Is it worth it? How?

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IceBurghDJ

DJ Extraordinaire
Apr 17, 2015
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iceburghdj.com
There are many ways to market..but how much in sales do you need to get to justify an ad?

Just got an email from The Knot pushing space in their magazine.

All NEW VENDOR Packages include:
* Online Storefront on The Knot - #1 Wedding Website
* Online Storefront on The Knot Mobile app & Wedding Planner app- #1 Wedding Apps
* "Preferred" Higher placement online – rotate after Featured but before Standard!
* Magazine Ad – 2 issues/12 months (December and June publish dates)
* Local Resource Profile in The Knot Pennsylvania
* Free Ad Creation
* Inclusion in an email to Knot brides announcing magazines are available on newsstands with direct link to you online Knot.com Storefront
* Complimentary issues to hand out to your brides



Photographers (Pittsburgh & Central PA):
1/2 Page $397.50/mo
2/3 Page $440/mo
Full Page $517.50/mo

When I spoke with them last spring a DJ listing was about 5% less.
Notice the prices are PER MONTH...so 1/2 page runs $4,800.00 a year.

What amount of business must this ad/knot website generate to justify that expense? OK, 'investment"?

If it would bring in enough gigs at the right price, i'm all for it. Just what are those figures is my question.
 
I agree with your assessment. It's a tough question to answer and, just my opinion, I think places like TheKnot and Weddingwire are GROSSLY over-estimating their worth to our kinds of businesses. If you're a big multi-op, doing a million+ per year in gross revs, then putting .5% into one of their ads might make sense. If you're a single-op generating $50k-$100k, then suddenly they're asking you to sink 10% (20 times the proportion) of everything you make into their ad. It's unrealistic and ends up that their revenue stream comes from newbie vendors who are just starting up and buy into the crap that "if you just sign 1 customer, you've paid for the ad". If I have to pay everything to you in order to sign a customer, that means I'm working for free while you eat my lunch. Ain't happening hoss.
 
Your ad would be just another DJ ad on a site or magazine that features a LOT of DJ ads for a lot of DJ's.
I realize that 100% of their audience is bride's looking for DJ's...
but they're probably NOT looking at the ads to make their decision.
 
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Wedding Wire is worth $69 a month featured...End of story. Any amount over that is "too much"

I'd honestly rather take my chances with google adwords, and blwo $500 on clicks than spend the money Wedding Wire is asking on a featured ad.

Their prices are about 4 to 7 times too high.
 
Much of what we do is seasonal so an annual listing is pretty much wasted what, 1/3 or more of the year. And being in the magazine twice..many are given away at bridal shows..how many get looked at?
DO the millenial brides ever read magazines? I did (and do) but my kids? No, and overall the industry is declining.
 
It really depends on where you are in your business. Early on when I went Multi-op I spent a ton on advertising but as the business came in I spent less each year. I spend very little or nothing on advertising simply because I don't have to anymore

As far as the Knot or WW go I agree with Rick and Ricky it's not worth the outlay in most markets. To spend $4800 I would need to make 5-10X that back to be worth the risk of the outlay
 
To me to spend $4,800 for a yearly ad on the knot is crazy. I would have to say you would have to be the top 1% in your area in terms of getting paid for each wedding you do consistently and be booked every weekend for at least 40 weekends. How many can make that claim? This is a specialty magazine. So someone looking for a DJ to do their wedding might look there. The brides looking for a cheap DJ won't go there to see what they really should be looking for. Of course if you spend that kind of money on advertising with this one company alone you certainly won't be looking for brides on a tight budget contacting you.

Then that's just one place to advertise. What if you need to advertise in more then just the Knot to get the bookings you desire to justify what you're spending on advertising.
 
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To me to spend $4,800 for a yearly ad on the knot is crazy. I would have to say you would have to be the top 1% in your area in terms of getting paid for each wedding you do consistently and be booked every weekend for at least 40 weekends. How many can make that claim? This is a specialty magazine. So someone looking for a DJ to do their wedding might look there. The brides looking for a cheap DJ won't go there to see what they really should be looking for. Of course if you spend that kind of money on advertising with this one company alone you certainly won't be looking for brides on a tight budget contacting you.

Then that's just one place to advertise. What if you need to advertise in more then just the Knot to get the bookings you desire to justify what you're spending on advertising.

That's where a business and marketing plan comes in
 
To me to spend $4,800 for a yearly ad on the knot is crazy. I would have to say you would have to be the top 1% in your area in terms of getting paid for each wedding you do consistently and be booked every weekend for at least 40 weekends. How many can make that claim? This is a specialty magazine. So someone looking for a DJ to do their wedding might look there. The brides looking for a cheap DJ won't go there to see what they really should be looking for. Of course if you spend that kind of money on advertising with this one company alone you certainly won't be looking for brides on a tight budget contacting you.

