.
- Membership costs
$75.00 per month; contract is for three months.
- Sign up by November
1st to get into the next group.
- To register, call
320-963-6277 or go to http://mooseburger.com/Register/
For more
information, click here to open a PDF file of my coaching flier
This is a great gift idea
for the clown in your life. Or suggest it to those folks who never
know what to get you for the holidays! Gift certificates are available;
call 320-963-6277 for more information.
Mooseburger
Clown Arts Camp
July
31 – August 5, 2012 in Buffalo, MN
One of the
best weeks of your life!
www.mooseburger.com/camp
--
Clown Arts education at its finest --
Registration
officially opened September 1st
If you missed
the August Mooseburger Newz, click here (http://mooseburger.com/cgi-bin/mooselist/mail.cgi/archive/newz/20110729141103/#news) to go to that issue for a helpful
timeline and budget to make sure you get to Moose Camp in 2012.
Easy Monthly
Payment Plan:
When you sign
up, you will be paying the minimum $200 down-payment to hold your spot.
Then, we will take your remaining balance and divide it by the months
left until the payment deadline (which is June). We charge your
credit card that same amount on the 15th of each month.
Leave the payments to us; you’ll be paid up for Moose Camp before
you know it!
Here is an EXAMPLE
of a typical Monthly Payment Plan:
Register for
the Complete Package and Refund Insurance in October. Total fee
= $925.00
Pay the minimum
$200.00 down-payment.
Remaining $725.00
is divided by 8 months.
$90.62 is charged
to your credit card on Nov. 15th and the 15th
of every month until June.
See how easy
that is??
We are blessed
to have so many talented friends who give 110% of themselves at Moose
Camp. The staff is what makes Mooseburger such a wonderful place
to learn. You won’t find a better collection of heart, brains,
and funny bones anywhere else! Over the next 9 months leading up to
camp we will be focusing on our staff members, highlighting their courses
and specialties, so you can get to know them better before coming to
Moose Camp.
 Fred Baisch is an award winning
clown as well as an accomplished magician. He owns one of the largest
magic shops in the world, Twin Cities Magic, in St. Paul Minnesota.
We are thrilled that Fred takes time from his busy schedule to be with
us at Moose Camp. Fred is a big part of our Dealer Room he brings a
huge magic shop to Moose Camp along with everything you need in magic,
balloons, puppets and more. Then he breaks out all of his personal favorites
and trade secrets and hauls them up to the classroom to share in his
comedy magic course. Fred has been a perfect addition to Moose Camp.
He fits in perfectly with his giving teaching style, his real love of
being a clown himself, and his chance to mess around and laugh with
all of us instead of being trapped in his huge magic shop! Fred is teaching
the course on Comedy Magic, of course! He and his super-helper daughter,
Katie, became part of the gang the first day they were here. We expect
to keep them around for years to come! Check out his company, Twin Cities
Magic: http://www.twincitiesmagic.com.
Fred is teaching the Main
Course: Comedy Magic
After decades of being both
a serious stage magician and a magical clown, Fred is a wealth of entertainment
knowledge. He'll teach you the ins and outs of Comedy Magic. Learn basics
of hand manipulation, popular tricks, and how to incorporate them into
your performance as a clown. He'll show you some of his best secrets,
too. Don't just be a clown who does magic -- be a magical clown!
Fred's Afternoon Workshops:
Publicity and Brochures
- Learn how to put together promotional material that will get you noticed.
Fred will work on a computer in the classroom to show you what works,
and what does not. A real brochure will be created for a clown club
plus other materials you can adapt for your own use.
Routine-ing Magic - O.K. you have this great magic prop..but
how do you make it funny? Fred will show you how. His years of experience
will make being funny with magic look easy. Remember, it's just that
simple once you know the secret! Fred is the king of comedy magic!
Birthday Party Magic -Fred will show what it takes to put comedy
magic into your birthday party routines. Perfect for those of you who
use magic, ideal for clowns wondering what it is all about! Learn how
to be a funny magical clown from one of the best in the business.
Makin' Magic! - Professional magician and clown Fred Baisch will
teach you how to make your own magic props! A terrific opportunity for
all you clown magicians or those thinking about adding a little magic
to their act.
Walk-Arounds & Paradability
- Don't let the parade pass you by. There is more to a parade performance
than walking and waving! Fred will share with you a variety of fun ideas
to make the most of your time on the parade route! From prop construction
to performance, we’ll try to cover it all.
Strolling Magic -
Have a gig with no stage? Load up your pockets and get ready for magic
on the go! Learn some of the best magic tricks to perform while on the
move. Perfect for fairs, picnics, restaurants, outdoors, or anywhere
you need portable magic.
Sean Carlock has been entertaining
since age six. Theater, Magic, and -- in the last decade -- Clowning
have always been his passion. The only thing he loves more than Clowning
is talking about and teaching Clowning to others. Sean draws from his
magic and theater background as well as his time as a Ringling Bros.
and Barnum & Bailey clown to bring you his spin on the world of
clowning. Check out his website: www.carlockent.com.
