Drawing The Line

I've been designing a new program on 'Getting Your Ideal Clients'. This and some recent POSTS on bodily exposure on a Face Painting Forum made me think. No not only about that, but about the fact that we probably all have lines we don’t cross. At least I hope we all do.

SO …. here’s my Question that may bring some ‘revealing’ answers:

Would you face (or body) paint at a gig
for a client or at a venue you don’t care for?

By ‘don’t care for’ I mean:
… have a problem with.
… can’t fully support.
… jars with your beliefs.
… goes against your values.
… you wouldn’t go and brag about.
… you cannot align with.

Do you have beliefs and values that would prevent you taking certain jobs?

How about if it was connected with a cause you didn’t support?

This is about a gig I said “No” to. A retail outlet in the heart of London’s posh area wanted to book me for 3 large parties, for staff, for their factory and for a customer event. Why did I turn it down? They are in the fur trade. Not something to get into here but as a vegetarian for aver 30 years, I could not support their business. Nor did I feel able to recommend someone else.

Are you aware what jobs are, who they are for before you arrive?

I didn’t: I was engaged to perform at a private party in London’s fashionable ‘Millionaire’s Row’. This is an avenue in Hampstead where every mansion is owned by multi-millionaires. In fact, following the first party, I was engaged for a series. It seemed they partied at frequent intervals.

Eventually I had to say “No thanks” because I found out how their Millions were (allegedly) made. It seems they were ‘gun runners’ buying and supplying arms to apartheid supporters in South Africa. Enough said.

What if the purpose was against your morals?

What if you were body painting, say, a company logo perhaps for Toyota. Maybe it’s a painted T-shirt or vest with logo, a bare top painting. No problem. And whilst that model stands demurely ‘wearing’ the artwork, still not a problem (for many).

But what if the purpose is now to go and be photographed in erotic poses? From nude to naked! What if the model is exhibiting herself at a Motor Show, and the sole purpose is the titillation factor of a glam model on a show stand / booth.

Does that change matters?

Where do YOU draw the line?

Until next time ..... Watch This Face!

John Gordon
The Infotainer
www.WatchThisFace.com
www.TheAcademyForPrefessionalEntertainers.com

Brand Identity

I said I'd explain just hwo and why I used the name 'Watch This face' for this Blog.

Firstly, I love clever puns. By clever, I mean one's that work because they have a true double meaning. When I first hear this, it was used by another face painter on a forum. I'll dig out her name and give due credit and a link to her website, when I find it. If she's reading this, let me know so I can do that. Just that I lost an entire hard drive with all past emails, posts, srticles, workshops, seminars .... yes everything, but that's another story.

So, I read it and congratulated her on the use. I asked if it was in use or going to be as a domain as it was such a waste otherwise. I was told "no" and given permission to use it. I registered it immediately with this future use in mind.

You see, to make the meaning work, it had to about announcements. About things changing. That's when you'd say: "Watch This Space". And of course, it needed to also be about faces.
So this Blog about face painting and about announcements of forthcoming seminars, training programs, eBooks, workshops and so on is ideal. It's like saying:

"Come back later

Keep in touch

There will be more

If you don't find anything of interest, of use today ... come back ... there will be ... Watch This Face".

I have a file, a huge file of names and titles that I think up that I write down and keep. I add to it daily. Just one here and there, sometimes several. It's my own 'Swipe File'. They just come to me from nowhere and at other times they are inspired by something I just saw, read or heard. That thought may lead to another and so it goes on. that's how creative thought can happen. Generated but unrelated thoughts.

It's pretty hard thinking of the name for something when you need it. Especially something important that you are going to have to live with for years to come. Something like a brand name or a company name, or a book title or a project. You can't live with one that doesn't resonate. And it has to 'work' too. So that's why I write them all down. So that when I need one, there they are. There may not be one to suit, but it's a wonderful resource for sparking ideas.

And it can work the other way too. What I mean is that a name can suggest a project. A product. I can't give it away here jsut yet but I recently came up with an absolutely fabulous title that didn't have a product. The title is SO great that the eBook and eCourse just fell intom place. t's a natural that was waiting to happen.

Anyway, that's how thios title came about. If you want to get some tools and techniques for brainstorming titles, let me know. I run a creativity workshop that has dozens of ways to spark and inspire.

Until next time ..... Watch This Face!

