Time to start advertising, but one small annoyance ... [Archive]

Imagine

25-06-2021, 12:04 AM

I've decided Google is going to be my initial platform for advertising and I've been setting up an account with them. I may pay for advertising with them as I've heard they are THE platform to advertise with. I'm just awaiting my confirmation postcard to arrive. It seems Yell and especially Yellow Pages are has-beens now.

I've been reading through a few posts here regarding which is the best platform to advertise on and Google seems to be the way forward. A DJ friend also thoroughly recommended them.

I may advertise on Facebook, possibly even paid advertising as that helped me with my web design business. It was also suggested to me that I might advertise my disco services on Facebook Marketplace, even though a few advertise on there already at around half the price of my show, so I set out to do this yesterday, but no matter what advert I place, it gets rejected by Facebook as it violates their advertising policies'. I really cannot see what I am doing wrong. Everything in the advert DOES seem to be in EXACT accordance with their advertising policies.

Has anybody else had this problem? Did you find a way around it? Curious to know. Did Facebook advertising work for you? Paid or Marketplace listings?

Thanks.

John.

If I'm completely honest...NO PAID ADVERTISING has ever worked for me, and I've done it all from online to bridal magazines to the local county newspaper.

* Google, if done correctly can be blimmin' expensive. I've always avoided that option because I think like a customer. I personally won't click on the paid links because....well they've paid for them for a reason!
* Facebook....forget it (been there, got the bills, ain't going back!)
* Marketplace....shudder. I actually get nervous when people tag me on FB because someone's "looking for a reasonably priced DJ".

Don't get me wrong, I HAVE a Facebook business page and Instagram page which are regularly updated and shared to local wedding groups, but that's more for "social proof" than anything. I rarely take bookings from either of them. Facebook in particular from experience contains a lot of brides/grooms looking for the best and cheapest deal possible.

I now rely very heavily on my own website SEO and it works very well for me. Couples find me, they book me, they pay my wages. It costs nothing more than a LOT of my time to implement and a monthly subscription to an SEO expert, but it works. It's the solution I'm now planning on sticking with.

My website is Wordpress based, and I use TWO tools to get the SEO pretty much spot on (and big warning here....it's a full time job!)

* Niel Patel's Ubersuggest is used for the "technical SEO" side of things (it's helped me to get on page one of the mighty Google for a LOT of things)
* Rank Math SEO plugin for Wordpress for the content side of things has helped a lot as well.

You also need to monitor Google Analytics, Google PageSpeed and Google Search Console for what people are searching for and how your site is performing.
Get the SEO side of things right, and customers will find you without you having to spend piles of cash advertising.

The other obvious one is do a good job on the night (goes without saying). Word of Mouth is by far the best advertising you'll ever get!

rth_discos

25-06-2021, 06:52 AM

* Google, if done correctly can be blimmin' expensive. I've always avoided that option because I think like a customer. I personally won't click on the paid links because....well they've paid for them for a reason!

65% of users click on the Google Ads for commercial search terms, so they are highly effective.

However... when you're paying up to £5 per client, it's really important that you only attract clicks from highly targeted traffic, that can convert on your website, and there's a strong follow up process in place to get the booking. Whilst I know you have that in place, I've seen many others thinking it is the holy grail and will solve all their booking problems, without realising all it achieves is a click to your website. Without everything else in place, it's typically doomed to fail, with only Google being the winners when you pay the bill!

* Facebook....forget it (been there, got the bills, ain't going back!)

Facebook is for awareness - it's reaching people who aren't actively looking. Has to be done consistently, and not expect immediate results. I've been doing a lot of testing recently on Facebook for a client of mine in a non DJ industry, and I've found that there's a maximum spend per day before results diminish. £150 of spend over 3 days rarely brought in the same results as £150 over a 2 week period. I've got their 'cost per enquiry' down from £30 per enquiry to £5 per enquiry (again caveating that this isn't in the DJ industry!). Equally, too small a daily budget and the reach is too low, so there's a 'sweet spot' to be found.

Benny Smyth

25-06-2021, 08:48 AM

Social media is sexy at the moment, but regardless as to what is popular now or in five years time, SEO will always be your bread and butter.

But SEO takes time to bed in, and you obviously want the leads to start churning in now. Google ads, if done right, will get you your leads quicker and that could keep you ticking over until your SEO is ready to take the baton.

Remember what we said about zeroing in on your ideal customer?

The more specific you can be with your search terms and area, the more cost effective your Google ads will be. If you try to do a catch all approach for keywords and areas, you'll be spending a whole lot of green and probably won't get a worthwhile return on it.

rth_discos

25-06-2021, 08:56 AM

Social media is sexy at the moment, but regardless as to what is popular now or in five years time, SEO will always be your bread and butter.

But SEO takes time to bed in, and you obviously want the leads to start churning in now. Google ads, if done right, will get you your leads quicker and that could keep you ticking over until your SEO is ready to take the baton.

This is absolutely spot on.

SEO is a great long term strategy, because you're not paying per click.

Bit it's important to not under-estimate the work that goes in to being number one for enough keywords to generate sufficient traffic. But the pay-off for that work is excellent.

Marc J

25-06-2021, 09:12 AM

Claim your "Google My Business" listing, encourage reviews and reply to them (even if it's just a "thank-you").

Google Ads done right doesn't have to be expensive. Good SEO / quality landing pages will reduce your Google Ads bid costs, and reduce the geographic area right down to where you will service (factoring in the additional cost of the Google Ads) and no wider. Set a realistic daily limit.

ppentertainments

25-06-2021, 09:36 AM

Replace the word ‘advertising’ for ‘marketing’

No single source of advertising will work on its own, results come from a marketing package. Most things are actually free or relatively cheap and once setup will bring in results for months/years to come, rather than an advertising strategy which is short lived.

As far as online goes you NEED :

Google My Business profile
Website
FB page
Other social media – Instagram, twitter etc

Takes a few hours (with exception of a website unless you know what you are doing) to set all this up.

BUT, the priority source of marketing will be how well you are known, and who knows you – ‘people buy people’

Don’t think simply having a good ranking website will bring in work as it simply doesn’t work like that, it helps but you need to be ‘known’.

Centre Stage Discos

25-06-2021, 11:39 AM

Well, a big thank you to one and all once again for some very thorough information.

Haven't times changed? Years ago I would place an ad in the local weekly newspaper and that would usually generate a couple of bookings. The rest was word of mouth. As time progressed, I would ask potential new customers to come along and see the disco/me in action, were this appropriate/depending on the type of function, etc. and that always worked well.

Imagine:
I'm sure I can see exactly what you are saying regarding no paid advertising having ever really worked for you. I am so reluctant to pay MONEY on advertising. My recent paid advertising on Facebook had limited success but was worth doing. I might consider this at some point.

Google? Expensive? I dread to think but I have an idea. I had a brief chat with a Google representative this morning and I could immediately see that it was all about THEM making money. The guy even admitted it. Amazing!

Social Media is a great for having a presence. The website is now up and running but needs to be adjusted somewhat in the weeks ahead. I'm reasonably well up-to-date regarding S.E.O. and have had enormous success getting other businesses websites to the top of the listings. It is an ever-changing medium though, as I am sure you will know. What 'algorithms' apply today will be different tomorrow.

Thanks for the info on Niel Patel. I tend to avoid Wordpress as every page I have built - and every page I have known friends build on that platform has been hacked. Those widgets were always the culprits.

rth_discos
Google probably IS the way forward these days. I am also hearing this from people I know (different businesses).

I still think there is a big place for social media regarding awareness and you make this point too.

Benny Smyth
You are so right regarding S.E.O., but it's not the easiest of tasks to tackle. Since the algorithms used in S.E.O. change, there is always going to be fluctuation in your rankings and I have seen this, so keeping on top of things is never going to be easy. The thing about getting good rankings is quite simply standing the test of time. The longer your website has been there, the higher it will tend to rank anyway, but a little extra tweaking here and there should go a long way. BUT there are so many websites today that we may never achieve our goals regarding high rankings.