In Sean’s own words:
I started my entertainment
career as a magician. Over the years I have performed magic, theater,
and clowning. I have never considered myself to be a magician, actor
or a clown. I am an entertainer that uses these things to achieve my
goal of entertaining an audience. Shortly after I began clowning I met
Jim Howle at a clowning convention and he suggested I give Ringling
a call. He put me in touch with them and I spent the next year of my
life touring the country with the Greatest Show on Earth. It was a great
learning experience and the first real training I had ever had access
to. Since Ringling I have gone on to a career of full time clowning
and teaching all over the US. I am honored to be on the Mooseburger
Camp staff. It is very rewarding to be able to work with the campers
that come each year. I love seeing the excitement on their faces as
they pull up each year. There is nowhere else to receive the amount
of training, from the caliber of instructors, that is available at Mooseburger
Camp. If there is anything that the past 20+ years of performing has
taught me it is to surround yourself with successful people in your
field. Mooseburger Camp is the perfect place to do that.
Sean’s Afternoon Workshops:
Character Development Through
Movement -- This class will help you figure out what moves you and
show you how to use it to move your audience. This is an interactive
movement based class.
Cloudy With a Chance of
Creativity -- Have weird props laying around you aren't quite
sure what they are or what to do with them? Bring them along and using
creativity and brainstorming techniques we will design a BRAND NEW show
using the props you bring along! Come with an old prop leave with a
new outlook on entertaining.
Sean Says:
"I wish
I had known about Moose Camp when I was getting started, it would have
made the journey so much easier."
“You will
do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm!”
Tip
of the Month:
How do you take off your make-up???
I teach lots of make-up workshops and sometimes we are so busy talking
about application technique and design we forget to tell the students
how to take the greasepaint off! Yikes!
Using a good remover is important
for healthy skin, especially if you wear your make-up for a number of
days in a row. There are lots of different professional products on
the market. I prefer Mehron’s solid cream make-up remover for a number
of reasons. While liquid removers work great, they run down your arm
and your chin and are incredibly messy to use. I don’t like wasting
product. Its simple 4-ingredient product has been expertly formulated
to have quick penetrating properties that will non-abrasively remove
cream and grease paint makeup. This fine cleansing cream treats your
skin to a moisturizing treatment while you easily remove even the heaviest
of makeup applications.
 The cream remover is a solid
(kind of like Vaseline), so a little goes a long way and you don’t
end up wasting it. I use only as much as I need, and with a circular
massaging motion I apply it to my clown make-up. It basically re-liquefies
the greasepaint. Then I wipe off as mush as I can with a baby wipe.
Finally, I wash my face with my regular cleanser and I am good to go.
No dripping, no leakage, no waste, no spilled liquid in my suitcase
prompting a full body search by Helga at the airport…you get the idea.
Give it a try; you will love it. And it smells nice, too. Hey the price
is right, it is on sale!
October
Sale Special
GET $5.00
OFF: Purchase
one 4-ounce container of Make-Up Remover and one 8-ounce container of
EITHER Clown White or Clown White Lite in the same order, and we will
discount your order by $5.00.
Remember
to mention the special discount code:
“ORANGE”
Call in your order:
800-973-6277 (or 320-963-6277 for our international friends)
Fax your order:
320-963-6692
Go online to order: www.mooseburger.com (actual link: http://mooseburger.com/onlinestore/index.cgi?code=3&cat=27)
Terms and Conditions of Sales:
- Supplies are limited.
Sales are only valid on in-stock merchandise. Please note: Just because
the item is displayed online does not mean it is in stock – all products
are displayed online regardless of immediate availability. We
try to update it everyday, but the site is not always 100% up to date
with current stock. If you have any concerns about the availability
of stock, then call us before you place your order: 800-973-6277 or
320-963-6277.
- You have to type
the word “ORANGE” in the Discount Code box at the end of your online
order, or write “ORANGE” somewhere on your fax-in or mail-in order,
or tell the word “ORANGE” to the Mooseburger Salesperson on your
phone-in order.
- Good on phone-in,
mail-in, fax-in, or online orders. Order must be placed during
the month of October. This offer is not retroactive.
Where
in the World is Pricilla Mooseburger?
November 9 - 13, 2011
Mid-Atlantic Clown Association
Convention
Location: Harrisburg, PA
Website: www.midatlanticclownassociation.com
March 19 – 23, 2012
World Clown Association
Convention
Location: San Diego, CA
Website: www.worldclown.com
…Don’t want to wait for
Pricilla to come to you with all her costumes? Check out our “In
Stock Now” section to see what we have ready for immediate shipment!
Here is a collage
of the “Halloween Staff Photos” taken over the past decade at The
Costume Shoppe. You’ll see many of the same faces…even if
you can’t recognize them under all that gruesome makeup!
We are excited
for yet another wacky and wild month of costumes and face-painting,
so if we sound a little out of breath when we answer the phone to take
your clown supplies order, it be because we just finished zipping up
somebody’s werewolf suit, combing a gazillion wigs, and pulling out
a dozen more pirate costume from our stockpile in the back.
Thanks for bearing
with us next month during our busiest time, for both Pricilla Mooseburger
Originals and The Costume Shoppe. We sincerely appreciate your
patience!!
Have
a ghoulishly good Halloween!
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