Written by Paula Ortiz, business development manager, Latin America for CHAUVET®
On a recent business trip to Caguas, Puerto Rico, I hosted a seminar where I gave an overview of ShowXpress™ and introduced new CHAUVET® DJ and CHAUVET® Professional products. The seminar, which was sponsored by Radio Tronics, took place at La Verecundia Disco in front of an audience of nearly 50 DJs and VJs. We gave out certificates to attendants and raffled off CHAUVET® t-shirts and MiN™ lasers. However, the real stars of the night included Intimidator™ Spot LED 350, Impulse™ 648 and MotionDrape™ LED.
-written by David Pickett, owner of A 2 Z DJ Service in Memphis, Tenn.
Be Visible
I knew I couldn’t stop at only 3 rules on how to be a professional DJ. Being visible is more about building relationships than just advertising you’re ‘out there’ in front of customers. Being visible not only builds direct sales, but also word-of-mouth, which accounts for a small but loyal part of my business. Read on for helpful tips that will increase your visibility.
Volunteer
Volunteer your services at local schools, fundraisers, charity events and anywhere else you can get music going and pass out business cards or flyers. For example, I DJ my local Neighborhood Watch block party — the crowd loves it, I love it, it’s a win/win situation. Be sure and get a nice looking banner or sign to have on display and get some business cards (more on this in a moment).
Your Website
Don’t use a free program on the web — do it right. If you want to stand out, you have to look less like the cookie-cutter DJ websites out there. Everyone, especially brides (who are the highest paying customers), loves a well-designed website. The website should match your image: clean, professional, and confident.
Business Cards and Flyers
If you want to save money, VistaPrint is the way to go. However, their style can look a bit “cookie cutter.” They are my business card provider, but I’m starting to see a lot of people with cards like mine so I will probably move to a local printer very shortly. Whatever you do, if you must do it yourself, please don’t use perforated inkjet cards because they look cheap and unprofessional.
Leave Information at Vendor Businesses
Don’t leave them without getting face time with the manager first. Try and build a relationship with them if you can because they’ll remember that. Leave about 10 or so and stay in touch with them every month.
Get a Google Ad
I could do a whole post on Google alone. If you have allotted money in your budget, consider taking out an ad on Google. It puts you in front of a lot potential customers. Sure, there are a lot of folks wanting a five-hour kid’s birthday party for $150, but there’s also savvy, well-paying clientele that will hire a true pro (and they use Google).
Free DJ Search Engines
WeddingWire is the bridal leader and WeDJ.com is the leader for every other kind of event, though I’ve gotten a lot of weddings from there too. If you can afford it, buy at least a bronze membership for wedj.com. It’s cheap and makes you even more visible, which is what this is all about, right? There’s a lot of other sites — try to get on them all. It’s free and you never know.
Bridal Shows
Get a table at a bridal show. The ROI on a bridal show is half luck and half chance. However, you’re getting your name out to a lot of potential customers packed into a small area. I’ll do a whole post on bridal shows later – but seriously consider investing the capital ($250-$1000) to do a show regularly if you can. Chances are you’ll book a bride (or two) to cover the investment. It’s good experience, helps you find how who your competition is, and helps you sharpen your people skills as well as dealing with customers face-to-face.
Join a Club
Not a fitness one. Find your local chapter of the ADJA (or other DJ group committed to professionalism) and join. It helps build relationships with other DJs (referrals!) and helps advertise to your customers that you are striving to be a competent professional. One of my buddies is an officer in his ADJA chapter and it’s a great feather in his cap when advertising his services. If DJ groups aren’t your thing, then get involved in a public group about anything that you’re passionate about.
Keep Your Business Facebook Page Regularly Updated
Yes, you need one. Keep the content coming on about a weekly basis – even if nobody is “liking” your page or single post. Facebook is starting to be a steady source of business for me so I feed that garden well with content about various things that I get geeky about as well as event photos and the occasional review. Have a look for yourself. The jury is still out on whether doing ads on Facebook is a good ROI. Personally, I haven’t got much luck with it — lots of “likes”, but no luck.
Now get out there and “expose” yourself!
Tree Power & Sound, an event company from the Atlanta, Georgia area, utilizes various alternative/sustainable energy sources to power their productions, including 22 CHAUVET® LED-fitted fixtures that consume considerably less power than traditional lights.
