Karaoke Slips

[Mark Wild]

The father inlaw had me covering his karaoke night while he was in Tenerife and I thought it would be a good Idea to get my details on the slips for a bit of advertising. So I found this guy who sent me a 1000 for a tenner. He out did himself with service and quality. So I thought I'd share :) I also got him to do some for requests to the DJ slips which I used at the wedding I did Saturday gone. Worked well tbh, not something I've done before but the couple asked specifically for them.

www.karaokeslips.co.uk

[Vectis]

For 'request' slips I use the Vistaprint freebie postcards - lovely glossy full colour A6 ad on one side, request slip on the other.

I don't use them very often - more usually social or works events rather than family doos - but when I do, I see plenty heading into handbags.

Work out about £4 per hundred with postage.


For karaoke, again I don't do much, but I just have an A4 sheet per gig on a clipboard which folks can write their info on. It doubles as an accurate running order in case of arguments, and also lets people choose to be nearer the end if they wish.

[Dynamic Entertainment]

Martin, I cant find the free postcards on Vistaprint...and with them being free, which standard template do you use?

[Booche]

I actually use Request Slip Generator which is quite handy and i print them all on matt paper which stands up to the wear and tear of the singers etc but are good enough to write on :)

Freeware aswell so all good :)
Link: http://www.latshawsystems.com/ProductDetails_RequestSlipGenerator.aspx

Cheers Dave

[Vectis]

The offers vary daily. Free postcards pops up occasionally.

I wait for a free uploads day, and pretend I'm going to buy lots of different products, going through the process of uploading the graphics files but aborting the purchases at the last minute. You'll still find the graphics stored on file next time you come to order something for real ;)

Which reminds me... I need to order some more as my logos etc. have changed since the last batch...

[Booche]

I like the looks and style of that design and layout vectisvibe :)
did *you* design that yourself or someone else ?

*Please read the forum rules regarding text speak.* Thank you.

Sorry keep forgetting about that :(
* edited word

[Dynamic Entertainment]

How do you get to hear about the offers, because i only ever get to see them when im ordering paid stuff. :confused:

[DJNutter]

Looks like a good deal, I've moved away from paper and use sms now. No more mess and I advertise by way of a thank you reply message with my details. Plus helps me cue up as they stay in my inbox :)

[Vectis]

I like the looks and style of that design and layout vectisvibe :)
did u design that yourself or someone else ?

Home-made (can't you tell! :D )

Will be changing quite a bit though to accommodate the new logo.

The reverse has served me well for a couple of years though - they're always well received at gigs that I do get to hand them out and more importantly folks see them as business cards and snaffle them.

At £4 for 100 delivered, each pack probably does for about 3 gigs (if we (for "we" read "roadie") collect any unused ones afterwards) so that's about £1.35 per gig. I can probably afford that.



How do you get to hear about the offers, because i only ever get to see them when im ordering paid stuff. :confused:

PAID?? :eek:

You've PAID VistaPrint for stuff? :bang:

There's always something for free, every day, even if it's something you don't actually want there's always some little ruse you can play such as mentioned in my last post about uploading images that you've no intention of using there and then ;)

[Booche]

Might have to borrow that idea ;) as that is preety cool and yeah i can see why it works aswell :)

[Dynamic Entertainment]

PAID?? :eek:

You've PAID VistaPrint for stuff? :bang:

There's always something for free, every day, even if it's something you don't actually want there's always some little ruse you can play such as mentioned in my last post about uploading images that you've no intention of using there and then ;)

So where do you find out about the little freebies then martin? Do you get emails through? The only thing i see on the home page right now is 25% off to co-ordinate my "look"

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

None of this stuff is free anyway as you have to pay for postage, don't you?

[SC Events]

So where do you find out about the little freebies then martin? Do you get emails through? The only thing i see on the home page right now is 25% off to co-ordinate my "look"

Steve, PM me your E-Mail address and I'll try to help you out ;)

[Vectis]

None of this stuff is free anyway as you have to pay for postage, don't you?

Yeah, I know. But usually only £3 or £4 if you take the 21-day option (which funnily enough always arrives in about 7-10 days).

I believe it probably does cost £3 or £4 in postage as they always come from abroad, well packed in a tough little box with bubbles etc.


So where do you find out about the little freebies then martin? Do you get emails through? The only thing i see on the home page right now is 25% off to co-ordinate my "look"


Steve, PM me your E-Mail address and I'll try to help you out ;)


Yeah - Scott is the man!