A thought ... Over the years I have built websites for different types of business and some have been successful regarding taking orders, bookings, etc. and others less so, but even where a site has had no S.E.O. there have still been a reasonable number of visitors and sales have been made. Some websites I have built were for customers who purely wanted to have a web presence, i.e. to prove the existence of their business and they did not actually expect to get any trade as a result due to the vast amount of competition. Only one of those websites, for a cosmetics company, failed to generate customers. I still got them close to the top of Google, but only briefly. (Mind you, they were ridiculously expensive!) My point being, if I'm completely honest, it's often a gamble. You just CANNOT guarantee high rankings for ever business.

Ramble over!

Marc J
I'm already on to the "Google My Business" listing. I am still awaiting the postcard delivery so I'm not even at the 'early days' stage yet. Is this the system which gives you a marker on Google Maps when you search for a business?

ppentertainments
Points taken. Having a presence on as many platforms as possible will help. I still need to complete a few platforms I started to set up the other week. LinkedIn is a must, as say people I know who use it. I never saw that as 'social media for businesses' until I took a closer look recently. My Facebook page was set up a few months ago but I haven't added a lot recently. Social media for business is a full time job!

Finding the time is not easy at the moment and right when I need that extra time I suddenly find work flooding in again. I'm not complaining but I really want to get this disco off the ground as soon as possible.

One thing I have already covered is the providing of a disco free of charge for a small local community group. This should hopefully generate some work. I might consider more of these as it's good publicity and also good for practice as I have been out of the business for a little while.

Thanks again all.

John.

ppentertainments

25-06-2021, 12:04 PM

One thing I have already covered is the providing of a disco free of charge for a small local community group. This should hopefully generate some work. I might consider more of these as it's good publicity and also good for practice as I have been out of the business for a little while.

1000% a bad idea. This simply doesn't work.

All you get offering free discos is people asking for free discos.

Marc J

25-06-2021, 12:23 PM

Marc J
I'm already on to the "Google My Business" listing. I am still awaiting the postcard delivery so I'm not even at the 'early days' stage yet. Is this the system which gives you a marker on Google Maps when you search for a business?

Yes, but more importantly it's the same system that lets people leave reviews. It may take a while, but lots of good reviews will do wonders.

Centre Stage Discos

25-06-2021, 01:05 PM

Thanks for getting back to me on this Marc.

I also just registered with a free Yell account and they also do reviews. Looks like this is the way now. Not a bad idea of course.

Jim - Scotland's Party DJ

26-06-2021, 12:58 PM

As others have said, paying for advertising is usually not worth it. Even stuff that works has a shelf life, I used to advertise on the Scottish Wedding Directory for £200 a year so I only needed one gig to cover it, I'd get 2 or 3 per year so it did make me money but no great shakes. Same with lead generating sites and those required a fair bit of effort to convert.

As mentioned, you really need some good reviews and keep them up to date. I've got 200+ on my testimonial page, it's practically just a wall of text noise BUT it serves 2 purposes - no one is reading all the way through it but it takes them seconds to see that A. I've done lots and lots and lots of weddings and B. brides and grooms rave about me. Secondly, there's rarely an inquiry that comes in these days when I can't respond: that's an awesome venue, click this link to see some photos and videos of weddings I've already done in there and the last couple who had me in there said this: "irfnvirbviurfbiurbf" Again this has taken years to torment and is really a labour of love.

Recommendations are gold. Tonight's was from a previous bride and groom and if I remember correctly there were no questions or back and forth it was literally - are you free? good take our money.

Can't offer much more info or ideas than that, I've always seemed to get enough enquiries and conversions without actively doing much to chase it except keeping my website up to date and full of content.

Getting started is always the hardest but if I could give a bit of advice is to shoot for as high as you can go and as good as you can be - my first proper gig on my own was an all day wedding. I still speak to that couple now and again (they became suppliers too) and to this day they've no idea that it was my first wedding gig that wasn't an agency walk in because I didn't present or price myself as a rookie.

Centre Stage Discos

28-06-2021, 12:15 PM

Hi Jim.

Good (in a way) to hear that I don't need to spend good money on advertising. It seems that most people here are in agreement. The challenge is to get a good web presence via a website or social media and I am working on that. I guess it will be a slow start.

I never tried wedding fairs in the past but I have been tempted. Might risk one when they come around again.

I have had a lot of trouble getting started with Google. I am speechless over the number of mistakes they've made. I'm not Dutch, so please stop sending me messages in Dutch. The registration password they sent on the postcard is not recognised. My business name is not recognised, even after registering it with them. I can't get through to them on the phone. Getting that free listing on Google is not going to be easy but I have had more success with a free listing on Yell.

Kickstarting this is going to take time so putting out one or two free discos and charity discos should help generate some interest. I'll get a few cards and flyers printed too. It can't get any worse than this. :o

rth_discos

28-06-2021, 12:47 PM

Good (in a way) to hear that I don't need to spend good money on advertising.

There's a bit of a chicken and egg situation here.

The best way to get work is through recommendations, both from previous customers and venues.

Testimonials also help reinforce your success.

But you need to have done events to get to that stage.

The above should be a goal, but to get there, I think it's difficult without a concentrated marketing effort, which will likely involve spend.

My first few bookings came from Google Ads and Facebook Ads. I didn't have any photos, nor did I even own a single piece of equipment at that stage! But a well presented offer and great looking website made me look professional and established. Once the first bookings were in, I was confident to then go and buy the equipment!

Jim - Scotland's Party DJ

01-07-2021, 11:07 AM

I'd suggest avoiding wedding fairs like the plague.

I done a few, you'd make your money back on bookings but you were spending a fair amount of dough plus giving up a weekend day for the privilege. Really not worth the return imo.

Centre Stage Discos

01-07-2021, 11:17 AM

Jim - Scotland's Party DJ

01-07-2021, 11:35 AM

Thanks Jim.

That would have been my first thought, but I know somebody who would attend lots of them. He always got lots of wedding work as a result. This was some time ago and I dare say it's a very different story today.

I think I'll base any future attendances to these this on the costs involved, but it's always useful to meet a few would-be brides and grooms to get feedback and ideas, networking, etc.

Was it a DJ?

As I said, you get work from them but the pay off compared to what you need to not only pay but the time and energy invested really isn't worth it imo.

Sidenote: Not that I'm anti-social but networking is over rated :D I've never bought into this idea that you should be pals with everyone in the industry and hopefully they'll fire work your way.

Centre Stage Discos

01-07-2021, 12:04 PM

It was indeed a DJ and a well-established and highly successful one. Our paths don't cross as much as they used to as he moved out of the area and became involved with other things, but he's still going strong. If I could have half the bookings he has, etc.

If I am honest, I detest business speak. I'm old-school and quite stuck in my ways. The idea of social media and networking fills me with dread. I only created a Facebook account because my job insisted that it was necessary, but I found it really useful to keep in touch with old friends via Facebook when I moved out of the area. I do see the potential and I will use it as necessary, but most of my work used to be word of mouth and enquiries from people who have attended a function where I was doing the disco. I don't have that luxury right now and I expect the initial phases of this will be challenging.

Pals with everybody in the industry? Ha! I've made many enemies. :mad: ;)

DeckstarDeluxe

01-07-2021, 02:52 PM

Centre Stage Discos

01-07-2021, 03:13 PM

Excalibur

01-07-2021, 05:21 PM

Sidenote: Not that I'm anti-social but networking is over rated :D I've never bought into this idea that you should be pals with everyone in the industry and hopefully they'll fire work your way.

Blimey Jim, talk about setting them up for someone to knock down! :D I'll just say that networking ( and even random meetings ) have both been valuable for me, in more ways than just work.

If I am honest, I detest business speak. I'm old-school and quite stuck in my ways. The idea of social media and networking fills me with dread. I only created a Facebook account because my job insisted that it was necessary, but I found it really useful to keep in touch with old friends via Facebook when I moved out of the area.
I hear you Brother, I hear you. It is however an insidious thing, which can generate work, and keep you informed. Can, not will.