For each production, Tree Power & Sound staff tows a trailer covered in solar panels and packed to the brim with high output batteries. A biodiesel-powered generator is brought along to the shows as a backup power source to ensure that even after a week of stormy weather and no sun they can still power the production in the most sustainable way possible. Towering above this generator is a wind breeze turbine that can harness a handful of watts via gusts of wind. At Jam Cruise, an annual music festival held on a cruise ship, two of these turbines are flown into the air to pull a staggering amount of power from nothing more than the ocean’s constant winds. For practical lighting, 16 LEDrain™ 38C and six COLORpalette™ fixtures are an ideal choice: “We love how efficient the CHAUVET® lights are. They look great, and in most cases we can even plug these into the same outlets as audio gear and never see any adverse affects from it,” said Ian Blanton, live sound technician for Tree Power & Sound. “Our company continues to take live productions to the next level every year, while maintaining a minimal carbon footprint. We are able to do this with the help of companies like CHAUVET®, who also strive to make a positive impact on the environment and live performance everywhere.”
CHAUVET® Business Development Manager for Latin America Paula Ortiz traveled to Colombia to visit and train local CHAUVET® distributors. Her first stop was distributor Luces Para Discoteca (Disco Lights), in Medellin, which carries a variety of CHAUVET® lights.
by Wallace Greenaway, CHAUVET® DJ Product Manager
Using wireless DMX to operate your fixtures reduces unsightly strips of taped cables, saves time by eliminating the need to run cables to and from each fixture, and is safer for your guests. In fact, here are 20 reasons why you should use wireless DMX. If you are completely unfamiliar with the process, click here for three simple steps to help you get started.
DJ University is an online resource for the DJ/mobile performer sponsored by CHAUVET DJ®.
by Wallace Greenaway, CHAUVET® DJ Product Manager
So, you have made the decision that DJing is your passion and you want to seriously consider it as your part-time or full-time career. You don’t lack the talent, but still, haven’t figured out all the details yet. For example, you might think lighting is not as important as your music list or your mixing equipment. Think again. Read on for some helpful ways to avoid these five common traps when choosing your lighting.
DJ University is an online resource for the DJ/mobile performer sponsored by CHAUVET DJ®.
CHAUVET® DJ traveled to Las Vegas for MBLV16. During the show, we decided to create a fun video and ask booth visitors to complete the sentence, “A show without lights is like?” Tune in and see what they said. Finish the sentence and share your answer with us!
CHAUVET® Professional MVP™ 18 modular video panels wowed with dynamic animation graphics at Miami’s Ultra Music Festival 2012, the biggest dance festival in the world, which this year attracted a record crowd of 165,000 people in March. Pictured on stage is one of the world’s biggest DJs, Kaskade, who performed hits from his latest album “Fire & Ice.”
Dave Petry, aka DJ Dave, owns DJ Dave Productions in Houston and specializes in providing DJ & entertainment services for weddings, corporate events and birthday parties. He started playing the guitar at age 7 and his love and passion for music led him down a natural path to becoming a DJ. Read on and get to know more about your fellow DJ.
1. How and when did you get started as a DJ?
After playing in bands and recording several albums (“Behind the Scene” and “Colourful Freedom” by The Rafters currently on iTunes), I finally decided to become a professional DJ. I had experience entertaining and DJing for family and friends so the transition was a natural for me because I already knew sound equipment and lighting gear. My wife and I started DJ Dave Productions about six years ago and together we make a dynamic team for our clients.
2. Is this a full-time job or something you do on the side?
This is a full-time job for me.
3. What fixtures are included in your setup?
We use a multitude of fixtures including Intimidator™ Spot LED 250 moving heads, Scorpion™ Storm lasers, LED Followspot 75, COLORpalette™ wash lights, and 4BAR™ Tri and 4Play CL™ effect lights. We’re looking into truss to bring the added “wow” factor to our events.
4. What is your favorite fixture and why?
My favorite fixtures are the 4BAR™ Tri and 4Play CL™ effect lights. These are just right for most wedding receptions we do.
5. Best advice you can give someone just getting started in the DJ industry?
Be patient, invest in a professional website, join a professional DJ association like the American Disc Jockey Association, and attend trade shows and seminars to become a better DJ. Your income and future depends solely on this. Raise your rates so you can make a good living in this awesome and fantastic profession. Be proud to be a professional DJ and always set high standards and a great example for the industry.
6. What are your top three most requested songs?
“Sexy and I Know It” by LMFAO
“Cupid Shuffle” by Cupid
“I Gotta Feeling’” by The Black Eyed Peas