Until recently I got at least one offer per day emailed through, but they've been a bit thin on the ground of late. That was until Scott passed on a bunch of offers. Now I've re-ordered, the floodgates have opened again.

It's the kind of spam you don't mind getting :)

[SC Events]

Steve, you have Mail :D

You might have to wait for the offers that will get sent in a few hours, as it has just gone 12:00am and that's when the offers "are supposed to" expire.

[DJMaxG]

I thought it would be a good Idea to get my details on the slips for a bit of advertising

The Slips look good Mark, but I think the text at the bottom (contact info) is a bit too much, the logo etc too could probably do with being a bit smaller ;)


For 'request' slips I use the Vistaprint freebie postcards - lovely glossy full colour A6 ad on one side, request slip on the other] (TEXT SHORTERNED)
Cheers Dave

So, is that A4 (A4 split into 1/2) leaflet what you give Each Guest or table Vectis, or does the client just get one? How does it work?


The offers vary daily. Free postcards pops up occasionally.

I wait for a free uploads day, and pretend I'm going to buy lots of different products, going through the process of uploading the graphics files but aborting the purchases at the last minute. You'll still find the graphics stored on file next time you come to order something for real

Cheeky, but Clever :p - I'll remember that


Looks like a good deal, I've moved away from paper and use sms now. No more mess and I advertise by way of a thank you reply message with my details. Plus helps me cue up as they stay in my inbox :)

The only problem with that is the guests have to pay for text messages, something I wouldn't be comfortable with as a guest, I would rather just walk up to the booth than pay 25p. (or knowing me, I'd send one SMS just for the fun of it)

I have seen the 'Text the screen' software on sale for £400.


None of this stuff is free anyway as you have to pay for postage, don't you?

I have noticed that before, the catch is the 21 day delivery and it's something expensive. There are far cheaper ways of doing it.

[DJ Jules]

The only problem with that is the guests have to pay for text messages, something I wouldn't be comfortable with as a guest, I would rather just walk up to the booth than pay 25p. (or knowing me, I'd send one SMS just for the fun of it)

Who's talking about 25p? That's only true for custom numbers (like the 5 digit shortcodes used in competitions, etc) but I doubt any of us on here can afford one of them because the costs for running them is in the £1000's/year. I paid £20 for a mobile at Asda and stick the number onto my request slips and then guests have the option of writing stuff down and bringing it up, or if they're too lazy to leave the bar (I normally leave slips on the bar as well) they can just text me at whatever their normal mobile rate is (5-10p or free on some tarriffs?)


I have seen the 'Text the screen' software on sale for £400.

That's actually not bad money for that.


I have noticed that before, the catch is the 21 day delivery and it's something expensive. There are far cheaper ways of doing it.

For small runs of leaflets, there isn't a cheaper way as with any normal printer the set up charges for the print run would be far more than the postage cost from Vistaprint. As with anything though the more you buy, the cheaper it gets so if you're after 1000's, then Vistaprint does quickly become an expensive option. I last paid £85+VAT for 5000 A6 flyers printed on 200gsm board, working out at about 2p/card, but could have had 10000 for £125+VAT reducing the price to 1.4p/card. Vistaprint by comparison costs 4p/card over a run of a few 100, but the same run with my normal printer would have cost £30+ (£30 setup, £0.50 printing!)

Julian

[StarZSoundS]

You can only be sure of one thing in life!!

Every night Vistaprint send me an email with some remarkable offer on it.

[Vectis]

So, is that A4 (A4 split into 1/2) leaflet what you give Each Guest or table Vectis, or does the client just get one? How does it work?


No, it's a postcard-sized piece of card (A6?) and I'll usually leave 3 or 4 on each table plus a small stack on the bar.

[DJMaxG]

Who's talking about 25p? That's only true for custom numbers (like the 5 digit shortcodes used in competitions, etc) but I doubt any of us on here can afford one of them because the costs for running them is in the £1000's/year. I paid £20 for a mobile at Asda and stick the number onto my request slips and then guests have the option of writing stuff down and bringing it up, or if they're too lazy to leave the bar (I normally leave slips on the bar as well) they can just text me at whatever their normal mobile rate is (5-10p or free on some tarriffs?)

Not atall Jules :(

There is a system out there called 'Text to screen' (http://www.t2smobile.co.uk/) or 'T2S' etc, where the Operator purchases the kit and a Mobile Handset of their choice. They then install the software, and connect it up with the dongle.