I do see the potential and I will use it as necessary, but most of my work used to be word of mouth and enquiries from people who have attended a function where I was doing the disco. I don't have that luxury right now and I expect the initial phases of this will be challenging.

Right then, just let me drag a few more of these :sofa::sofa::sofa::sofa: round before I make this suggestion. Once I've posted it, there will be a mob with pitchforks and flaming torches baying for my blood.

To get work from recommendation and word of mouth you need to be in front of people, working. If you're not out there working, you don't get the work from recommendation.

There are sites which can help you to get work.

They're a little bit Marmite.

Until you've had work from them, and built up a recommendation, they can be a little tricky.

Right, just need a couple more :sofa: :sofa: before I say it.

Add To Event, and NeedaDisco. There, I've said it. :sofa::sofa:

You will be asked to provide ten hour wedding discos, with Karaoke and love letters for less than £150, on A to E from time to time, but you can risk around £20 to try it out. NaD is more of a long term animal, as it's not cheap unless you got in at the beginning. According to the figures, every pound I have given NaD has generated over £100 worth of work, that they know about, so it can work. It's not for everyone.

ppentertainments

01-07-2021, 08:24 PM

Wedding fayres are what has enabled me to grow my business, but then again I only take wedding bookings.

It does depend what you are wanting out of it though, if full time I would strongly recommend them, but if you are doing it for a bit extra cash or as a hobby they likely won’t be as attractive.

I always had a love/hate relationship with wedding fayre but the big change came when I changed my outlook. I no longer look at wedding fayres as a selling opportunity, but more of a network event. Those that get the most out of fayres are the ones their first and out last – because it is the networking with other suppliers that bring the most gains.

They can be expensive though, and prices seem to have dramatically increased lately. However, if you build on the networking side you do often get invited to free fayres from venues or open days/evenings. I am now in a position where I do not pay for fayres, just attend venues free ones – but again this relationship was a result of attending fayres over the years.

Jim - Scotland's Party DJ

01-07-2021, 08:26 PM

Blimey Jim, talk about setting them up for someone to knock down! :D I'll just say that networking ( and even random meetings ) have both been valuable for me, in more ways than just work.

Just an opinion and I totally get that it really works for plenty of people but I've never felt the need.

I'll vouch for a very select few other DJs and the suppliers from my own wedding but making kiddy on friends so we can recommend each other to brides isn't my bag. The biggest issue I have with award ceremonies is the really awkward schmoozing everyone seems to be doing. I'll talk to my actual pals,I'm not leaving my wife sitting with a bunch of randoms so I can work the room. I know it's all part of the game but it's not one I can be arsed to play and I don't feel like it's hindered me at all business wise.

I'm a world class schmoozer btw. In my teaching gig my work will happilly put me to task buttering up the great and the good from all sorts of places right up to governmental level. I see a value in that so I'm happy to do it but get cosy with Maria from the shortlist of best chair covers, north east region,pass.

ppentertainments

01-07-2021, 08:29 PM

Thank you for that Deckstar.

Yes, I think you have swayed me into trying at least one wedding fair, or at least until we can get fully on our feet. Nothing is going to happen overnight. There are also a few wedding planners in this area, a couple of whom have shops, so I will be paying them a visit once the new business cards and flyers have arrived. I'm sure the local competition will be fierce but that's life.

I've already put out some feelers for a couple of charity discos and it looks like I will have something soon, so that's another bonus.

Google and Yell listings are now in place, but WOW was Google a pain to sort out. It took THREE registration attempts and even then Google were telling me to register for the postcard confirmation.

Slowly but surely! :o

I can't warn enough about NOT doing free charity discos, thing most of us have been there, done that, so you will probably learn the hard way like the rest of us lol

Talking about local competition, are there no multi-op DJs you could work for ? I know most areas have a shortage of DJs at the moment, even personally I have had to turn away bookings galore due to not having DJs to cover. Could be a good starting point and you will pick up hints and tips along the way

DJ Jules

02-07-2021, 07:42 AM

Add To Event, and NeedaDisco. There, I've said it. :sofa::sofa:

I'm not sure if it's just round my way, but I'm not seeing any leads (of any value) come through either site at the moment. That could be because I've set the price filters too high and everything coming through is below them, but I doubt it as I have them set pretty low (after converting several who said they were after a £150 disco into 4 figure gigs).

Julian

DeckstarDeluxe

02-07-2021, 10:41 AM

I can't warn enough about NOT doing free charity discos, thing most of us have been there, done that, so you will probably learn the hard way like the rest of us lol

Oh a thousand percent stay away from doing the freebies unless it's something that means something to you. Some of us have to learn the hard way on that one :D

Centre Stage Discos

02-07-2021, 01:06 PM

Thanks for the links Excalibur. But £150 for a 10 hour karaoke? That's not going to happen. I HATE karaoke. ;) I will NEVER do a karoake. I have actually tried a couple but the less said about those events, the better. They're not for me - and I'm not for them.

I am beginning to see the need to just get out there and spread the word, but the problem with starting off at a lower price than I'd like will probably result at me straying at those lower prices. I definitely need to get out there on the road to make some inroads into this. I will take a look at the sites. Marmite? :eek:

Deckstar ... I will still consider charity discos, providing they are not overly complicated and they are local, but I have gained work before from doing charity discos so I am happy to consider 'something' for now. It will also give me the experience of operating a totally different system to what I've been used to. I had a Denon DN-HC4500 system before, now I will be using an American Audio VMS4.0 and I'm making quite a few mistakes at the moment so practice really is needed. It's just not the same operating the gear from home. Anyway, I digress.

Excalibur

02-07-2021, 04:41 PM

. I definitely need to get out there on the road to make some inroads into this. I will take a look at the sites. Marmite? :eek:
Marmite evokes one of two responses.
1) Love
2) Hate.
People either understand them, and use them to their advantage, or decry them as being simply a race to the bottom, price wise. There are enquiries wanting a full disco for less than £150, conversely I have had bookings of over £500 from both. All human life is there.

I had a Denon DN-HC4500 system before, now I will be using an American Audio VMS4.0 and I'm making quite a few mistakes at the moment so practice really is needed. It's just not the same operating the gear from home. Anyway, I digress.

The VMS 4/4.1 are good controllers. Fine for mobile work.

Centre Stage Discos

02-07-2021, 06:09 PM

The VMS 4/4.1 are good controllers. Fine for mobile work.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I like it a lot. I got it at a good price and it's in superb condition. Lots of knobs and buttons, which will almost all be used, but it's on the fiddly side. I know I am going to knock something I shouldn't while playing live. Happens to us all at some point. :o

Excalibur

02-07-2021, 07:27 PM

I know I am going to knock something I shouldn't while playing live. Happens to us all at some point. :o

Been there............................................. .:o:D

Biggest cause of grief is moving a selector switch on the front from Midi to Aux, while moving it. Can take a while to figure out why you have no sound in one channel.

Centre Stage Discos

03-07-2021, 08:45 AM

I wonder if there's a thread here which covers DJ's biggest or most embarrassing mistakes? Probably not. We've all made them. :o One I did recently at a friend's gig, using his gear, was to accidentally catch the crossfader with the headphone cable. The sound just stopped. It took us a few minutes to work out what had happened. I hate crossfaders almost as much as I hate Marmite! ;) Never use them and the one on the VMS4 is permanently disabled. I'd ri[p the thing out of the unit if I could (I'm considering it as it gets in the way!) I'm sure I'll do some live mixing at some point but I'll be sure to use the individual channel faders if I do.

ppentertainments

03-07-2021, 11:12 AM

rth_discos

03-07-2021, 09:40 PM

I am beginning to see the need to just get out there and spread the word, but the problem with starting off at a lower price than I'd like will probably result at me straying at those lower prices. I definitely need to get out there on the road to make some inroads into this. I will take a look at the sites. Marmite? :eek:

I started up in 2015 again, from scratch, after many years break from mobile DJ'ing (I'd only done bar DJ work in the years before I went mobile again).

I too was in the chicken and egg situation - no recommendations, no testimonials, not even a photo I could use from a recent event!

