Lou Serrano Marketing.com

Archive for the ‘Marketing Tips’ Category

I recently booked a country club gig where I perform magic on a bi-weekly basis, and I’ve received emails from people that have inquired on how to book these gigs. The above video describes one simple technique that can allow you to get your foot in the door without having to cold call the clubs

Country clubs can be a gold mine of opportunity for acquiring new clients that have the means to hire you for high-end private and corporate events.

Keep in mind that successful people ask for what they want. It’s in the asking that they are able to receive. Take advantage of the opportunities that come your way, and never be afraid to ask.

I welcome your comments.

Corporate magician & speaker, Lou Serrano

I previously posted a video on the Top Three Reason For Having A Blog. If you haven’t seen that video or read the accompanying article, please check it out, as it has valuable information on the importance of having a blog and the benefits it can have on growing your business and increasing your income. I also believe that having video on your blog can greatly increase the impact your posts have on your audience.

Get Started For Less Than $200

Getting started is much easier than it looks, and you can start from scratch with less than $200. All you need is a quality, consumer level video camera, a tripod, lights, a Youtube account, and a WordPress site.

The camera I’ve been using for these videos is a Canon PowerShot SD630 pocket camera that I bought several years ago. At the time, the camera cost just under $400. Now, you can buy a Canon PowerShot SD pocket camera that takes better quality photos and video for less than $100. The only problem with these cameras is that they don’t have an external microphone input, so you have to use the onboard mic. This mic is adequate for most situations, but isn’t the best quality, and can create problems the farther you get away form the camera.

I recently watched a webinar by Peter Temple, The Media Maestro, who gave a recommendation for a consumer level camera that records 1080p HD video. This camera is the Kodak Zi8 pocket video camera. You can find it online for under $100. The wonderful thing about this camera is that it has an external mic input, which means you can get quality audio regardless of the distance you are to the camera. I’ve seen video taken with the Zi8 and the quality is excellent. It’s now on my list of things to get to increase the quality of my vlog posts.

The next essential item is a camera tripod, which you can easily find online for well under $20. The tripod will help ensure you have a properly framed shot every time. The next item you want to look into is proper lighting. Outdoor light is usually best, but if you shoot indoors as I normally do, then you want to invest in at least one main light. I use a 100 watt light bulb with a 12″ reflector to light my face and body. I then use my existing house lamps to light the background of my shot. Lighting the background will give your video more depth as opposed to just using your main light, which can produce a very flat looking video.

Hosting Video On Your Own Site vs Hosting Video On Youtube

I host all my videos on Youtube. It easy to do, and EASY is the way I like to do everything. It gives me the opportunity to focus on the things I really care about. Start out by creating your own Youtube channel. You can then upload all your videos to your channel. From there, you can copy and paste the embed code into your website. I recommend using a WordPress site as it’s easy to use without having to learn HTML.

You can also host your video on your own site. The benefit of hosting your video on your site is search engines, such as Google, love video! It improves the SEO of your site and can help you get ranked higher, because the search engines will now view your site as a video hosting site. The downside is you have to know a lot more about the technical aspects of using video, such as compressing your videos so they upload quickly. If you’re technically challenged, as I am, I recommend hosting your videos through Youtube, otherwise, host the video yourself and reap the rewards of higher SEO rankings.

Please leave a comment, and let me know about your experience in the world of vlogging.

Corporate Magician & Speaker, Lou Serrano

I want to share with you the top three reasons why every business owner should have a blog. Whether you’re a magician, musician, variety artist, speaker, coach, consultant, a product-based business, or a service-based business, every business can benefit from having a blog.

1. Create More Value
It allows you to create more value to the people around you, your prospects, and your customers. If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, then you know how much I believe in creating more value for others. You can share your expertise on your subject. You can also educate your prospects and customers on your products and services and how they are of benefit to them.

2. Develop Relationships
After a while you will start to develop relationships with your readers and viewers, even if they’ve never met you before. They will view you as a trusted friend, consultant, and as an authority on your subject. If there’s a time when they have a need for your products or services, they will think of you before they think of your competition, which will lead to an increase in business.

3. Your Social Networking Hub
Your blog will serve as the hub of your entire social networking structure. Think about it this way. Let’s say you have a static website. A static website can be compared to an old newspaper. You read it once and you throw it away. The same is true for a static website. You may visit it once, but there’s no reason to go back. A blog is like having a fresh newspaper ever day or every week, depending on how often you update your blog. There is a constant flow of new information you’re sharing, so there’s a reason to come back.

You can use all your social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Youtube, etc.) to direct traffic to your blog. From there you can direct traffic to your other websites depending on the needs of your clients.

Keep in mind that putting up a blog is not like the movie, The Field of Dreams, where if you build it they will come. People won’t find your blog unless you promote it. You can do that through all your social media networks, along with posting messages in online forums, and writing and submitting e-zine articles.

You will find that as you promote your blog you will increase your sphere of influence. More people will find your blog and in turn your business will grow.

As always, I welcome your comments,

Corporate magician, Lou Serrano

Orison Swett Marden (1850 – 1924) – “A lobster, when left high and dry among the rock, does not have the sense enough to work his way back to the sea, but waits for the sea to come to him. If it does not come, he remains where he is and dies, although the slightest effort would enable him to reach the waves, which are perhaps within a yard of him. The world is full of human lobsters; people stranded on the rocks of indecision and procrastination, who, instead of putting forth their own energies, are waiting for some grand billow of good fortune to set them afloat.”

Corporate magician, Lou Serrano

Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Youtube, almost everyone is on some sort of social media network. The problem is most people have no idea on how to harness the power of these networks to grow their business.

A few years ago Perry Belcher coined the phrase “The Party Principle”, and described how that principle applied to social media networks. The video above describes “The Party Principle” and how you can use it to grow your business.

The real key is to view the social networks as a party. Be a likable person that shows an interest in other people. As people get to know you and like you, you can direct those people to your other sites such as a blog. From there they can get more information by directing them to a sales page where people can place an order for your products and services.

The one major mistake people make is trying to make a sale directly from the social network site. Doing so can be the kiss of death, if it’s not done properly.

Keep in mind that some people will have no interest what-so-ever in what you have to offer, and that’s okay, because if you adhere to The Party Principle, people will still like you, and that’s not a bad thing.

To get more information on growing your magic business, please visit www.SixFigureMagic.com.

As always, I welcome your comments.

Los Angeles magician – Lou Serrano