The Price of the kit when last checked was £400, and the software allows the operator to specify a price.

I know this because I have spoken to someone who owns one, and he said you can set for example one pound, and before long, you're MAKING MONEY on the event. (Yes, despite being paid by the hirer already)

It stores the numbers so you can use them for 'Marketing', or 'Junk Mail' as we call it.

I like the idea of adding the number to request slips, but people may keep your number (regardless of whether it's a secondry one) and send junk through to it, or infact use it to enter compeitions etc.

I must admit, there's a lot of Mobile users who get offers like '600 FREE SMS' etc, so usual rate of 15p/25p would be free to them anyway :beer1:

[Dynamic Entertainment]

Steve, you have Mail :D

You might have to wait for the offers that will get sent in a few hours, as it has just gone 12:00am and that's when the offers "are supposed to" expire.

Cheers :beer1:

[Digitalsounds]

i think there are a few floors here

1. what happens when your in a venue that can not get mobile signals through the building there are a few or your out in the middle of knowhere

2. How do you make money from a txt don't get that isn't it the mobile company who make the money

[DJMaxG]

i think there are a few floors here
1. what happens when your in a venue that can not get mobile signals through the building there are a few or your out in the middle of *knowhere* (Spelling) :D

The system won't be able to receive SMS Messages then, as it is generated by standard mobile networks. It is the software itself that is the clever bit



2. How do you make money from a txt don't get that isn't it the mobile company who make the money

All information can be found on the Company's Website, the address is linked in my previous post on it.

[DJ Jules]

2. How do you make money from a txt don't get that isn't it the mobile company who make the money

If you're a business you can get mobile numbers set up which charge customers at different rates for sending text's to them (as Max says). However, the set up and maintenance charges for these numbers (which as Max says, doin't have to be 5 digit short codes) are usually designed to deter small fry and conmen (i.e. the set up costs are normally substantial). You then take a cut of that additional charge (but so does the mobile network operator - for example, you don't get 15p for every 25p text sent, you might get 7p or similar).

Anyone on a free txt (or 600txt/month) package will still be charged for any message which is charged at above the standard rate (even 25p) as if you read the small print on any standard mobile contract you'll find that it's only standard rate text messages which are included.

I also don't think it's good practice to charge your customers for their requests (especially if you don't make it clear in advance that your customers will be charged).

Julian

[DazzyD]

So, is that A4 (A4 split into 1/2) leaflet what you give Each Guest or table Vectis, or does the client just get one? How does it work?

A6 is A4 halved (A5) and then halved again (A6).


The only problem with that is the guests have to pay for text messages, something I wouldn't be comfortable with as a guest, I would rather just walk up to the booth than pay 25p. (or knowing me, I'd send one SMS just for the fun of it)

I have seen the 'Text the screen' software on sale for £400.

Don't need any software. You can do it all in your browser. See:

http://www.textanywhere.net

I use them for sending texts and various marketing campaigns. Very good value for money. Also, once someone texts you a request, you can add their number to a contact list for future campaigns. Of course, under OFTEL (or something like that) rules, you have to offer the option for people to opt out of future communications. Failure to do so could mean big fines.


Who's talking about 25p? That's only true for custom numbers (like the 5 digit shortcodes used in competitions, etc) but I doubt any of us on here can afford one of them because the costs for running them is in the £1000's/year. I paid £20 for a mobile at Asda and stick the number onto my request slips and then guests have the option of writing stuff down and bringing it up, or if they're too lazy to leave the bar (I normally leave slips on the bar as well) they can just text me at whatever their normal mobile rate is (5-10p or free on some tarriffs?)

Julian

Short codes are not that expensive and there are lots of advantages to the service. For example, someone who's had a few drinks in poor light might find it harder to key in a full 11-digit number but 5 numbers is much easier to get right. Also, it's great for future marketing and keeping people informed.


i think there are a few floors here

1. what happens when your in a venue that can not get mobile signals through the building there are a few or your out in the middle of knowhere

2. How do you make money from a txt don't get that isn't it the mobile company who make the money

You choose the fee for the text and the provider takes their charge and you get the rest. It's that simple.


If you're a business you can get mobile numbers set up which charge customers at different rates for sending text's to them (as Max says). However, the set up and maintenance charges for these numbers (which as Max says, doin't have to be 5 digit short codes) are usually designed to deter small fry and conmen (i.e. the set up costs are normally substantial). You then take a cut of that additional charge (but so does the mobile network operator - for example, you don't get 15p for every 25p text sent, you might get 7p or similar).