John Gordon
The Infotainer
www.WatchThisFace.com
www.TheAcademyForPrefessionalEntertainers.com

PS Next time perhaps I should explain why and how you should use your name for greater visibility.

What's In A Name?

The answer is EVERYTHING! It's often the first thing people read, hear or see about you. It's helpful then if it says something about who you are, what you do. Or ... perhaops arouses curiosity. Then, perhaps people will ask or go and take a look.

For reasons I'll go into in greater depth in the 'Marketing Magic' program, it's also good to have your domain name somewhat descriptive. It should contain one of your important key words or key phrases. I have a site (and a business) called www.MagicWorks.co.uk. I'd think that it tells enough about what I do to attract the right people.

So ... what about the name that you use for your Face Painting Business. What does it say about you, your company and your services? What about your email address? Does it match? And the title of your website. Is that the same? Are you building your identity, your 'Brand'?

More next time.

John Gordon
The Infotainer
www.WatchThisFace.com
www.TheAcademyForPrefessionalEntertainers.com

PS I've been asked about the title of this Blog. I'll reveal more in the next post.

Exactly Who Is Your
'Home Page' About?

Earlier today I joined in a discussion on a Web Builders discussion group and they were discussing the 'Home Page' and also an 'About Us' page elsewhere on the site and someone wrote:

"Actually, I like to go to "About Us" pages to find out about a company's management team or about their experience.... I guess it depends on the type of company".

I thought that part of my response might be useful to you. So ... here is an extract.

But I think it depends not upon the company but upon WHAT is the purpose of the website. Why is it there, what are the objectives?

Let me explain what I mean.

If it's 'merely' a site to generally provide information about something or someone, a information site, a portfolio, a vanity site, brand support, then the 'traditional site structure (About us, Our History, Our Staff, Location, Our Products and Services, Legal Stuff, Contact Us) is fine. In a way, it doesn't matter too much where information is and how it's structured. What matters is precisely how it is organised so visitores are taken by the hand and led through in an organised way.

It must be presumed with these kinds of site that the visitor is already interested enough to go there, be there, and that they are (for some reason) hungry for information.

But it is my belief (and that of the new Internet Marketers) that what most sites want is to SELL* and that they are not designed or structured to do that. This is why some new businesses (who do know what they are doing) are shaking the weak foundations of offline businesses.

Go to Amazon ... you don't see upfront a load of stuff about the company, the location, the board members or even their history! I'm not even sure you'll find it anywhere there.

So .... if the purpose is to sell* then this structure is not going to optimize that process at all. For a start, it doesn't 'capture' the visitor as the first step. If they don't see something that answers their 'pain' .... they're gone!

If your site uses words like "I" and "we" more than "you" ..... perhaps it's time for a rethink. Why not go and count yours now! Then compare with how many times you say "you". So NOW who are you talking about? You or them? You = features. Them = benefits!

* "Sell" could be anything: product, service, membership, beliefs, security, safety, religion, resources, country ...........

One more thing for now (before I go and put my flame protector on!):

Having an "About Us" page so high in the site structure is SO wrong. You need "About You" pages so visitors say to themselves "Yes, that's me ....... looks like this person, this organisation, this product / service, is just what I'm looking for." In other words, first build Rapport. Once you establish that, you can begin the process of stating how you may solve their problems. Once they know that they may be in the right place ...... you'll need to (as you say) "build confidence". Building trust in you (with experience, testimonials etc) should be part of the sales process, and not flagged as a page on it's own. Everything said on 'other' pages should do this all the time.

OK ..... while I'm here, just ONE MORE thing:

I HATE 'FAQ' pages

What do people think these are for? What do they say? Here's what they say:

"We are frequently asked these questions. This means that the main site doesn't answer them. Despite being asked them all the time, we're not going to answer them on the site itself but put them here because we're lazy."

Answer these questions within the main site and scrap all FAQ pages now!

There ..... I said it.

John Gordon
The Infotainer

www.WatchThisFace.com

What To Say ...

Whilst some 'painters' may have come via the entertainer route, or even a teacher or child minder, others have (naturally) come through the artist funnel. This means that they are perhaps less experienced in the skills of 'patter'.

One artiste recently said: " I am more of a painter than a chatter, my social skills are poor".

That's not a problem. First 'lesson' is to stop saying that you are "poor" (or that's what you will be!) Start to say to yourself that you are getting better and better all the time. Then learn from other situations YOU have been in.

