What should marketing for magicians focus on?

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I am having problems with branding and marketing for magicians. What is it about myself that I want to share with my audience and what can I use to sell myself? Thanks again!' – Barry Matas

 

We get asked lots about marketing and how to succeed at performing, there is no real easy answer to this as it is a mix of many things that contribute to being successful. Things such as determination, confidence, and motivation go without saying, (although I have just said it!). One of the main things that you should concentrate on, outside of personal improvement is being individual and understanding your character. Look at your likes and dislikes and use them to your advantage. Here are some areas to concentrate on to help.

Clothing and Attire

Your clothing should reflect you as a person, it must also not alienate you from the circles in which you wish to perform. This is important, if you want to perform in posh Gentleman’s Societies then I would not suggest creating a character that wears t-shirts and jeans.

If you like classic attire and clothing then, you should not be dressed up in the latest fashionable suit, y or worse still a street style image. You should wear something that is professional looking, but suits your style and likes. For example, instead of a snazzy suit, you could look at finding a neat tweed jacket or an older style jacket with a waistcoat and a pocket watch for example. All accessories should match too, for example if you never wear gold then why have a PK ring that is gold? If you have a watch is it a digital sports watch or a classic watch that fits the style? Look at your shoes as well, they should feel comfortable as you will be on your feet for hours, but they should also be smart, you cannot wear sports shoes, unless, of course, this is part of the character you have built up.

This does sound simple and obvious, but I cannot tell you how many magicians you see in badly fitted suits with props that don't match who they are portraying themselves as.

The magic tricks you perform

Again your tricks should fit your style. Do you tell stories when you perform? Do you keep your patter simple and your magic visual? Do you have a street style whereby you should be doing magic with borrowed everyday items or do you have a classic style where you have old silver dollar coins and elegant decks of cards? All of these questions should be asked of yourself and given sincere thought. For example, if you have a gentlemanly style you probably wouldn’t do a trick like coin in bottle with a coke bottle. This doesn’t mean you couldn't perform this effect, if you did want to perform it then why not perform it with a wine bottle instead? You could even produce the wine bottle from a handkerchief and make it into a full routine as the quick wham bam thank you Ma’am is not a style to be adopted by a gentleman now is it?

Magicians Business Cards and Promotional Material

This should all again reflect your style. Some time and money should be spent on these areas as sometimes this all that a prospective client will see of you. Their first impressions will form the basis of their decision on how they feel about you and could easily sway their opinion on whether or not they should book you. If you are performing at wedding fayres or other events to drum up business, all of your props and promo material should look professional and not home made. If this is to be a business for you then, it should be treated like a business and not a hobby. It is hard to spend a bunch of money on something that isn’t immediately going to give you a return, but it is worth it in the long run, it is a single investment to gain multiple bookings over potential years of performing.

These are just a few pointers to take into consideration, here is a book on magic as a business, you may find some great help in there too: