Advice on How to Promote Yourself Successfully without an Agent
By
Adry
Svraka
Being a
professional dance performer is absolutely wonderful, but it is not easy to
start and maintain our position in the dance world. Without proper promoting, we
may never be able to break into the bigger side of this “business”, the art
of dancing. Promoting ourselves can be very costly and not too many dancers can
afford this, especially at the beginning of their career. The start is usually
the most difficult part and also the most important. The first expression to
potential customers is a huge value! There are many ways to promote us, some may
be easier, but more expensive and other ways are more work, but a lot less
expensive. So, which one is you? Would you work hard at promoting yourself and
save money or would you choose to have someone do everything for you and pay big
monies?
I have always
worked very hard for what I have and what I have achieved in life and my dance
career was of no exception either. Along the way of promoting myself without an
agent or any help, I have learned some very important steps that I would like to
share with you, my fellow dancers. The first thing I did was to grab any
opportunity when I could to dance, so I looked up local and other studios,
festivals, carnivals, and contacted event organizers to dance at their events
throughout the year. This was very important, because my name would get out to
people, everyone started to get to know me and little by little I was part of
every event not only locally, but also throughout the state. When I became known
I started receiving offers to teach workshops and perform at paid events, and
promoters, organizers asked for a promotional package including a video or DVD
of me dancing. This was not a problem at all, for I have been always prepared…
Some advice for
performers when thinking of starting to dance professionally (even if you are
not well-known yet), and what to include in your promotional package:
-
A 5-15-minute VHS or DVD of your performance(s), if
you dance different styles, try to include a little of all.
-
Your updated resume.
-
At least one professional photograph of you (it can
be home-shot, but very good in quality).
-
A separate sheet about you and your profession,
expertise, specialties.
-
A separate sheet with your past performances and/or
workshops you taught that are worth mentioning.
-
If you did not include this in your resume, then
list any Media appearances, articles you wrote and for which magazine,
newspaper, and if you speak multiple languages.
-
Your business card (I home-make my business cards,
so I can design them any way I like for no extra fee).
-
Any brochures, flyers that you may have (I have
flyers that I design and print at home that are 1/3 of a page, so 3 would fit on
one sheet).
-
Always follow up with a phone call after about a
week of sending your material.
Designing,
printing and cutting my business cards, flyers, brochures, etc… at home turned
out to be a lot less expensive than order them from other places. Once you set
up everything and have it in the computer, than it is so very easy to make
changes, add new pictures, new designs, and text. The basic things you will need
to set up your “home office” (besides a computer) are:
-
Printer (perhaps a multifunctional) $150.00 or
$130.00 for the Epson Photo Printer that can print onto printable discs (GREAT
product)
-
Digital camera $100.00-$200.00
-
DVD discs $30.00/50 pack non-printable or $40.00/50
pack printable
-
DVD cases $4.00/10 pack
-
Business card sheets or thick paper for business
cards $10.00/200 cards (20 sheets)
-
The thick paper is also perfect for brochures,
flyers, etc…
-
You can have an online store develop your pictures
(such as Snap Fish), which is cheaper than a local store $0.19/4”x6” picture
from digital camera
-
Optional: paper cutter $15.00
These prices may seem a
lot at first, but the products last a long time and if you decide that you do
not like something you can always print new ones, you will not be stuck with 500
pieces of business cards that you had ordered from somewhere else and do not
like anymore or are no use because some of your information has changed. If you
add up these costs it is not even $500.00. Most people nowadays have computers,
digital cameras and printers, so the larger and more expensive items are given,
what you need is the discs and paper products. Believe me when I say that it is
worth investing into and making your own material, especially if you are on a
tight budget. You can definitely make a very inviting and great package for
potential customers. If you have someone make everything I had listed, you will
end up with this:
-
Professional DVD copies $14.95-$24.95/copy (while
you can make your own with printed labels for less than $1.00/copy!!).
-
If you order business cards with your own special
design/Logo, etc… and want to save, you will have to order at least 500 pieces
to do a “good” deal, and it is anywhere between $50.00-$80.00, while you can
make your own 500 pieces for about $25.00 or less.
And these are just a few
things to compare.
During
the years I have put together many promotional packages for myself and for other
dancers and learned what is definitely worth mentioning and including.
I
really hope these tips will help you a little bit and if you have any questions,
please do not hesitate to contact me at svraka@comcast.net.
Taking matters into your
own hand is the best thing to do, because you are always your own boss and you
can save hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars on promoting yourself. I have
met many dancers, who told me they could never do what I do, but once I gave
them these tips and helped them start out; they thought it was the best thing
happening to them as far as saving money and still promoting themselves
successfully without the help of an agent. To this day, I still design and make
all my promotional material at home and get the most wonderful compliments from
those who receive them.
Happy Dancing and Happy Holidays to All!
Adry
Svraka