Think about times you have been with professionals .... some talk, some don't. How do you feel at the hairdressers? Or in a taxi? Or at the nail bar etc? What kind of 'chat' do they do? Next time take notice and see what works / does not work for you and why.

The important thing is to remember that the child is probably just as nervous and wondering what it will be like as you! As has already been said, stuff aboput names, what you are painting etc is easy. One easy thing is to chat and not necessarily expect a response. If the child is nervous too, they will be more comfortable just listening. SO ... you can just describe what you are doing. "Now this is the yellow base .... I'm using a sponge for this ........ oooooh, that looks great on you ..... now, my big brush ......... bit of green first....... half done now......."

Remember they cannot see what's going on. This helps them. Also an occasional time reference so they know it's half done, finished the undercoat(!), now the detail, then the final glitter etc etc. This won't distract you either.

"I get so focused on what I am doing that I often forget to talk to the kid and other times, I just don't really know what to say".

In time, having to focus will be more 'second nature'. There are 4 stages of learning and you are probably at stage 3 of 'Conscious Competence' (where many get 'stuck') but if you work on it, you can reach the better final stage where you will be able to do it perfectly and also be able to be 'present' and notice what's going on around you and participate more. It called 'Unonscious Competence'

If the child is talkative (and some are, aren't they!) ... just ask an 'open' question and you can leave it to them.

Market Research
Why not use the chat times for some market research too? IF you are taking photos and getting email addresses or giving out photo album weblinks, you may discover some useful info about a potential client ie that they have brothers and sisters. Gotta do this with care, of course. This can then be added to your list database so that more personal, targeted marketing can follow.

Or use the conversations for an impromptu survey. Ask them what face, if they could have anything, they would really like next time. Whilst you will probably get the usual favorites, this may be a way of finding out the popularity of some new trend. Right now I am sure that boys are requesting Pirates again. An early warning survey means you can be prepared.

Till next time ...

John Gordon
The Infotainer
www.WatchThisFace.com

We Get What We 'Ask For'

Sometimes, at an event where the face painting is provided to attendees for free, a member of the public feels they still have a right to complain (if they are less than delighted with their 'darling's' face!

It's prabably happened to us all, perhaps under different circumstances, but where someone seems 'ungrateful' for what was, after all, a free gift.

You may think: "If they are getting it for free, they should be happy with whatever they get".

But I don't agree with that. They should be happy because it's great, not because of the price! Equally they can be unhappy when it doesn't meet their expectations, paid for or not. Haven't you been disappointed when you've received a present, perhaps a Christmas or Birthday Gift and it's not what you wanted or expected. OK, in those circumstances we may say nothing. Actually I can recall a time when I did and the giver was totally upset and it became a big issue for ages. But I didn't think any less of her for buying something 'wrong' and felt I should at least be honest.

But that's another story. When a guest at an event expresses their dissatisfaction, I believe we should listen. Believing that they should be delighted 'whatever' may create a 'mind set' that produces a less than peak performance.

"You didn't pay anything and it's worth every penny!".

I think we should deliver 100%+ whatever the financial agreement. Equally, when a customer receives something for free, they should value what they have. Of course, whatever the parent thinks, the smiles on the kids' faces are priceless. Free or not, people believe they have a right to certain things and they expect the same standard as if they paid in full. There is an "epidemic" of complaint behaviour because they get away with it so often it becomes the norm.

But ... WE GET WHAT WE DESERVE!

Sad but true. Both as a race, as a nation, community and individual.
We get what we ask for (intentionally or otherwise).

If we look as though we are 'easy' we'll get 'used'. If we look too 'nice' we'll be tried and tested, stretched to our limits. As we've heard from some responses already, and I'm sure there will be more, the more confident, assured, experienced painters will just say "no!". As soon as you are seen to be 'giving in' it's a clear signal to others (who are that way inclined) that they can get more from us.

So the lesson is:

• What signals are we giving out? What can we do to improve that?
  
• What small thing(s) can we change to give a better impression, one more aligned with what we want?
  

John Gordon
The Infotainer
www.WatchThisFace.com

Head Shots / Ideas

I'm sure many of you are taking photos of faces you paint at a gig and then perhaps using it on your brochure or business card. That's great because the people depicted will show it around and you'll get referrals that way... a fan base of distributors. However, this strategy does depend upon you seeing them again so that you can give them the brochures to see and pass around. This may not be practicalo, so here's a different (better?) way, using technology!

