Thread: Holiday Advertising/Marketing

I'm thinking of doing some "light" holiday promotion this year...Just a little push for events. My core audience would be civic groups, women's clubs, retirement homes, and special needs homes.

I know people are tightening up on their budgets this year, but I could offer affordable entertainment (or something like that).

I buy media spots at my current job, so I know how to do that, but I was just wondering if I would get a good ROI for belly dancing gigs.

Also, with retirement homes and other groups, you can't really target them the same way you can the general public...so here are my questions for you. Discuss.

1) Have you ever done a holiday/seasonal marketing camapign for belly dancing? If so, was it successful?

2) To whom did you target your campaign? If you've never done one before, who would you target?

3) What would be the best methods for dissmeminating your message? Direct mail, person-to-person, cold calls, web advertising, local papers, etc.

I'm really interested to see the responses to this. The holidays are usually my slowest time, and I've been trying for the past 3 years to combat it with little success.

Last year I tried a newspaper ad (chronicled here http://www.bhuz.com/forum/business-b...me-update.html) every other week for November and December. Not a single response, unfortunately. I have also tried contacting party planners, bars/restaurants with a trendy/international feel and a few Chambers of Commerce to drum up holiday party and or New Year's Gigs. Nada. I haven't tried the nursing home route, but the ones I've contacted tend to have little to no entertainment budget.

I haven't actually done this, so I'm just tossing out ideas.

For nursing/retirement homes, I think a direct mail piece would probably work best. I have a postcard in the works. A mailing could be addressed to 'activity director' using yellow pages for addresses and following up with a phone call, but making an initial phone call to at least get a name first and build a mailing list might be a good idea, too.

Laura, I think it's best to focus on 'retirement communities' rather than 'nursing homes.'

(can you tell I've given that one some thought? This was a rich and continuous source of gigs for the troupe I came up in.)

For businesses, maybe an ad in the local business publication?

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Laura, I think it's best to focus on 'retirement communities' rather than 'nursing homes.'

I'm sorry, I think I was using the term "nursing home" in a really broad sense. The ones I've contacted have been considered "assisted living" - is that somewhere between a nursing home and a retirement community?

Yeah, that's what I meant. We have a lot of retirement communities here, since NC is sort of considered a retirement destination for some. ;)

Originally Posted by Lauren_

For nursing/retirement homes, I think a direct mail piece would probably work best. I have a postcard in the works. A mailing could be addressed to 'activity director' using yellow pages for addresses and following up with a phone call, but making an initial phone call to at least get a name first and build a mailing list might be a good idea, too.

I really like the postcard idea. Usually I send a full promo kit with a letter, but they're expensive to send, and maybe it's so much stuff to go through that it just gets tossed. A postcard might be just enough to pique interest, and would certainly be less pricey to mail.

OK, so Overnight prints was having a sale for 100 postcards for free (only pay shipping), so I decided to try it. It won't cost me very much. I whipped up a card...I'll let you know how it goes. Now I just need to get a mailing list! LOL.

Excuse the ugly colors, but I forgot to save the picture in RGB, since it was originally in CMYK. It looks prettier in real life...trust me.

LOVELY!!!

Originally Posted by andalee-oriental

OK, so Overnight prints was having a sale for 100 postcards for free (only pay shipping), so I decided to try it. It won't cost me very much. I whipped up a card...I'll let you know how it goes. Now I just need to get a mailing list! LOL.

Excuse the ugly colors, but I forgot to save the picture in RGB, since it was originally in CMYK. It looks prettier in real life...trust me.

Oooh, I like it! I got the same offer from Overnight Prints, and figured it was the universe giving me a sign to get off my duff on Lauren's postcard suggestion!

Here's mine. (I decided not to do a specific holiday theme in case I have some left over after the holidays)




I only have Microsoft Publisher for design, so I couldn't get all Photoshop fancy - but I think it gets the job done. I paid a little extra for two sided, but with the $29.99 credit, it cost me under $20 for 100 glossy postcards, and that includes the shipping!

My internet was being worked on all morning, so I spent two hours compiling a mailing list from the Yellow Pages of retirement homes, banquet halls, dj's, restaurants and chambers of commerce. I have nearly 50 addressees so far!

Looks great! We'll have to compare notes when it's all over. I decided not to do two sided because I thought I might hand some out or leave small stacks at coffee shops and such.

Did you get your cards yet?

Originally Posted by andalee-oriental

Looks great! We'll have to compare notes when it's all over. I decided not to do two sided because I thought I might hand some out or leave small stacks at coffee shops and such.

They'll probably be there when I get home from work today.

You guys inspired me to make post cards too, not just for the holidays but to do a general mailing. I spent forever on the computer last night designing a card on their "interactive designer" and the friggen thing told me there was a PHP error and it couldn't continue!! ARG! I went to be at 1:30 because I was trying to make it work so I wouldn't loose my design.

I'll try again tomorrow but that was soooo frustrating!!

I did the same thing! Postcards, not necessarily holiday. Pricing and contact info is on the back, the colors and clarity are much better in the print version. I swear the background is dark red, not bronze!!!



eta: GAH!! I didn't spot the missing space before the word 'Homes' until just now! I should know by now to ALWAYS have a human proof my work. I'm going to e-mail VistaPrint and see if I can send a new file. Dangit.

wow that looks great, Yours looks larger then 4X6 right?
HOw much did it cost with VistaPrint? Also what program did you use to make your card?

Originally Posted by Lauren_

I did the same thing! Postcards, not necessarily holiday. Pricing and contact info is on the back, the colors and clarity are much better in the print version. I swear the background is dark red, not bronze!!!



eta: GAH!! I didn't spot the missing space before the word 'Homes' until just now! I should know by now to ALWAYS have a human proof my work. I'm going to e-mail VistaPrint and see if I can send a new file. Dangit.