My aim was to get into the right venues, get photos and recommendations, and use that to build further work.

So how to get that work early on without compromising my ongoing fee... I did an 'offer'.

It was pretty heft - £200 discount off what would be my main ongoing price.

It did the trick and got me my first handful of bookings. I also used Need A Disco a lot in my first year too - again being flexible with my pricing.

Then I did the wedding fairs, and Google Ads/Facebook Ads.

But it did enough to get the momentum going, and from 2016 onwards, I was at full fee, and busy. Followed that with venue recommendations, and that's where much of my work now comes from, along with the benefits of SEO on the website bringing organic traffic.

I spent a fair amount on marketing in my first 24 months, but it was all there to serve a purpose.

One tip: when you're being flexible on price, don't be flexible in the venues you perform at, or the clients you perform for. I needed to use that flexible pricing to be in the right venues and working for the right clients. I didn't want to start snowballing the work in the wrong places or with clients that weren't the right fit for me!

And take lots of greatphotos and pursue reviews from clients to start growing your bank of 'social proof'.

I now have photos of people dancing and my set up at pretty much every venue in my local area. It's great to quote for an event whilst attaching photos of you at their venue - it proves you know the venue which is a big bonus in the eyes of the client.

Imagine

03-07-2021, 10:42 PM

Biggest mistake was doing free charity discos believing they would lead to more work even though everyone else told me not too :D:D

And here, I'm going to be controversial (what.....me?????? :sofa:)

Charity/free gigs as everyone else here has mentioned....you have to be "selective". More often than not they'll result in a lot of people wanting their's for the same price (i.e. very cheap or free....it's all exposure...innit?)

But I do one a year for free and it DOES generate more work - quite a bit of it and normally outside of "wedding season".

It's for the village Scout Group (of which I'm a very long term leader), it's our main fundraiser, and it's a kid's Halloween party with anything up-to 150 kids in attendance (not all of them members of the Scout Group - it's advertised to the wider public). Plus, they come with accompanying parents or grandparents watching from the sidelines.

For a kids party, it's absolutely MASSIVE, VERY hard work (I enlist a lot of volunteer help on this one) and it's AWESOME. And yes, games are involved for that many kids - lots of them! The ages range between 5 and 12 years old as a general rule, and that in itself makes it a lot harder when you think the average kids party attendees are all of very similar ages to the birthday boy/girl.

All the stops are pulled out for this 2 hour extravaganza and locally it's well known! The Social Media buzz during and after the event is huge. The reason? Because it's different. There are no other kids Halloween parties in the area anything like as big or interactive as the one I do....and that makes one hell of a difference.

I regularly get work for more kids parties from that one once the parents have actually seen what it is that I can do for a kids party. The only reason I do this particular one (other than actually being involved in said charity as a volunteer anyway), is because I can pretty much guarantee to make back what I've given away several times over.

So whilst like everyone else I'd normally advise to steer well clear of charity gigs, sometimes they can work to your advantage.

Now...would I do similar for a load of drunken adults who are going to very quickly forget what I did on the night.....absolutely no chance I'm afraid.

Jim - Scotland's Party DJ

04-07-2021, 07:00 AM

I'm exhausted just thinking about that kids party :D

Great that it works for you and that's because it's different, most charity events are just an excuse for a :Censored::Censored::Censored::Censored: up and you're the dafty giving up a night / afternoon to entertain them for free / less than you're worth.

At this stage for me it's not even the £££s that matter (though it's much easier for peopleto see how unreasonable they're being by saying: " look my fees start at £xxx... you're essentially asking for a near 4 figure donation from me.") it's the time and energy involved multiplied by what I'm foregoing, even if thats j8st a chilled night on the couch.

P.s. most embarrassing moment: said wrong name for the bride during first dance intro once. Still get the fear until I've got both names out of the way to this day.

Centre Stage Discos

04-07-2021, 09:42 AM

I'm exhausted just thinking about that kids party :D

You and me both Jim. :D

Great replies - thank you.

We're back to the "it works for some but not for others" scenario and it's right. Imagine nailed it with his last sentence. A carefully chosen charity gig has got to be the way to go, but just one, maybe two. No more. I don't like the idea of working for nothing, but there's also a feel good factor involved, as my other half just said, you do get a buzz out of doing something for a worthy cause or something close to your heart. She used to take a group of elderly people to the seaside, purely to give them an enjoyable day out. Digressing yet again!

Thanks rth - your suggestion about getting plenty of photos is high on my list. I have a good few but they are hopeless quality as I took stills from videos and they didn't come out right. I've included a few on my website but I kept them small. There are a couple of stock photos in there too which are close to how the gear looks anyway.

£200 off your price, WOW! I am thinking I'm going to be struggling to get £200 in total for some gigs. Remember what I posted recently about increasing my prices? Well, here I am in that difficult chicken and egg situation. I know I could easily charge two or three times this amount, but perhaps that's just wishful thinking for this early stage. I knew this would effectively be like starting all over again, so I have to be realistic and expect a bit of bartering and discounts along the way.

I'm probably going to invest in some kind of paid advertising but I am going be VERY selective about where.

Thanks again all!

Imagine

04-07-2021, 10:03 AM

Marc J

04-07-2021, 10:19 AM

Remember one small but important thing that's been mentioned on here in other threads about when will we be working again....

There is about to be a deluge of enquiries, and 19th July is looking to be more and more likely for the easing of ALL restrictions in favour of common sense.
An awful lot of DJs have hung up their headphones over the past year and from talking to people who are booking me at the moment, getting a DJ who's available for their now multiple rescheduled date is becoming nigh-on impossible (don't know if that's a good thing or not).

I'd be inclined to hang fire on any reductions for a couple more weeks until Boris speaks and we know exactly what's what. I'm thinking it's going to be stoopildy busy for all of us.

I've seen a marked increase in enquiries through the MDD listings lately. Don't forget that standard listings are free and for now all document verification is also free, see Post COVID Return - Free Directory Verification (https://www.forum.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/showthread.php?44889-Post-COVID-Return-Free-Directory-Verification).

Jim - Scotland's Party DJ

04-07-2021, 10:19 AM

£200 off your price, WOW! I am thinking I'm going to be struggling to get £200 in total for some gigs. Remember what I posted recently about increasing my prices? Well, here I am in that difficult chicken and egg situation. I know I could easily charge two or three times this amount, but perhaps that's just wishful thinking for this early stage. I knew this would effectively be like starting all over again, so I have to be realistic and expect a bit of bartering and discounts along the way.

I'd really suggest trying to charge more than that otherwise you risk getting caught up doing lots of lower end jobs and have to duke it out with the sids -

It's much harder to differentiate yourself from others in a similar price bracket so are you not better swimming around with the dearer guys out there? Someone really focussed on getting a lower priced DJ won't see much difference in the £200 guy compared to the £150 quid guy and the £150 compared to a £120 guy.

And for the clients who are willing to pay more (aka the ones you do want booking you) it's a piece of :Censored::Censored::Censored::Censored: if they're comparing us. All I have to say is 'I never hard sell myself but there's a reason I charge 5x as much as Centre Stage..." that's it, I can't think of a time it's never worked.

IF you are content working at that end of things I know people who have had good success with GumTree and though I've not used it for years, NaD will probably do you a turn.

Centre Stage Discos

04-07-2021, 11:55 AM

This is not the first time I have heard people say that there is going to be a deluge of enquiries. Again, time will tell on that, but it makes sense to me, especially if so many DJs have hung up their headphones.

I'd like to know more about the MDD listings. I'd already seen these and I must admit that these were what initially drew me to this forum, but a lot of listings were seemingly out of date or missing.

Regarding the MDD listings: We haven't got the PAT and PLI yet for obvious reasons, deciding that we'd get this done when a certain PM gave more of a green light on things, and also waiting until a time that we were actually going out on a booking. (At the moment, the first booking we have is not until Christmas!)

I have never been a member of any organisation in the past, NADJ, etc. and I've just been looking into this, but where do I go to create a listing? Haven't you got to be a member here for a certain length of time? I'm not sure I'm there yet. Correction .... I just successfully registered so I'll be looking into this in due course.