It's part of 'Viral Marketing' which is a hot way to have your messages distributed for free. There are dozens of ideas in my Marketing eCourse but here's one for now:

At events where you take lots of photographs, give out business cards that contain the address described below.

Create a sub directory (not a sub domain) on your website, one page for each of these events. Doing this will generate a page that can remain hidden from everyone else (if you like) as you only promote the page URL (address) to those at that event.
This address might be: www.FuntasyFaces.com/JohnsPartyJuly3.html

Then, as you have decided this BEFORE the party, you give out cards with that URL on so that evevryone there can go see and download their photo etc.

The benefits should be obvious. You'll get a large number of visitors after the party and you can build in strategies to capture their email address at that point using Squeeze Pages and Opt-In eMails. You also have an opportunity to upsell other services or products (eBooks, Courses, Workshops, Kits, Newsletters etc) that you choose to promote perhaps with an 'exit' pop-under.

Naturally you can also use the photos for brochures and on main areas of your website too. These 'Party Pages' may only stay up for 3 months or whatever you decide.

John Gordon
The Infotainer
FACE MAGIC

Water Magic

On the FacePaintHQ list today the subject of water came up because a member had seen the Movie 'What The Bleep Do We Know!?'. I've found a copy on Amazon and it's now on my To Do List!

My partner, Theresa, has had a particular interest in the healing properties for some while and been reading a couple of books:
'Your Body's Many Cries For Water' and 'Water & Salt' Your Healers From Within both by Dr. F. Batmanghelidj (Dr.Batman).
I only dipped in (pun intended) to these but found the following work much more exciting.

Theresa also purchased the 'Water Crystal Oracle' by Masaru Emoto who is author of 'The Hidden Messages In Water' [Council Oak Books]. Dr Emoto discovered that molecules of water are affected by our thoughts, words and feelings. Frozen water reveals the concentrated thoughts directed towards them. The Oracle is a set of 48 cards with images of these crystals on one side and a word on the other.

Water exposed to loving words has brilliant complex patterns. Exposure to negative words creates incomplete asymmetrical patterns. He believes that the oceans contain memories of the creatures that lived there and that glaciers house our history.

words = vibration = energy = life

To use the cards, a word that has some meaning to you is chosen and you meditate on it for a while. It is placed under a glass of water which you later drink. There are many other instructions with the cards, but this simple exercise alone is extraordinary. It does make a difference to the water, the taste is superior and I believe that the energy has changed.

So, what has this got to do with Face Painters and Face Painting?

Good question. Good answer coming up, too!

The beneficial effects of this positively energised water can be transmitted to 'customers' by using the technique for Face Paint Water! If you fill from your own container, prepare it at home first. If not, then have your water 'pot' standing on a suitable word as you work. Simply write or print on your computer some words onto a square of paper or card. Something like half a postcard or double a business card would be fine. Here's some words you may like, or choose your own. They must be positive and it's better if you resonate with them. Do a selection to suit different moods and events.

Love

Joy

Peace

Confidence

Earth

Happiness

Truth

Sun

I'd be interested if anyone tries this and notices any difference. Try drinking a glass of the water (before you start) and perhaps generate some synergy.

John Gordon

The Infotainer

www.WatchThisFace.com

www.MagicWorks.co.uk

http://theinsideoutcoach.blogspot.com

http://theacademyforprofessionalentertainers.blogspot.com

.

Working For Charity

Working For Charity

It was thought that people would be more likely to spend IF they knew that some of the fee was going to a Charity. So a sign stating that was suggested.

Whilst this may be true, it's not the only way to work:

People are MOST likely to spend if ALL the money is going to Charity.
IF you only take 'expenses' you could then say "ALL profits will go to Xxxxxx Charity"

Another way is to estimate how many faces you might do and what you'd like to make, then have the Charity pay you that reduced fee. Then you'd be able to charge a very LOW fee per face (as you are earning anyway) and state that it ALL, 100% goes to the Charity. That's gotta be better. However it does depend upon your role in the occasion. It may be that they want to make money from you, from your sales and charges. But that may not be the case.

It may just be that they are making tons of money elsewhere and just want to ensure that the kids have some entertainment. If they are happy, families will come and the parents will spend and donate in other ways.

Another way I do a lot is to get sponsored. You or the Charity (together) find a company who'd like to donate for a credit. They pay your fee and expenses. Then you are able to do faces for nothing or very low fees to raise more for them. The sponsor gets their name on a larg sign by you, in the brochure, on their website etc as having provided the Face Painting. I find that organisations like Banks, printers, caterers, taxi firms, large are all willing to do this if approached correctly and given appropriate coverage. It's potential for a real win / win situation.