Originally Posted by toria_dances

wow that looks great, Yours looks larger then 4X6 right?
HOw much did it cost with VistaPrint? Also what program did you use to make your card?

Don't use vista print...use overnight prints.

Got mine today. They look great. I bought my stamps today too. The only thing is that there is a little rough patch in above my head, where I didn't erase out the background entirely. Oh well...still looks snazzy. :)

Mine are the 'oversized postcards' Vistaprint offers, don't remember the exact dimensions. I laid them out in Adobe Photoshop. Looking at my design, I now see the typo AND I wish I'd left more margin around the edges. Always a good idea to put it away for a few hours, come back and look again. But I'm running 100mph right now just trying to get stuff DONE and packed this in!

I printed with Vistaprint, using a discount offer I had from a previous job. Total price, including shipping, was $72.53 for 250 cards, color front black and white back, gloss coating, oversized.

I've used both Vistaprint and Overnight prints, I've had good experiences with both.

Lauren, your postcard card looks awesome!!! It's so dynamic and exciting looking.

I have tried like heck to learn how to use a more robust design program like GIMP (which from what I understand does nearly everything that Photoshop does, but it's open source so it's free), but I just can't figure it out. Like sewing a circle skirt, I think it's one of those things someone is going to have to sit down and hold my hand with, because I cannot figure it out from the tutorials.

I use Gimp cause its free, its easy once you get the hang of it. I;ve alwasy waned to know how you outline photos with light like Lauren has. My hair is so dark that if I put a photo on a black background I look bald!

so know that you have your cards who will you send them to?

Woohoo! Overnight prints is awesome! Saved $20 plus got free shipping, so I only paid $19 for 100 postcards! Now to make my list..... :-)

This is fun!

Question for you guys - when you send to banquet halls and restaurants, who do you address it to?

Originally Posted by laura 2

Lauren, your postcard card looks awesome!!! It's so dynamic and exciting looking.

I have tried like heck to learn how to use a more robust design program like GIMP (which from what I understand does nearly everything that Photoshop does, but it's open source so it's free), but I just can't figure it out. Like sewing a circle skirt, I think it's one of those things someone is going to have to sit down and hold my hand with, because I cannot figure it out from the tutorials.

Thanks! I did this for a living for 10 years, but I think of myself as an adequate designer, not a great one. I wish I'd studied some color and design theory, for instance. Like bellydance, graphic design isn't something you figure out in 10 easy lessons. (only it requires $600 software programs rather than costumes).

I think you're all doing a great job for not being pros at this, and using the tools you have. The secret is to keep it simple.

Originally Posted by toria_dances

I use Gimp cause its free, its easy once you get the hang of it. I;ve alwasy waned to know how you outline photos with light like Lauren has. My hair is so dark that if I put a photo on a black background I look bald!

I use a photoshop feature called "outer glow." I don't know anything about Gimp so I don't know if the effect can be duplicated with that program.

Originally Posted by danielabellydance

Question for you guys - when you send to banquet halls and restaurants, who do you address it to?

For banquet halls, I was planning on using "Events Manager/Coordinator", and for Restaurants, "Owner/Manager". But if anyone has better ideas, I'd love to her it.

Looks good Lauren!

I finished mine last night. I ended up having to stop gathering names, because I could have kept on going and going...I only had 100 cards.

I live in a large metro area, so I had to limit my list to Durham and Chapel Hill (plus a few other select places). Had I done the whole Triangle--well that just would've been too hard.

So, my list included:
Middle Eastern, Greek and Indian Restaurants
A few night clubs
Retirement communities
Nursing homes
Civic clubs (Junior League, Jaycee, Lion's club, etc)
Banquet Halls
Event Planners
Chambers of Commerce (all towns in Metro)
and Country Clubs

So I spent $27 on stamps, $17 on printing and about 10 hours working on design, mailing and assembly. If I get two jobs out of it, it will have been worth my time.

Oh and I used the title for Event Planner or Event Coordinator in most cases. For restaurants, I left it blank, unless I had the owner's names and for retirement communities, I used Activity Director. Hope that helps.

Thanks to all the ladies on here for the tips!

Of course it would be ideal to call everyplace on the list and ask whoever answers the phone for the name of the manager/activities director/etc. Then send the postcard to that person, then follow up with a phone call...

...but I'm too lazy & phone-o-phobic for that. I may *try* to follow up with a phone call to the top prospects.

When selling advertising space (which is a completely different animal, I know) we considered a mailing just as a way to get people to know who you are when you call. The call is what gets your foot in the door.

Also, if you do choose to call, I suggest you don't open with 'Hi, this is Lauren the Bellydancer, I sent you a postcard last week, did you get that?' because they'll invariably say 'no' and then you're fumbling. Just make a call: "Hi, my name's Lauren. I perform Egyptian-style bellydance, my student group and I perform here in the Metro-East area. Have you ever considered hiring bellydancers for an event?" They may say 'oh, I got your postcard last week' or they may not, but either way you can move forward smoothly.

(not that I'm going to do that. Like I said, I'm lazy, and phone-o-phobic these days)

I got my first call to day from a retirement apartment complex...We'll see how it pans out, but it worked for one person! Woo hoo!

Woohoo!

Yeeeeeeeehah!

My postcards are set to be delivered tomorrow, so I should be sending them out by Friday morning at the latest. I would be thrilled to death if I got a call the first week! Congrats! *crosses fingers*

That is awesome!! i can't wait to get mine so I can mail them out! I have my mailing list almost complete!