Thanks again all. Very helpful and an interesting discussion.

Jim - Scotland's Party DJ

04-07-2021, 12:34 PM

ppentertainments

04-07-2021, 04:26 PM

I don't want to denigrate the MDD as the forum is great and has lots of decent people on it but with a bit of critical thinking you can probably surmise how useful it is for enquiries if most of the listing content is out of date...

I think even mods/admin would agree with this, I have been a member for many years and don't think I even picked up an enquiry - however not even sure what my listing looks like as in general I avoid enquiry sites anyway

Centre Stage Discos

04-07-2021, 05:16 PM

Imagine

04-07-2021, 05:33 PM

I didn't realise that Need A Disco charges a subscription to advertise. Fair enough if it works, but I think there are better places to spend advertising money. It's all leading back to Google for me but Facebook might be worth a try, assuming there isn't too much crud to wade through. (There usually is!)

It does, but once you've paid that fee you have access to all of the leads that come through which fit any criteria/filters you apply to the system (or at least that's how it used to work). I was with them for several years until it didn't suit my business model any longer and did quite well out of it. They also gather feedback on your behalf!

I don't know how many leads come through the system these days. It used to be around the 10-15 mark for the area I signed up for most days.
The beauty of that particular system over Faceache is that the person who's requested the quote is already interested in hiring a DJ (that's why they've gone there in the first place). Whereas on FB you're targeting a particular demographic (maybe 20-30 year old females who are engaged) but might not necessarily be looking for your services just yet if that makes sense?

There's pro's and con's against all of the ways of advertising. IMHO services like NaD will get you out there working a lot quicker than Google Ads and Facebook, but it all depends on how much effort you want to put in and how much you want to spend (NaD is a flat fee, Google and FB could be bottomless pits)

Marc J

04-07-2021, 05:46 PM

I'd like to know more about the MDD listings. I'd already seen these and I must admit that these were what initially drew me to this forum, but a lot of listings were seemingly out of date or missing.

Regarding the MDD listings: We haven't got the PAT and PLI yet for obvious reasons, deciding that we'd get this done when a certain PM gave more of a green light on things, and also waiting until a time that we were actually going out on a booking. (At the moment, the first booking we have is not until Christmas!)

I don't want to denigrate the MDD as the forum is great and has lots of decent people on it but with a bit of critical thinking you can probably surmise how useful it is for enquiries if most of the listing content is out of date...

I think even mods/admin would agree with this, I have been a member for many years and don't think I even picked up an enquiry - however not even sure what my listing looks like as in general I avoid enquiry sites anyway

It's no secret that, even before taking the last 16 months into consideration, the listings side of the MDD was pretty much a ghost town. When I took over nothing worked - listings couldn't be added or modified, contact forms on existing listings didn't work, and so for all intents and purposes it was completely broken. I fixed everything on the technical side, as well as adding a lot of new features (see New Features Added - Action Recommended (https://www.forum.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/showthread.php?44778-New-Features-Added-Action-Recommended)) with the next step being a redesign of at least the public facing side... but then Covid happened and that dropped down the list of priorities.

A lot of the current listings are out of date, that's true. It currently says listings deactivate if the owner doesn't login within a year, but in reality that doesn't happen - login dates are logged in the database but listings aren't automatically deactivated. It was my intention to code in an automatic reminder email (perhaps at 48, 50 and 52 weeks) to listing owners and then deactivate listings automatically if they didn't log in. But, if I'm honest doing that right now would mean there wouldn't be much content there at all (we're talking perhaps 4 years+ since it was working as it was supposed to), and it does get a lot of organic traffic. Perhaps an interim solution would be adding a note to listings where the owner hasn't logged in within the last year, something like "Note: The owner of this listing has not updated it for some time and may no longer be operating"?

I'm open to ideas / suggestions. To kick-start use of it I introduced the free verification, as well as reducing the pricing for enhanced and premium listings, it remains to be seen if it'll get the use it once did but it's there, it's free, so use it!

Centre Stage Discos

04-07-2021, 07:00 PM

Thanks Imagine. More things to consider there. All useful stuff to know. I was having a quick look at the NaDJ site earlier. Interesting to see all their offers.

That's a difficult one to call there Marc. I don't envy you regarding the coding and decision making regarding this forum. I run a small forum myself using the phpBB platform and covering a completely unrelated subject so I understand what you are saying. I really want to pull out of the running of it as I am not competent enough regarding the coding and it so time consuming. But there is no easy answer. No listings are up-to-date and never will be anymore. Twice over the last year I have tried to find existing companies on Google and Yell, only to find that MOST of them I contacted were no longer in business. It seems to be a sign of the times. Better to have the listings than not, even if half the discos are not in business anymore. Just a thought, maybe a 'Last logged in' date for each business would help instead of "This business may no longer be operating" etc.?

A new thread needed for this i think.

rth_discos

04-07-2021, 07:03 PM

£200 off your price, WOW! I am thinking I'm going to be struggling to get £200 in total for some gigs. Remember what I posted recently about increasing my prices? Well, here I am in that difficult chicken and egg situation. I know I could easily charge two or three times this amount, but perhaps that's just wishful thinking for this early stage. I knew this would effectively be like starting all over again, so I have to be realistic and expect a bit of bartering and discounts along the way.

I was in the same chicken and egg situation.

When I advertised my discos again back in 2015, I was doing so because I wanted to get back into being a Mobile DJ. But I hadn't done a mobile gig for nearly 15 years, nor did I own a single piece of equipment.

I had the confidence to ask for the fee I felt I was worth.

Your situation is no different to where mine was, so there's nothing stopping you from charging the fees I charged.

I've heard all of the excuses under the sun about why you can't charge that 'round here'... and in every case, there's always more than enough of a market of affluent people within a 45 minute drive.

What stops most people from getting the fee they are worth is that they never ask for it...

Centre Stage Discos

04-07-2021, 07:15 PM

I fully agree with what you are saying rth. I've seen this with my own eyes.

Years ago I was always amazed by a friend who would charge several times more than the 'going rate' and he was always busy. His discos would be smaller than the average rig in terms of lighting, but he always used quality equipment. A really nice guy who you could trust with your life. How did he do it? Well, his clientele would be hiring stately homes and exclusive country clubs in which to hold their functions. Military bases and universities would be among his regular customers. He did not really 'do' small functions. So just one simple example there but I do believe that there is a way.

Excalibur

04-07-2021, 07:36 PM

I didn't realise that Need A Disco charges a subscription to advertise. Fair enough if it works, but I think there are better places to spend advertising money. It's all leading back to Google for me but Facebook might be worth a try, assuming there isn't too much crud to wade through. (There usually is!)

Read again what the crotchety white haired Old Git wrote about Nad and A to E. iIf my Fenland Friend agrees with me, it must be right. :)

OK, I've taken the tablets: summary, Add to Event can be tried with £24, and can generate instant results. ( Can also eat £24 very quickly, it used to be a lot cheaper). Downside can be that many leads have a low budget and Sid quoting for them.

NaD costs from £99 a year, but its leads are FREE! . They're also more realistically priced on the whole, and you get other benefits too.

Also, networking. Wayne will know if Rambling Sid Rumpo's happy band* have meetings in your area. All meetings are worth showing your face at, I've learnt a lot from them, and on occasion picked up cheap kit. Good luck.

* If you ever listened to "Round The Horne" you'll know one reason I didn't join NADJ this June when my PLI was due for renewal. ;):Laugh:

Imagine

04-07-2021, 11:33 PM

Read again what the crotchety white haired Old Git wrote about Nad and A to E. iIf my Fenland Friend agrees with me, it must be right. :)

Oi - "Fenland"? :Naughty:
I might have to report you to a moderator for violation of rules 12 and 21 for that remark! Oh....hang on :coat:

OK, I've taken the tablets: summary, Add to Event can be tried with £24, and can generate instant results. ( Can also eat £24 very quickly, it used to be a lot cheaper). Downside can be that many leads have a low budget and Sid quoting for them.

NaD costs from £99 a year, but its leads are FREE! . They're also more realistically priced on the whole, and you get other benefits too.

Also, networking. Wayne will know if Rambling Sid Rumpo's happy band* have meetings in your area. All meetings are worth showing your face at, I've learnt a lot from them, and on occasion picked up cheap kit. Good luck.

* If you ever listened to "Round The Horne" you'll know one reason I didn't join NADJ this June when my PLI was due for renewal. ;):Laugh:

I've also taken some tablets....a lot of them actually. Had my second AstraZeneca shot yesterday and it's hit me like a 39 ton truck going at full tilt today :sick:
Anyhoo....I digress, because well, I can and I've spent pretty much all day sleeping so full of beans now :)

* NaD - I might (sorry Vectis....no guarantees at the moment) look at re-joining just for jollies to see what's about. I used to do quite well out of it whilst I was charging half of what I charge now but there might be some mileage...more investigation needed in this brave new world we're in at the moment.
* Add2Event - not a chance. I won ONE gig for £500, and that's ONLY because I knew the planner (who was charging several thousand pounds for the same wedding), and she knew what I could do.

TWO that haven't been mentioned yet

* Bridebook.com. I do VERY well on that one! I've booked two from there this week alone!
* BARK - avoid at ALL costs (similar WeddingWire and TheKnot)

Jim mentioned Gumtree earlier on. In days of old, I got several very well paying gigs from there (yeah...it surprised me too). It's not so good these days. Facebook wedding groups are on a similar par from experience with the potential clients looking for the cheapest price possible.

I make absolutely no secret about my prices - I publish them on my website for the world to see and customers either hire me or they don't...it's rare for questions to be asked. It's not a snob thing...I charge £550 a night and I'm worth it. Want me for all-day...you're looking at over a grand. And I get BOOKED at those prices!

Pre-Covid, I was making a decent living that way and it's how I intend to carry on...my diary for next year is healthier than it's ever been. As I've mentioned before, Facebook is good for "social proof", but I really don't take many bookings from there at all because they don't want to pay my prices.

Networking (NOT by the way meant in the same terms as running ideas up flagpoles and thinking outside the box) is BRILLIANT when it happens. Sadly John in our neck of the woods, it's a bit thin on the ground. DJs in and around Cambridgeshire for some reason on the whole absolutely despise each other....and there are a LOT of chaps named Sidney to boot! It's almost as if we're all bitter enemies and it really shouldn't be that way!

The vast majority of my contacts (other than most of those in here that I've met and got drunken with on "Old Sock Rotter" :beer1: on occasion), are in Norfolk & Suffolk (I sit on the Cambs/Norfolk/Suffolk borders....literally within a stone's throw of all of them). Although I'm based in Cambridgeshire, it's rare to travel to the cities of Cambridge or Peterborough. I do a lot in Ely, March and Wisbech from my SEO and word of mouth, but other than that, most of my work is across the borders into Norfolk and Suffolk.

We all pass work between each other on a regular basis because we know and trust each other, that is what networking is all about (for instance, although I cover Norfolk I'm highly unlikely to venture into Great Yarmouth when there's a very good bloke I know personally that lives there, and the same with him coming over this way).

Before lockdowns, we were in the throes of setting up a NADJ East Anglian Branch (I was to be one of the committee members), and that might still come to pass. I have my reservations about such organisations now other than the social side of things sadly as I get the impression a grumpy old so and so from up North might have too.

A couple of other ways to "network" (i.e. make friends...)

* BPM - It's a great drinking fest (sorry....trade show) and if you can ignore the wannabe bedroom DJs that just want to play with the kit, is a good way of meeting like minded professionals and indeed seeing what's coming up in the form of new kit. There's deals to be had as well if you have cash on your hip on the day!
* ProMobile Conference - (going back to Marmite here but it's worked VERY well for me) is an annual event which is a two day conference on basically knowledge sharing. Yes it's geared to doing things the "American Way" at times and on the day, some of it doesn't seem relevant....until it suddenly twigs a couple of months down the line that somebody's already mentioned that they're doing what you're thinking of doing. I've met soooo many specialist Wedding DJs there (which is now mainly what I do) that it's unreal. We all keep in contact although spread across counties and countries and share what we're doing. ProMobile alone has well and truly upped my game and it's what I've learned there over the years that has well and truly upped my game!

Beware the "Gurus". I won't mention names as we're on a public forum, but there are those that charge subscription fees for their learnings that will do more harm than good! Some however, are worth their weight in gold (i.e. they're still actually doing the job rather than trying to top up their pension)

A big no from me on networking is a certain well-known Facebook group which offers PLI (where I get my insurance from but that's by the by). Post on there at your peril unless you have a very thick skin. Sidney bites on there....HARD!

Until a couple of years ago, I was a "weekend warrior". This was a hobby (since 1988!) with the view to eventually becoming my full time job. Covid got in the way of things last year, but I'm going to be back next week, and hard! Our own Gavin (RTH) will attest to how I work and that it's the right way of doing things to make a success of the business (I learned a LOT from his conference...he's one of the "gurus" you can trust!)

If you want to meet up somewhere midway between you and me for a pint of something refreshing and to share what works and what doesn't (believe me....I've been there, seen it and still have the scars), by all means let me know and I'll make it happen.

Sorry - I've gone slightly off topic and rambled on a bit. Blame it on the side effects of the Covid jab and the medication to reduce the side effects because I kid you not...I've just seen a pink and blue striped Unicorn land in my back garden!

Marc J

05-07-2021, 09:32 AM

Better to have the listings than not, even if half the discos are not in business anymore. Just a thought, maybe a 'Last logged in' date for each business would help instead of "This business may no longer be operating" etc.?

A new thread needed for this i think.

Displaying the last login date may be a little too intrusive, and may be against data protection. I've gone with my original suggestion, which is now live, see Important - Log in at least once per year! (https://www.forum.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/showthread.php?44915-Important-Log-in-at-least-once-per-year!)

DeckstarDeluxe

05-07-2021, 10:25 AM

Don't think you should be looking at the forum as a marketing tool. It's a resource of information to better equip yourself out in that big bad world out there.

Considering there's no paid memberships etc I think asking for a directory to be working and effective is asking a lot of someone to give up their free time.

Marc J

05-07-2021, 10:33 AM

Considering there's no paid memberships etc I think asking for a directory to be working and effective is asking a lot of someone to give up their free time.

I've already put the time in, everything now works as it should, including paid listings ;)

Although, there are very few paid listings currently. I was thinking about offering 12 months free "Enhanced" listings to the first x, or x from each region, who apply - with certain stipulations (they must have a working website, for one!). Not sure how well that would be received, though (either by uptake or by those who don't get it). But usage is still fairly low all in so not really worth thinking about at the moment...

Centre Stage Discos

05-07-2021, 10:37 AM

"Every little helps" as a certain supermarket constantly tells us.

I think that's fair Marc. It shows you are on the ball and demonstrates that you have potential customer's best interests at heart.

Thanks for the further suggestions on places to advertise. I'll digest all these shortly. Meanwhile, I had Yell on the phone this morning trying to sell advertising. :rolleyes: I don't think that's going to be happening somehow.

Excalibur

05-07-2021, 11:04 AM

I think that's fair Marc. It shows you are on the ball

You've not had many dealings with the lad, have you? I don't know how he does it, but he's virtually omnipresent ( I suspect banks and banks of computers, with auto alert programs running ), and omniscient may be stretching it a tad, but what else could you call anyone who can keep my technology doing what it's supposed to do? Blimey, my Computer's even fitted with a Red Stripe dispenser now, courtesy of Marc. :beer1:

Vectis

05-07-2021, 06:52 PM

* NaD - I might ... look at re-joining

Hold off until the 12th because if, as expected, BoJo announces the end of legal restrictions on the 19th there might just be a special offer going out to lapsed members... :zip:

Imagine

05-07-2021, 11:58 PM

Hold off until the 12th because if, as expected, BoJo announces the end of legal restrictions on the 19th there might just be a special offer going out to lapsed members... :zip:

You have my undivided attention Martin! I still remember the days where you used to do offers on your birthday! And you used to call me and James Ross "gig pigs".