So, next time you are asked if you would participate in a fundraising event, don't automatically think that you'll have to work free or cheap, and also be armed with other options so you can negotiate the best for all concerned.

John Gordon
The Infotainer
FACE MAGIC

In The News? Use It For Leverage

If you 'manage' to get a mention or an article about you in the media ... certainly celebrate and enjoy it but treat that as the start of a campaign and not the end!

Getting Media space (newspapers, local radio, consumer magazines, business journals, specialist publications, eZines, Blogs, national media) isn't SO difficult but does mean you have to must a clear strategy to greatly increase your 'prospects' rather than leave it to chance. I have a course on Self Promotion which covers this in detail, as well as other strategies fro getting a full date book with little or no budget! The ideas below are just a few of the strategies I deal with there.

Someone wrote and said that she had and "I hope it helps drag in new business"!

Don't "hope" but take action so that it does!!!!!!

There are dozens of ways to capitalise on this. That's how PR and Promotion companies do it for their clients and services and products. Some people will have seen it, most will not have. Even those who saw it will forget about it.

So what can you do?
If the article is available online, putting the link on your website would be great. It's a valuable part of 'outgoing link' strategy (but don't show the wording of the link ie http://www.xyznews.com/townsville/living/15032305.htm as it sounds really dull but have 'anchor text' keyword that is beneficial (and the link itself in the code).

Be Proactive
Getting Press and Publicity attention does mean being proactive. It can take a while so building a 'relationship' with your local editors and reporters is key. You have to find out who they are and nurture them over time. There are many do's and don'ts here ... so be careful. Perhaps more on that another time. Use what you have to give the Media what they want
Look at their 'readership' and their goals and offer something worth the time and space. One great strategy is to relate it to other stuff in the news. Keep your eyes open fro any way at all to link your products and services to a news item. Once you start this you'll find it gets easier and easier.

Don't expect immediate results
Don't expect too much but take what you can get and leverage it massively to leap to the next step. If you got NO enquiries as a direct result, it would still be worth it! At the very least awareness of you has risen. Many, if not most, advertisments you see are not about selling a specific product. It's part of an ongoing campaign to inform, reinforce their brand and their position. When you later market to them, they will better recall your existence from the publicity.

It also greatly adds to your credibility. One barrier that must be overcome when yopu trade online, (getting booked from a website), is trust. And right here is one of they key ways to build trust and credibility. The words and time and space of others devoted to you is priceless. People know you can say whatever you like about yourself but that the opinions of others are 'real. (See my articles on Testimonials). Use it to do that and your 'conversion rate' will multiply.

I was told " ... I’ve discovered that people have actually cut the article out and kept it for future reference"

Of course! And that's exactly why you should be sending the article (in one of many ways) to everybody on your 'list'. Presumably most won't have seen the article and could not clip it out. So ... deliver it to them!

People don't 'need' you now
Remember, they may not (almost certainly not) have a party, celebration, event straight away. And we have to assume that's true of the majority who see us, read about us, discover us. Why should they have a hurt, a pain, a need that needs fixing immediately? And that's precisely why we must have a 'marketing plan' to 'drip feed' these prospects. It's a proven fact that most people don't respond on an initial exposure, first contact. It is thought that about 5 times is the average minimum. So we cannot leave that to chance.

That's why, if you get some media exposure, don't sit on it. It's an event well worth announcing to your list. Show them that you are good and important enough, build their trust further, grow your credibility, nudge their memory so you are 'top of mind' when they need what you solve for them.

Some things to do with your article

• Put hard copies in your 'pack' if you still send out printed material
• Update the info in your CV or Sales Letter to include extracts etc
• Put a copy on your website in the appropriate area
• Put a copy in the Media section so other media can pick it up
• Put a downloadable pdf on the site so people can save it
• Put a link to it on your Blog
• Put links to it on your other websites
• Put links to it in an email and send to specific niche prospects in your lists
• Establish incoming links from others featured in the article
• Establish outgoing links too using keywords as 'anchor words'.
  

Just some of the things that can be done so that, even with something as simple as a mention in an article, you can get full leverage from the possibilities and increase the chances of more enquiries that can be converted to bookings.

