by Matt Ryan
Unlike event planners such as brides or parents, school dance organizers are putting together their event as part of their job. This means they are planning during their workday, while juggling all their other responsibilities.
Teachers do not spend hours on end searching the Internet for the “perfect” DJ for their event. They are looking for someone who will do a great job, is easy to work with, and provides them the information they need to make their decision.
Direct Mail is the #1 Tool
Direct mail marketing is one of the best tools mobile DJs can use to market their services to schools. Marketers are often attracted to the cost savings and immediate response electronic marketing offers, but are competing viciously for the attention of the reader among a glut of information in their electronic inbox. More often than not, unsolicited email isn’t even opened. On the other hand, people’s postal mailboxes are often left empty.
Direct mail cost more than email; however, it allows you to put a marketing piece in the hands of a prospect that can easily be saved and shared. Some mobiles send postcards – they are a bit cheaper to send than a first-class letter, but you are limited to two sides of a card and your message is clearly given away upon first glance.
The Key to Getting Noticed
I prefer to spend a few more cents per piece and send a first class envelope, plainly addressed to the recipient, with only my name and address listed as the return address. This mailing WILL get opened and for a mere cost of printing and a first class postage stamp, you can include several pages of compelling information about your services!
The biggest challenge DJs have is getting your mailing into the right hands. What is the easiest way to obtain names, addresses, and contact information of schools in your area?
A Free Gold Mine of Information
Fortunately, every state department of education maintains a directory of every school in the entire state, for which you can download the school names, addresses, along with principals and teachers for your direct mail campaigns. This is an absolute gold mine of information for your direct mail campaigns – and it’s absolutely free!
Some states are better than others about making this information accessible from their website, but it is certainly worth the effort if it requires some searching. The data can be downloaded at no cost and used for mailing labels in your direct mail campaigns.
Do you have any other tips to share on this subject? Let us know!
Matt Ryan - “School Dance Pro”
Matt Ryan is a multi-op DJ business owner, radio personality, developer of School Dance Pros, and educator. Matt has been performing school events, along with many other types of functions, since 1996. Currently Matt Ryan Mobile DJ Entertainment performs approximately 250 events per year, with nearly half of them being school and teen events. Matt is well-known as an air personality on WNCI 97.9, a Top 40 radio station in Columbus, OH, and is a middle school teacher and coach. Matt is able to provide unprecedented insight to other DJs about how school dances are organized. To contact Matt, email [email protected] or visit SchoolDancePros.com.
