Do Magicians Prefer Apple iOS to Android?

The team at the magic shop had a small argument the other day about which types of phones and devices magicians tend to prefer. It was caused by a discusion about the range of magic apps and tricks with iphones that have been released for magicians over the last few years.

To settle the argument we looked at the data from the magic shop.

We picked a recent email we sent out to subscribers of the Merchant of Magic Newsletter. It was a segmented group of people who had all opted in to our list and had described themselves as average ability magicians who practiced sleight of hand and were interested in close up magic.

We then ranked the members of that list by the number of purchases they had made over the last 5 years, selecting the top 14,000 magicians that had ordered on many occasions.

That gave us a large sample of 14,000 magicians.

Once we had our sample, we looked at the devices that the sample used to access the email. Here's the results:

The majority of the magicians used Apple iOS rather than Android. On mobile devices, most people used an Apple iOS device. On decktop, most people uses Apple Mail to read the email.

That settled the argument in the magic shop, and we could all get back to work.. If you are developing apps for magicians, you may find this useful.

Why magicians performing websites should be mobile friendly

One point that we found that could be useful for magicians is the amount of people that access our site via mobile rather than decktop. Here's the data:

Google have changed the way they rank websites, so they now give preference in the mobile search listings to mobile optimised sites. Is your magicians website mobile friendly? It's time to check..

How to Get Magic Gigs

by Dominic Reyes 1 Comment

"If you have been considering making the jump into part-time or full-time pro status, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of Highway to Success by Elliott Smith and Ian Quick…

This is simply one of the best expositions of this type of material that I have ever read. Whatever your performing area, you'll find information that will move you toward your goals… best book on the nuts-and-bolts of entertaining as a profession that have been published in recent times. Highly recommended." – MAGIC Magazine – Micheal Close

The book originally sold for over £40 and repeatedly sold out. It's not been available for some time now, but because the advice and practical tips are perfectly in line with what we teach here on the blog, the Merchant of Magic has done a deal with the publisher directly, so you can download Highway to Success as a full ebook for just £12.99

Download your copy here

The complete guide to the business of being an entertainer.

Highway to success is the essential business system for any magician or independent entertainer.

HIGHWAY TO SUCCESS was written specifically for entertainers whether you are a magician, clown, juggler or any other type of performing artist. This common sense system will equip you with the knowledge to successfully set up, operate and thrive as a part-time or full-time professional entertainer. Highway to Success will teach you how to get magic gigs.

From basic business structures to legalities, from advertising to closing the sale, this system will refine your business practices and increase clientele, putting more money in your pocket. Based on tried methods and practical experience, this effective system will work!

How to get magic gigs

With over 45 years of combined experience as professional entertainers and businessmen, Elliott Smith and Ian Quick have put together for you an effective business system that works. Based on tried methods and practical experience, this common sense approach will equip you with the knowledge to successfully operate your business.

When you purchase "Highway to Success," you are automatically eligible to receive your Secret Password to access the "Extended Warranty" page including practical, easy-to-use, ready to use business forms and samples in word, excel and .pdf formats. These include:

Performance Contracts
Entertainment Agreements
Letters of Introduction
Invoices
Business Cards
Sponsorship Agreements
Telephone Scripts
Daily, weekly, and monthly Activity Checklists
Call Tracking Form
Sales Forecasting Form
Expense and Budget Worksheet
Spreadsheets (Excel format): Call Tracking – Sales Forecasting – Expense and Budget

The Best Wedding Fayres for Magicians

by Dominic Reyes 1 Comment

By Dominic Reyes

Mark writes: 'I plan to advertise my magic using wedding fayres. Can you give me some tips about choosing the right type of fayre?'

There have been a few email this week from magicians wanting advice about hinding the best wedding fayres to attend. So, I recorded this short video answeringsome questionsabout picking the best wedding fayres for magicians:

How many wedding fayres should a magician do?

It really depends on your diary and how much you want to work. Personally I attend around 6-8 wedding fayres over the course of a year. That will usually fill up my dairy for the following year. I don't want to only do weddings, as a great deal of my work comes from corporate entertainment, so that amount of wedding fayres works perfectly for me. I may only get 3 or 4 bookings from each wedding fayre, but each of those gigs will generate more work from referalls. The end result is usually 1 or 2 weddings each week thoughout the year. That consistant work pays my bills and puts bread on the table. The rest of the years diary can be filled with parties and higher paying corporate work.

How much work do you need for the lifestyle you want? How busy you are happy to be often depends on how much you charge, just as much as the quantity of magic gigs you take on. Check out this post about how much to charge and the amount of gigs you need to make a living performing magic.

The Location

There are large hotel wedding fayres and small independed hotels putting on their own shows. Big isn't always better. It's more important to know the expected footfall at the fayre, and the demographic of the visitors.

Large country houses near wealthy areas are a great bet if you charge a larger fee for your magic. Equally, if you are targeting a lower income audience, you may want to attend less prestigious venues. Who are the clients that most often book you? Where would THEY most probably visit to look for suppliers within their budget?

Advertising the Wedding Fayre

It's worth talking to other suppliers that attend the wedding fayre that you are considering. Ask them about footfall, and about how the show is promoted. The organisers can also tell you if the show will be advertised on the local radio and in local papers leading up to the day. Go for wedding fayres that invest in good advertising as that directly correlates to footfall on the day.

Get a copy of the wedding fayre mailing list

Many organisers will have a sign-up mailing list for brides to opt into when they enter the event. Good wedding fayres will allow suppliers to get a copy of this list, and it's worth it's weight in gold. If you can get a copy of the list, make sure you use it to send out a follow up email about your services and an invitation to find out more.