How will you let me know?

Vectis

16-07-2021, 09:19 PM

How will you let me know?

Here you go...
https://needadisco.com/site20/rejoin2021.php

:beer1:

Shaun

17-07-2021, 02:38 PM

You've not had many dealings with the lad, have you? I don't know how he does it, but he's virtually omnipresent ( I suspect banks and banks of computers, with auto alert programs running ), and omniscient may be stretching it a tad, but what else could you call anyone who can keep my technology doing what it's supposed to do? Blimey, my Computer's even fitted with a Red Stripe dispenser now, courtesy of Marc. :beer1:

If I didn't know Marc personally I'd think he was just a very clever AI Bot. I still suspect he's Borg.

Excalibur

17-07-2021, 08:10 PM

I still suspect he's Borg.

Likeliest answer I've heard so far. ;)

Centre Stage Discos

26-11-2021, 11:16 AM

So, people have been cancelling their Christmas gigs, such is the concern about another possible lockdown.

I really can't see a lockdown happening, but da word on da street is exactly this. Some hotels in the area have seen as much as 50% cancellation, I am told. (Reliable source!)

As for our own bookings, well, they're coming in, slowly but surely, but they are all coming in via our website, which is clearly working for us.

GoogleMyBusiness is slow, but I expected that. Yell is a more feeble version of GMB, but it's still worth having an entry. However, the biggest disappointment has been the agencies! (Surprise Surprise!)

After your kind suggestions, we weighed up all the alternatives and opted to join two. One being the MDJN, which has produced nothing. The other being Poppop, which has also produced nothing. Why did we choose Poptop? On the strength of a good friend who has had dozens of bookings through them.

I have to say, Poptop's system is quite buggy and there are many errors in our listing (Discos from £90 being one of them.) We have had weekly telephone calls with them to try to rectify the problems. They have been too keen to lay down their own rules which are not helpful to us. They have modified the listing info, including adding their own spelling mistakes.

The text in our listing is not actually ours anymore. They rather rudely suggested that our own text, which was absolutely fine, was not up to their standards. So they literally messed it up. The few "Shortlists" we had (don't get me started on those damn Shortlists) suddenly stopped coming through after this. The numbers of shortlists we have can actually vary from day to day!

Photographs. (Grrrr!) Their screening and rejection of so many photographs just left us bewildered. They were perfectly fine. OK, some we have are old and blurry, so we took new ones. We also added some photos from recent events. Yep ... rejected! We even hired a local village hall a few weeks ago so we could take new pics and video footage. OK, we are not professional photographers, but they were better than adequate and even some of these were rejected.

What seems to work for some discos doesn't work for us. There are some shocking photos in their listings. Even some 'services' which are not actually permitted under their rules. How did they get away with that?

We certainly won't be renewing with them, unless a miracle happens.

So, another recommendation came along, and one which was mentioned earlier in this thread. Add To Event! We registered with them yesterday, not expecting our listing to go live so quickly as it's not even complete, and already we are receiving numerous email leads of events. "David H has requested information.", "Scotty B is having a birthday.", "Ciara O is getting married int he morning." Well good for them! But are they actually genuine? Because the sincerity of another agency was recently brought into question concerning their leads.

Being honest, I just don't like this kind of system, so it's probably going to be a NO from us. Buying credits in order to be able to respond to leads which give little information is not the way we would like to do things. No specific figures are given as to how many credits you are to buy and for what they cover. It's such a convoluted system, but does it actually work? I guess we would be replying to 100 leads for £100 and receiving nothing back.

So, very big moan over. (Now awaits the barrage of "Told you sos" etc.)

Scuse any typos. No time to cirrect bad grammer and spilling mistaks.

DeckstarDeluxe

26-11-2021, 11:28 AM

Centre Stage Discos

26-11-2021, 11:49 AM

Have you looked at needadisco.com ? Only directory site I've heard good things about.

I had some success on bark awhile ago but it was very hit and miss. If you can I'd work on your organic ranking on the search engines now so you don't need to worry about these sites but that takes awhile to bear fruit.

Thanks DD.

We don't expect miracles overnight, but we now know that our site is working at least. I think we've done pretty well 'considering'.

Agreed, rankings are something which can always be improved and I'll update the website soon in this regard. It's been interesting to see how we appear at Google positions 2 and 3 in one area and then at number 10 or not at all in another. There's definitely something to be learnt from all this. Problem for me is that I don't have much enthusiasm for web design and SEO tricks at the moment, nor the time, but I keep making small amendments as we go along.

We also hear good things about NeedADisco, but the downside is that they supposedly lead to the kind of event we don't want, i.e. the £100-150 a night type. How much truth is there in that?

Add To Event is so damn tempting with all those leads, but that kind of 'credit' system just smacks of the kind of con you'd expect on certain other sites. We will be avoiding, unless we hear some positives about them. Tempting though at £24 for a quick trial.

Cheers!

Marc J

26-11-2021, 12:07 PM

Don't forget basic listings on https://www.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/ are and always will be free :)

It fell out of favour for a while, mostly because it didn't actually work and was more or less abandoned by the previous owners... but I've fixed it, and am just about to launch a new DJ / Admin side to it and shortly after that a redesign of the front end.

Edited to add: Just realised you have a listing! Keeping this post here, anyway!

Centre Stage Discos

26-11-2021, 12:51 PM

Thank you Marc.

Looking forward to seeing the new DJ/Admin side. I will update accordingly.

Imagine

26-11-2021, 01:44 PM

We also hear good things about NeedADisco, but the downside is that they supposedly lead to the kind of event we don't want, i.e. the £100-150 a night type. How much truth is there in that?

At the risk of being shot down in flames (sorry Vectis), there's quite a bit of truth in that rumour.

I'm currently a member having done well out of the site several years ago and thought it'd be a bit of a boost to get things going again after the lockdowns. So far, I've not actually bothered to respond to any of the leads that have come in via NaD because the average budget I'm seeing is around the £150-£200 mark (yes, there are some for £300-£400, the £400 being for NYE!)

If I get just one decent paying lead from it, it'll pay for itself. Like everything else though it's a waiting game.

Centre Stage Discos

26-11-2021, 02:44 PM

Thank you for this Imagine.

Our base prices are in the £350 to £400 bracket - and we are getting bookings. (We could do with a few more, that's all.) How things are at the moment, we couldn't really afford to do things for much less. We know that it's a fair price for the service we provide.

While I was writing the above paragraph, two more leads came through from Add To Event. Damn! They really know how to draw you in, don't they? :p

I have questioned whether there is a need to join up to agencies at all, but there's no doubt that some of them work well. Poptop have failed us so far, yet they have been an absolute boon to my friend. So why not us, you may ask? Could it be that our listing is sub-standard? No, I doubt that. I thoroughly check all written work of this kind before posting and go as far as getting proof readers. It was definitely up the required standard and I think it was better than many others on there. So, why should Add To Event work for us, just because it worked for somebody else?

The bottom line is that agencies/websites/listings/subscriptions, etc. work for some and not for others. It's always going to be a gamble and I'm sure that a certain amount of luck is at play too.

But, I have never been known as a giver upper, and I may well give Add To Event a try. Why not? £24 is hardly the end of the world. I'm not usually a pessimist, but I am not expecting anything to come from this because of the kind of system it is.

Excalibur

26-11-2021, 03:18 PM

At the risk of being shot down in flames (sorry Vectis), there's quite a bit of truth in that rumour.

I'm currently a member having done well out of the site several years ago and thought it'd be a bit of a boost to get things going again after the lockdowns. So far, I've not actually bothered to respond to any of the leads that have come in via NaD because the average budget I'm seeing is around the £150-£200 mark (yes, there are some for £300-£400, the £400 being for NYE!)

If I get just one decent paying lead from it, it'll pay for itself. Like everything else though it's a waiting game.

There's one in Barnsley in April for a grand for a birthday, birthdays in Scunthorpe and Rotherham at £300, wedding in Rotherham £300, wedding near me £400, 60th in Batley for £200. I have no price filters on my account, and I must say that £150 gigs are a rarity.