Then that's just one place to advertise. What if you need to advertise in more then just the Knot to get the bookings you desire to justify what you're spending on advertising.
Spending $2,500+ for subs one doesn't use is also crazy .. UNLESS they are needed for the business plan.

If you do a Google search for "wedding planning" almost anywhere in the country, The Knot or Wedding Wire will come up high in the search .. whether the value is there TO YOU depends on if their customers are the ones you want .. to some they are, to others NO. But that doesn't mean spending $5000 or $10,000 on advertising doesn't make sense. Chances are you won't GET TO BE one of the top 1% in your area if you don't.

It all depends on that mysterious business plan.
 
Spending $2,500+ for subs one doesn't use is also crazy .. UNLESS they are needed for the business plan.

If you do a Google search for "wedding planning" almost anywhere in the country, The Knot or Wedding Wire will come up high in the search .. whether the value is there TO YOU depends on if their customers are the ones you want .. to some they are, to others NO. But that doesn't mean spending $5000 or $10,000 on advertising doesn't make sense. Chances are you won't GET TO BE one of the top 1% in your area if you don't.

It all depends on that mysterious business plan.

When someone searches subs, do they find Mix?
 
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When someone searches subs, do they find Mix?

No .. when I search subs East Orange NJ .. I get America's Best Wings and Subs ...
 
Steve I was talking in the general sense. I'm talking about a DJ spending that kind of money on advertising is someone that has already a pretty good client base to justify spending that kind of money. Spending that kind of money from one advertiser should bring you in plenty more business at a nice price. If not then it's a waste.

Let me share this with you. Let's say a DJ does 4o weddings on a Saturday for a price of $1,500 per wedding. That is $60,000 a year. Now the thing that needs to be considered are the expenses for the business, how many weddings each year that DJ will really want to do. Also factor in that work is nice but all work and no play isn't good either. What about time off to enjoy yourself for yourself or your family. So if all you do is go from one gig to the next, when do you get time to enjoy the things you have at hoome? I'm talking about having a balance. Like it was said earlier it depends on the business that you're acquiring to see if it's worth it to spend that much on advertising. Yes you have to spend money to make money. Just spend it wisely so you get to make the money. And Steve those 801p subs cost me exactly $2,100 for the pair and I love them. I have some up coming events that they will be used.

Just like I said in another thread some just want what they want and don't want to pay the price quote I give them. It's not about them thinking it's not worth it. It's about those cheap people looking to get a lot for nothing and I'm weeding those people off my list.
 
Steve I was talking in the general sense. I'm talking about a DJ spending that kind of money on advertising is someone that has already a pretty good client base to justify spending that kind of money. Spending that kind of money from one advertiser should bring you in plenty more business at a nice price. If not then it's a waste.

Let me share this with you. Let's say a DJ does 4o weddings on a Saturday for a price of $1,500 per wedding. That is $60,000 a year. Now the thing that needs to be considered are the expenses for the business, how many weddings each year that DJ will really want to do. Also factor in that work is nice but all work and no play isn't good either. What about time off to enjoy yourself for yourself or your family. So if all you do is go from one gig to the next, when do you get time to enjoy the things you have at hoome? I'm talking about having a balance. Like it was said earlier it depends on the business that you're acquiring to see if it's worth it to spend that much on advertising. Yes you have to spend money to make money. Just spend it wisely so you get to make the money. And Steve those 801p subs cost me exactly $2,100 for the pair and I love them. I have some up coming events that they will be used.

Just like I said in another thread some just want what they want and don't want to pay the price quote I give them. It's not about them thinking it's not worth it. It's about those cheap people looking to get a lot for nothing and I'm weeding those people off my list.
Depends where you want to be .. If you want to catch the big fish, you're going to need large bait. $4000 to add an additional $20,000 is a good return.
 
Just like I said in another thread some just want what they want and don't want to pay the price quote I give them. It's not about them thinking it's not worth it. It's about those cheap people looking to get a lot for nothing and I'm weeding those people off my list.

Most people want to spend the least they can to get what they want ... it is YOU that has to prove there is worth in spending more. If someone just wants "music" .. it's a tough row to hoe to convince them that $400 for 4 hours is "worth it" when they're thinking $25/hr.
 
Steve I was talking in the general sense. I'm talking about a DJ spending that kind of money on advertising is someone that has already a pretty good client base to justify spending that kind of money. Spending that kind of money from one advertiser should bring you in plenty more business at a nice price. If not then it's a waste.

Let me share this with you. Let's say a DJ does 4o weddings on a Saturday for a price of $1,500 per wedding. That is $60,000 a year. Now the thing that needs to be considered are the expenses for the business, how many weddings each year that DJ will really want to do. Also factor in that work is nice but all work and no play isn't good either. What about time off to enjoy yourself for yourself or your family. So if all you do is go from one gig to the next, when do you get time to enjoy the things you have at hoome? I'm talking about having a balance. Like it was said earlier it depends on the business that you're acquiring to see if it's worth it to spend that much on advertising. Yes you have to spend money to make money. Just spend it wisely so you get to make the money. And Steve those 801p subs cost me exactly $2,100 for the pair and I love them. I have some up coming events that they will be used.

