Brian
Well, Ken, we both know that there’s plenty of work coming up this time of year with all the festivals and fairs going on. It seems that every little town has some kind of festival each summer. Do you have any strategy to go after that kind of work? I mean, how do you even find out who is on the planning committee for the town’s annual strawberry festival?
Ken
It’s too dry of a climate out here for strawberries, but oddly enough, we do have a large Ocean Spray facility. That being said, the community events usually go to the same vendors each year. And, of course, I’m close enough to those guys to call them friends. So, in my infinite wisdom, I try not to step on any toes.
Brian
It’s probably not worth it for me to try and pull work away from other vendors. I know one of my clients came about only after a competitor went out of business. I guess I need to find new ways of finding out about events. It’s just not something that comes naturally for me. I can mix a band with my eyes shut, but I’m no marketing guru.
Ken
Well, Brian, I think a smart method is to contact the venues or use the community events page, and then use the Web to contact event coordinators directly. Even if you only pick up a couple gigs a year, after a few years, it could add up to something significant. And a phone call to a venue can only reinforce a relationship with the venue, which never hurts.
Brian
If only I didn’t live so far out in the sticks that I can’t even get a newspaper. Maybe I could look at that events page once in a while. I guess a trip into town once a week to get a paper might be a good idea. But what will it do to my status as a rural audio hermit? This could shatter my image of being hunkered over my bench all day soldering XLRs.
Ken
As the world’s worst solderer, I would prefer to do just about anything else. Nobody likes a three-pound mic cable! On the other hand, being a bullshit artist comes very naturally to me. So I would make that a regular part of my marketing routine, crappy as it is. No matter if you speak directly to a decision maker, hearing the name Celebration Productions on their voicemail, or seeing it in their e-mail, can’t be a bad thing. And like most things, if they see it enough, it may come to mind the next time they need production services. It may destroy your image as the audio hermit, but your new “character” could be the strange guy at the berry festival. It may disturb some people, however, that you have a soldering iron at the berry festival.
Brian
I suppose being the weirdo at the town festival wouldn’t be all that bad. As long as I can keep my weller close at hand, I won’t be too far out of my comfort zone. Who knows, maybe someday I can get used to being out of the shop for reasons other than eating and sleeping.
Ken
I don’t really like when the public gazes on my misshapen body either (the bells, the bells), but we all have our own little marketing crosses to bear. In this technical age, e-mail seems to be the preferred method, but I still like the phone, whether it’s marketing my services, dredging up help, or getting bitched at by my editor when I miss my deadlines.
Brian
Well, while you stay glued to your phone, I’m going to head back to my bench. It’s time for me to head back to tech-cave, Ken. I wonder what Alfred has prepared for dinner tonight?