In defence of A to E as well ( cos if anyone remembers, I recommended both sites, and I wouldn't have touched Poptop with a bargepole) yes there are plenty of " less than £200/not sure " budgets, I've got four upcoming from there at just short of £300 upwards.

It is a vicious circle with both sites as I said though, without feedback, you don't get work, and without work, you don't get feedback. However, once the pump is primed, it becomes a more virtuous circle, you have to stick in. My first NaD gig was a £500 one many many years ago. One bonus with A to E is that when you get favourable feedback, you can post it to your Facebook page, and webpage very easily.

Centre Stage Discos

26-11-2021, 03:47 PM

and I wouldn't have touched Poptop with a bargepole.

Would you mind telling me why? I am feeling like saying this myself, but I am curious about your own (or other people's) experiences. You could PM me if you'd rather.

Thanks.

John.

Excalibur

26-11-2021, 05:39 PM

Would you mind telling me why? I am feeling like saying this myself, but I am curious about your own (or other people's) experiences. You could PM me if you'd rather.

Thanks.

John.

Middleman. Extra layer of administration. Commission. I want to deal direct with clients, not faff about red striping money to agents, or waiting for them to send it to me.

I've just had a quick look at the figures, and both sites have cost me less than half Poptop's commission. ( NaD way less than that in fact).

It works for me, may not be for everyone.

Jim - Scotland's Party DJ

26-11-2021, 07:15 PM

Our base prices are in the £350 to £400 bracket - and we are getting bookings. (We could do with a few more, that's all.) How things are at the moment, we couldn't really afford to do things for much less. We know that it's a fair price for the service we provide.

I have questioned whether there is a need to join up to agencies at all, but there's no doubt that some of them work well. Poptop have failed us so far, yet they have been an absolute boon to my friend. .

NaD did ok for me over the piece numerous years ago. I was very selective in what I went for so it wasn't a time sink and the high end payers easily covered the outlay. However it was still only maybe 2-4 gigs per year it brought in so not exactly something you want to base your business model around.

I don't use any of it these days and I've never even heard of poptop but I'd be curious what your mate is charging from it if he seems to be doing a roaring trade.

All that said, I think you've answered your own question if doing your own thing is bringing in work, you just need a bit more, you're jist kicking on while we're still in the midst of the biggest disruption to socialising and entertainment since the war, of you're plodding along, you're doing better than many, keep doing what you're doing and give things to to normalise and the business to grow.

Imagine

26-11-2021, 08:12 PM

And Jim's just hit the nail on the head in the current climate.

If you're bobbing along, you're doing better than a lot of folks at the moment. I've been lucky in that I've had very few weekends at home since we started back. That said, tomorrow's cancelled due to the customer isolating and next week's already been cancelled. Many aren't even getting the bookings in the first place at the moment because customers (particularly weddings) can't or won't commit at the moment in great numbers.

Things are going to quieten down for a couple of weeks now anyway. This new variant's got people worried again and you'll find that things like web visits decrease as a result (my own sites have been like graveyards today and it's always been the way when worrying news comes out about the virus).

Centre Stage Discos

27-11-2021, 09:30 AM

Yep, spot on. We must be doing something right. It was my friend (the one doing VERY well on Poptop) who initially said that we shouldn't be going out for any less than £350 considering what we were taking out, our experience, etc. His rates are roughly the same - and larger for larger shows. He is a old hand at this game and has a solid reputation. Maybe that's why he is doing better.

I've arranged a phone call from Add To Event for next week. I think there could be potential with them, but that depends one a number of things I will fire at them.

Putting all your eggs into one or two agency baskets is not a good business model. Cheers Jim. We all take our work from a variety of sources, but the biggest one we have found over the years is word of mouth, or people booking us after seeing us in action. Times are not easy, and we may now have a new deadlier virus to contend with, at least that seems to be what the media want us to believe. We'll know more about that one in a week or two.

Stay safe folks.

Vectis

01-12-2021, 08:27 PM

One bonus with A to E is that when you get favourable feedback, you can post it to your Facebook page

Erm, with the new dashboard you can do this from NaD too :)
(well YOU can, for some other members it might be a few days before they are migrated - oldest first :zip:)

From the dash look towards the bottom of the grey menu stripe for Feedback then Feedback Sharing. After that, follow your nose. Currently posts to FB and/or Twitter, more to follow :beer1:

Excalibur

02-12-2021, 11:11 AM

Erm, with the new dashboard you can do this from NaD too :)
(well YOU can, for some other members it might be a few days before they are migrated - oldest first :zip:)

From the dash look towards the bottom of the grey menu stripe for Feedback then Feedback Sharing. After that, follow your nose. Currently posts to FB and/or Twitter, more to follow :beer1:

Hey, come on mate! Luddites like me think they've done well to actually get to the new dashboard! All I need to do then is actually get clients to give Feedback. One promised superlative reviews on multiple occasions, and still hasn't obliged. Another hasn't confirmed officially, so can't give it. Ah well, thanks anyway Martin. :approve:

Vectis

02-12-2021, 11:25 AM

thanks anyway

You can go back and share older feedback as far as 2017 :beer1:

Imagine

02-12-2021, 11:26 AM

Hey, come on mate! Luddites like me think they've done well to actually get to the new dashboard! All I need to do then is actually get clients to give Feedback. One promised superlative reviews on multiple occasions, and still hasn't obliged. Another hasn't confirmed officially, so can't give it. Ah well, thanks anyway Martin. :approve:

Feedback? Feedback? The number of folk who've asked me for a link to leave feedback and then haven't bothered this year is annoying! :mad:

Just seen something I'd never noticed on the NaD dash though....we can put a pretty MDD Supporter logo on our profile :o

ppentertainments

02-12-2021, 01:22 PM

Feedback? Feedback? The number of folk who've asked me for a link to leave feedback and then haven't bothered this year is annoying! :mad:

I have found the answer to that !!

Make sure all your events are 'mediocre' and bordering on an almost boredom level. These people will leave you cracking feedback.
If you have a fantastic night, everyone enjoying themselves and a full dancefloor, people will say they will leave feedback but as soon as you leave the room delete your details :D:D:D

I honestly think DJs with loads of feedback must be totally rubbish lol

Marc J

02-12-2021, 05:15 PM

Just seen something I'd never noticed on the NaD dash though....we can put a pretty MDD Supporter logo on our profile :o

Well spotted that man!

This is part of a 2-way "partnership" which myself and Martin have been looking at. The idea is to perhaps provide some perks both ways. Quite what they will be is still to be decided / announced, so far we're working on the technical side of the 2 sites validating each other in the most efficient way - which is clearly working as you can now see your supporter badge there, too :)

I'll (very) shortly be rolling out the new MDD admin panel, which will include the ability to add your DJMark ID, which would then be shown on your listing on MDD.

So... stay tuned, more to come!

Fizzandgroove

23-12-2021, 12:00 PM

Personally I'd try wedding fayres before binning them off.

Firstly it's a possible foot in the door at the venue, get to see who the movers and shakers are. It's not what you know after all.....

Secondly it puts you infront of actual couples face to face. Granted the stereotypical wedding fayre clients are "usually" budget end but not always. Either way it helps get an understanding of what your potential clients are looking for, what they like about you and your product/services.

Thirdly it also puts you into the same space as other suppliers. I've got countless jobs from fellow suppliers as much as direct conversations. It also helps with brand awareness.

If I looked at just direct sales from wedding fayres alone I'd prob say it wasn't worth it. Would I say it was worth doing, 100% it was.

I don't do them so much now because we're known, we don't really need to and the most important reason is I can't be arsed getting out of bed early on a Sunday :D

This is very good advice. I once did a wedding fayre and got 2 or 3 jobs from it within a week, followed by another two in the next month, followed by another 6 months later and one more after a year. Only about 6 jobs, but the venue liked me so much they put me on their recommended suppliers list and I also got some followers on social media. Do EVERYTHING. Not one form of advertising. Build the spiderweb of influence through constant hard work and networking.