John
The Infotainer
FACE MAGIC

A Project For Face & Body Painters

After speaking to a few people who had contacted me to help them be more visible online and get visitors (traffic) and convert these into paying customers ... I've decided to put together a series of 'lessons' and deliver them to subscribers in the form of an eCourse.

However, to make this relevant to Face Painters, I'll create a brand new product and website so I can show you first hand how this is created and nurtured into an active site.

I have a couple of different ideas and will work on thse and make an announcement in the next couple of days.

So ... Watch This Face!

John
The Infotainer

End Of The Line?

Ending a line seems to be a big problem with face painters and balloon modellers and caricature artists and other entertainers who work with a queue (line) formation. The gig is busy but it's come to an end ... 20 minutes before you are due to stop work and there's eneough people queuing for the next 40 minutes! Keeping a watch on this during the gig helps but there does come a point wyhere you have to guage matters and announce, "that's it, you are the last one".

This of course creates disappointment with those already after that point and a problem with those who arive from then on. It needs a continual explanation ... and you are not there to do that. In the many minutes you spend explaining the math to late arrivals you could have painted their face!!!!!

It's self perpetuating: if you are good then a line will form. When you are finished (based on a clock timing / booked period) there will still be some waiting. It stands to reason. Why? Because somebody didn't get the math right? Because you were too slow? Because more numbers than expected turned up?

They are all probably true, it's the nature of the business. That's why it's a poser that is raised every few months and also why there is never a perfect solution. Many ideas are pretty good and I've used most of them. For me, here are the important factors:

• If you don't think you will cover them all ... 100% covered ... then this fact must be made clear at the time of taking the booking. Then, once confirmed, you are not obligated to do so.
  
• Your finishing time must be made clear to those who queue. A large sign, frequent announcements as time draws near etc. Also, how long each face is taking so they are able to make a calculation at the end and work out if it's worth waiting or not.

As long as you do the above, there should be no problem! OK, famous last words. Of course there will be some at the finish who will complain, plead to do "just one more" etc etc. Your job is to please people, not upset them. So, some additional tactics are required! There are many many ideas ranging from ticket systems, rubber stamping wrists, curving the line to join both ends and rejecting the rest........ you'll be familiar with these. But here's a different mind-set that may make a difference for you.

You see, I don't feel it's the face painter's problem. It's easy to end the day, you just STOP! That's it! Well, OK, you could just stop and leave ... but we don't. But it IS a problem for the organisers and I think the best solution is that they should appear, some minutes before the end and personally inform those who you cannot paint and those who arrive last that you have to stop and leave the premises / area. This does three important things:

• They see how popular you are!
  
• It removes you from that negative action and passes the responsibility to where it belongs: to the organiser. Then you can simply smile and shrug
  your shoulders as if to say "I'd have stayed all night, but s/he's the boss!"
  
• They also see that next time perhaps two painter may be more comfortable.

So, that's my solution ... one that works in conjunction with any other numbering elimination tactics and keeps you looking great. So next time, ensure your booker or an appointed 'marshall' moves in and ends the day for you.

John Gordon
The Infotainer
www.WatchThisFace.com

Want more?

As I said in the last post, the whole question of comparative fees surfaces from time to time.

A painter asked: "Why cant we have the same (as balloon modellers)" and you CAN. Many do. In fact you can have more, much MORE..... but not unless you take action to make changes.

The reason we see so much bad face painting around (by teachers and mums and play leaders etc) is that everybody thinks they can do it. And of course they can! Well...what I mean is they THINK they can. After all...you just get some paints (even acrylics!) and a furry brush and and a book and that's it.......It scares me to see what they churn out. But it scares me more that people think it's OK!

Balloon modelling is that bit tougher to even make a start with.

Now I think they are both equal in terms of skill and creativity and value to an event. Sometimes one will be better than the other ... but whilst they both share certain strengths they both have different individual benefits that should be played up when promoting. But that's another long story.

However, both face painting and balloon modelling as live solo entertainments are both seriously limited in terms of earning potential because they are both based on selling your time. And whilst that's the case, it is bound to be limited.

The secret is to change this! Move from a linear income to passive income streams. This would also raise profile, status, exposure and earning capacity and the price of balloons or paint wouldn't matter any more.

What does this mean? That's the topic of the posts that will follow. Bookmark this Blog and return soon.

The Infotainer
Where passive is an action to be taken
www.WatchThisFace.com

What Are You Worth?