Anyone on a free txt (or 600txt/month) package will still be charged for any message which is charged at above the standard rate (even 25p) as if you read the small print on any standard mobile contract you'll find that it's only standard rate text messages which are included.

I also don't think it's good practice to charge your customers for their requests (especially if you don't make it clear in advance that your customers will be charged).

Julian

Not necessarily. Textanywhere.net offer a short code (5 digits) campaign service for a set up fee of £29 and then £39 monthly charge. You also set the the price/percentage you want to receive from the text charges.

[Corabar Entertainment]

Without going into what I think of charging people to send text requests.....Useful for future marketing? :eek:

I would be appalled if I got 'spam' texts after making a request to a DJ (or any other service for that matter) and I would make sure that I told anybody and everybody I could about it.

IMO, adopting this service could do your reputation more harm than good.

Other people may disagree, obviously.

[DazzyD]

I see where you're coming from, Angela, but I still think that electronic marketing/information has a place in our industry. For example, Radio 1's Chris Moyles uses the short code of 81199 and it's a very popular service for people contacting the show.

When you give people the number you make it clear of the price (this could be a standard 10p text fee) and that they may receive future information from you. In the world of karaoke this is great for informing people of up and coming karaoke competitions or information about show times, venues or promotions. Or it could be used to inform people of new services or point them to your website.

I've run campaigns for wedding discos (potential clients pick up our leaflet from wedding shows and shops and can add themselves to our SMS lists) and competitions before, always by the rules, and never had anyone complain. In fact, the response has always been quite positive. I've also worked for a couple of venues that use the short code service to keep people informed of events and promotions, etc.

People have the option. If they don't want to receive future information they can either opt out or don't use the service in the first place. It's as simple as that.

[Corabar Entertainment]

I see what you're saying.... and so long as it's made VERY clear up front (and not in the small print stuck somewhere where people will never read it, or just announced once at the beginning of the evening whilst muffling into the microphone.... and please don't think for a minute that I'm suggesting that's what you would do, but, we all have met someone who would!) then, yes, maybe.

Although, I would prefer it if the two things were kept seperate (ie numbers not harvested for future use, but given freely - ie on an 'opt in' basis, rather than 'opt out')

However, I do have a pet hatred of junk mail, email, phone calls, and text messages! so I may not be typical :lol:

[DazzyD]

Again, I totally agree with you. This is why, when running these campaigns, we abide the Code Of Practise for the service. I don't believe in spam but the info we send is relevant and of interest to the customer and we've even been thanked by customers for keeping them up to date.

For the karaoke requests, our leaflets make it clear (I don't believe in small print so it's the same size as most of the other text on the page) that we "may send information which we believe may be of interest to you, ie details of upcoming shows and competitions" and we give the keyword of "STOP" to the same short code to opt out.

Conversely, for wedding campaigns, the service is strictly "Opt In" where people text us to receive info. They can also opt in to our email list to receive more indepth info.

At the moment, we aren't running any short code campaigns but we're launching a new service/product in early 2010 and we are considering a campaign for that.

[Corabar Entertainment]

That's the way to run it Darren :thumbsup: - as I said, I wasn't suggesting for a minute that you would be operating with anything less than 'best practice'.

[DJNutter]

Looks like I sparked off a conversation regarding sms messaging.

Just to clarify, I don’t charge extra so essentially the service is Free (Other DJ’s may vary):D
As most networks now offer free text then essentially it free for the customer too!;)
I clearly state that they will not get spammed all they get is a confirmation reply for their request or message for the bride and groom or whatever occasion it happens to be. (With the company website at the end)
The cost of the service is built into my pricing, as I don’t purchase slips anymore I save a little cash.
I have another method of earning extra cash when I’m gigging.:zip:
(No I don’t sell my body):p

Nutter

[Corabar Entertainment]

I have another method of earning extra cash when I’m gigging.:zip: Playing CDs or MP3s and making announcements? :p :p

[DJNutter]

Playing CDs or MP3s and making announcements? :p :p

:eek: Was the clue in the name ? DJNutter :p

[The_Blue_Dragon]

I've created my own slips which I print off at work so doesnt really cost me, Just the time to cut them out. Here is one of my slips. I also offer the text service aswel.

http://www.dans-garage.co.uk/slip.jpg