Just like I said in another thread some just want what they want and don't want to pay the price quote I give them. It's not about them thinking it's not worth it. It's about those cheap people looking to get a lot for nothing and I'm weeding those people off my list.

Mix I'll give you an example from personal experience. I've been in business for myself since '89. In 2005 I went multi-op and really needed to promote that fact. In 2006 I spent well over 6K on advertising (I had a heart attack in '05 that slowed down the process). In '07 it was a little under 6K and for the next 3 years it went down each year. Last year I spent less than $500. This year will be even less again. I do take advantage of free advertising in many spots so if you want to calculate time spent on those ads as money it's probably less than 15 hours a year

I've never advertised with the Knot or WW in my market they aren't that popular (I've done the research) but in some markets the value would be extraordinary. If you were willing to get out of your neighbourhood it could be extraordinary for you. You live in the biggest population circle in the US and quite likely the best market for DJ's in North America.

I believe they are overpriced but you get what you pay for
 
Mix I'll give you an example from personal experience. I've been in business for myself since '89. In 2005 I went multi-op and really needed to promote that fact. In 2006 I spent well over 6K on advertising (I had a heart attack in '05 that slowed down the process). In '07 it was a little under 6K and for the next 3 years it went down each year. Last year I spent less than $500. This year will be even less again. I do take advantage of free advertising in many spots so if you want to calculate time spent on those ads as money it's probably less than 15 hours a year

I've never advertised with the Knot or WW in my market they aren't that popular (I've done the research) but in some markets the value would be extraordinary. If you were willing to get out of your neighbourhood it could be extraordinary for you. You live in the biggest population circle in the US and quite likely the best market for DJ's in North America.

I believe they are overpriced but you get what you pay for
There's a difference between being over priced and how good you really are. If someone is willing to pay you say 1k then you're not over priced because that person feels you're worth it. The problem comes in when it gets assumed that this DJ getting paid 1k must be good. They may suck as a DJ but are good at selling themselves to get paid that much. Then there maybe a DJ getting paid $500 and is better as a DJ then the guy charging 1k. That $500 DJ just may need to learn if they choose to how to sell themselves to get more than $500. The thing I hate is when someone just puts a price out there and that automatically is where each one of us should be at.

It would be great if every DJ doing events were to get paid a minimum of 1k all the time. That also would be a fantasy and not reality. I keep preaching this and will keep saying this until either I retire or die. It's about what you get paid consistently. Anyone can call themselves a 1k DJ if they just get paid that once. Consistency is the key. Consistently doing a stellar job for clients will get people talking about you and can help with you being able to increase your rates.
 
There's a difference between being over priced and how good you really are. If someone is willing to pay you say 1k then you're not over priced because that person feels you're worth it. The problem comes in when it gets assumed that this DJ getting paid 1k must be good. They may suck as a DJ but are good at selling themselves to get paid that much. Then there maybe a DJ getting paid $500 and is better as a DJ then the guy charging 1k. That $500 DJ just may need to learn if they choose to how to sell themselves to get more than $500. The thing I hate is when someone just puts a price out there and that automatically is where each one of us should be at.

It would be great if every DJ doing events were to get paid a minimum of 1k all the time. That also would be a fantasy and not reality. I keep preaching this and will keep saying this until either I retire or die. It's about what you get paid consistently. Anyone can call themselves a 1k DJ if they just get paid that once. Consistency is the key. Consistently doing a stellar job for clients will get people talking about you and can help with you being able to increase your rates.

I'm not sure we are in the same conversation...I was referring to the Knot and Wedding wire being overpriced not any DJ
 
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Jeff's story goes along with how I see this. Investing that kind of money must be looked at long term (3-5 years), rather than looking at this year alone. If enough good leads are generated (within a years or two) and the vendor does an outstanding job it should lead to referrals and get one's business off to a good start. At that point advertising shouldn't be as important.

We invest thousands in equipment but equipment alone doesn't fill the calendar.

I'm at a point that it wouldn't make sense since I'm semi-retired and don't care to do many events in the next few years. Plus, I've never had that kind of money to risk.
 
Jeff's story goes along with how I see this. Investing that kind of money must be looked at long term (3-5 years), rather than looking at this year alone. If enough good leads are generated (within a years or two) and the vendor does an outstanding job it should lead to referrals and get one's business off to a good start. At that point advertising shouldn't be as important.

We invest thousands in equipment but equipment alone doesn't fill the calendar.

I'm at a point that it wouldn't make sense since I'm semi-retired and don't care to do many events in the next few years. Plus, I've never had that kind of money to risk.

Marketing is a long term initiative that should be looked at each year. If you are busy enough you can cut the budget. If you're not busy enough you need to spend a bit more. If you work it and spend an appropriate enough amount in the first 3-5 years you can generally just boost it each year rather than spend the big bucks