I read some comments about face painters being paid less than balloon modellers perhaps because their expenses were les. This made the writer feel undervalued.

That's natural ... after all, an a gig, you are both doing your best and bothe contributing equally to the entertainment. If this were the case, all contributors would be paid equally, and we know they are not. Depending on the gig, there may be a venue, security, production (lights, sound, staging etc), catering, management .... and so on. Each is paid the 'going rate' ... or as much as they are able to get above the standard rate.

Don't we all know people who continually get high fees but we know that their actual skill and experience level is below our own? Why is that?

The answers to all this are simple and I'll be addressing them in some following posts so that you can understand the machanisms at work and how you can use them to get better fees for your work.

Watch this space .... it'll be worth it!

The Infotainer
www.WatchThisFace.com

I'll Name That Face Painter

Some say that the name can be anything. For example, something like 'Faces By Sue' or 'Frank's Faces'. Of course you CAN, but I believe that anyone wanting to put their business on a professional basis and grow it should give this task the attention it deserves.

It IS possible to 'make it' using any name...BUT (and it's a big 'but') it takes much more effort and money. Companies like Nike and Addidas with seemingly 'meaningless' names (although their names are derivations with meaning) spend a fortune on 'Building Their Brand' ..... and 'Positioning' themselves. If they didn't, you would not have heard of them!

Some brands excel in this to the extent that their name becomes synonymous with a genre ie Hoover or Xerox. We now say "I'll Google it". But that takes the kind of finances and prolonged expertise most Face Painters don't have!

The advice I give is that you should give yourself every possible chance to be found, be seen and be understood. Why not? So, with that in mind, I believe it important to make a study of search terms for your business. After all, if 8,000 people are looking for 'party, face, painting, decoration' and only 72 for 'sparkles' that makes all the difference. The popular keywords must be littered throughout your name, bi-line, tags and everything else the search 'spiders' look at.

But that's only if you want to be found......

Your Faces Are Your Fortune ......
The Infotainer

Really Bad With Names ...
But I Always Remember A Face!

This post was made following some discussion by face painters on a forum about names for a new member's business. What follows is my quick response, and will allow me to elaborate more over the coming days.

...................................

Choosing a name to use 'forever' (for your business) can be daunting and rightly should not be taken lightly. As a marketing coach specialising in identity and direction, in business development and achieving peak perfromance, it's part of my business to help people find what they want to do and then help them achieve that. So here's a few comments and tips (to start you off and perhaps confuse you even more! o):

a) Ideally your chosen name should state something about what you do

b) If it doesn't do that, it should be interesting enough for people to ask

c) A bland name that does neither is wasting so many opportunities

d) IF you wish to build a business and perhaps sell the interests at a later date .... don't hang it on your name or a region etc. ie make it universal!

e) Be careful NOT to use words or phrases that have different meanings in other countries. :o(

f) A name that you don't have to spell each time you say it is better.

g) I wouldn't go with a name where you couldn't also get the .com url.

h) As soon as you have chosen, register the url immediately.

i) Remember, the name is mostly used with a tag line (sub title, bi-line) so that is able to flesh out any shortcomings. Continual use together will cement the meaning.

j) In general, short snappy names are best BUT ..... if you get it right, a very long name can be an attraction and be memorable ie .The Absolutely Fabulous Face and Body Painting Team'. I think this WOULD be remembered because it is so unique.

k) Think carefully about HOW you want to be perceived. Perception counts for a lot. The choice of name governs this, and helps your POSITIONING in the market place. What I mean is: If you are called 'Mandy's Masks', or 'Triffic Faces' or 'The Fizzog Face Artistic Organisation' or 'The American Face Painting Company' .... they each conjure up a different kind of service. How do you WANT to be seen? As a local part-timer? As a profesional artiste who travels all over? As a company supplying the world? The name will contribute (greatly) to this perceived image and 'personality'.

Finally

l) I wouldn't worry TOO much about wanting a name that allows you to expand. Certainly don't restrict to faces IF you do bodies ...... but beyond that I believe it is better to have different 'package' or 'product' names for other things that you may do. It's best to be thought of as a specialist in one area (and for one niche market). So choose a name that fits with the service you offer and the market you want to 'attack'.

There is a ton more I could say on this (alone) but had better stop now. If those who are trying to select a name want some more help .... email me WatchThisFace@MagicWorks.co.uk and just ask.

The Infotainer
www.WatchThisFace.com