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An additional note not covered in the video

Consider our competition. If we search for our fav keywords and get a ton of great results, overcoming those results will be expensive – either in ad dollars (because high competition words have higher prices) or in time / money spent on SEO boosting.

Here’s an automatic transcription of the video

 Hey, I’m Scot Nery. Here’s how SEO and Google search advertising works. Our goal is to bring in more people who will buy from us. And we have to be strategic to do this. It’s possible to get a lot of people through, through showing up early in search results. And there’s important things to think about.

So, I’ve done this very successfully myself. I have… If you search for Los Angeles juggler, you will come up with this and as you can see, I am number three here, then down here, Los Angeles juggler. That’s me. So if you go there, it’ll go to me and you can click on my website. And if you go down here, that’s another website for me.

So I’m. I have three top results on Google for Los Angeles Juggler. And I did this for a very specific reason. I’ll show you my, my Juggler website is geared toward TV productions. I had two different kind of people coming in when I was ranking for juggler in Los Angeles and those two people were people that wanted a juggler for their kids birthday party or and wanted to pay like 200 or movie productions who needed a coach a consultant or a juggler performer to show up on set and be a union performer so I didn’t want the kids shows I just wanted the TV shows and films And so that’s what I pursued.

I set up the SEO in order to rank me so that I would come up for those productions. I made my website. I have different websites. That website is based on the idea of getting hired for those kinds of bookings for TV and film. I ran Google search ads and I found that the keywords that people wanted were magician and not juggler.

Juggler was like one thing in two months, like one search or two searches or something. And magician was like 500. So people know what a magician is. They know what a magic show is. They know what they’re looking for with a magic show. And magic was a great thing to target for SEO and for ads. Juggler was not.

So So, like, we have to consider what’s our goal and we have to also consider what are people searching for. If they’re searching for us, are they going to find us? The primary purpose of SEO is to be searchable for the thing that you are. Because most people are looking for red flags. Most of the use of websites is people looking for red flags.

So, They hear about you, you’re a contortionist, and they search for your name, and either your name comes up, your first, your first result is your website, or they have to search for your name, and contortionist Jim Tucker, contortionist, then they find your website first. That’s what we want. So, the primary The first goal of SEO is to get your name or your company’s name to rank early in the search, probably first.

And then after that, we can start to think about whether it’s worth it to pursue ranking in your category, or are people even not, not really searching for the thing that You have because if they’re not searching for it, they’re searching for a magician, and I have really high rankings for magician. And then they come to me and I can’t do a magic show.

Or I can’t do the kind of show that they want. Then they go on to somebody else. It’s pretty straightforward. So the downside of pursuing SEO when it doesn’t it isn’t necessary is people waste their time. It takes a lot of time. Sometimes it takes a lot of money cause they’re paying an SEO expert and sometimes it makes their website distracting because they’re trying to add in a whole bunch of content that’s going to rank them high.

The way to make SEO work is to be an expert in your field. So like with, with the Los Angeles juggler site, I, I made this webpage to be, The like result for this is where people want to go if they want to know about juggling, jugglers. They have jugglers that they can hire. They have a lesson. They have a DVD.

They have a blog post, a popular blog post with information about juggling. So Google’s views this as a great resource for people who are searching for a juggler in Los Angeles. And it’s not even I haven’t updated it. There’s not a lot I’ve done with it back here. I could rank higher in this if I just had eight five star reviews, probably I would probably be the top result here.

So the problem with like when you try to have all the information, a lot of times an SEO expert will recommend having a blog full of robust information and If you have a blog and you’re not a blogger, you don’t enjoy it, then you’re going to have an old blog, which makes you look dead. Or it can also confuse people because if they’re looking for red flags, they can look through your blog and maybe find red flags like that you perform in the wrong kind of venues or that you do a different kind of work or you have some political view or something that throws them off.

So that can be distracting from. A website that just gives them like, extreme value and a call to action. That’s my take on the SEO. Thank you for joining me. Hope it answered your questions. Please let me know in my blog comments if you want, or send me a message if you have any questions about how this all works.

SEO can be a great pursuit. Most of the cases that I see people wanting to do SEO, they’re trying to do it as a shortcut to getting more clients. And a lot of times it isn’t the shortcut.

WHEN WE WANT TO WORK WITH GOOD CLIENTS

WE WANT NO FRUSTRATION OR GHOSTING

WE GET THE FULFILLMENT OF GENEROUS, COLLABORATIVE WORK

1. PROSPECT: “MAY I HAVE A PRICE QUOTE OR AVAILABILITY”
2. CALL, DISCUSS PROSPECT NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS
3. ARTIST: “HERE ARE SOLUTIONS FOR YOU”
4. INCLUDE SCOPE OF WORK & PRICES
5. PROSPECT: “NO CAN DO” / “LET’S DO IT”
6. IF NO CAN DO…
7. ARTIST: “WHAT CAN WE CHANGE WITHOUT COMPROMISE?”
8. CONTRACT SENT
9. CONTRACT SIGNED + DEPOSIT PAID
10. CONTINUED COMMUNICATION
11. GIG
12. A GENUINE THANK YOU FROM EVERYONE
13. CONTINUED RELATIONSHIP
14. MUCH LATER… REQUEST TO COLLABORATE MORE
15. CONTINUED RELATIONSHIP

MYTH:

“If I turn my hobby into a career, I’ll hate it.”

TRUTH:

“I can decide what I love.”

if we are afraid of bragging

1. HAVE PROOF FOR EVERYTHING WE SAY
2. SAY LESS, BUT STILL SAY SOMETHING
3. LOOK DIFFERENT INSTEAD OF TRYING TO LOOK “BETTER”
4. REMEMBER THAT PEOPLE WHO NEED US DON’T KNOW
5. LEARN TO CELEBRATE VOCAL & CONFIDENT PEOPLE
6. REMEMBER OTHER PEOPLE WANT US TO LIKE OURSELVES
7. REMEMBER OUR GREATER CAUSE IN LIFE
8. KEEP RECORDS OF PEOPLE GUSHING ABOUT US
9. THINK OF HOW WE CAN INSPIRE OTHERS TO CONFIDENCE

I had a client who wanted to get an agent. She was disappointed with the auditions she had gotten from other agents because they weren’t right for her and she didn’t land them. She was getting auditions with a lot of dialog and competing against people who were generally younger than her. She wasn’t being appreciated for her true value – her charisma, positive energy, body awareness, and sense of humor.

Many agents told her to strengthen her weaknesses – English and genericness – instead of exploiting her awesome traits.

Process

We didn’t go broad, we went narrow and bold. We contacted agents with this message…

“

Hello, I’m █████. I have:

🔥 A Japanese accent

🔥 A dark sense of humor

🔥 Crazy Physicality

🔥 Hot flashes

Would you consider representing someone like me?

Thank you so much!

█████

“

Resistance

This was scary for her. She imagined how many bridges would be burned by people who saw her embracing her accent instead of getting dialect training. How many would turn away from her based on her age. How many people would black-list her for being a little wild. She went for it anyway. It went out to every agent she could find.

Result

She got an agent that was Chinese American, understood her, and landed her two great auditions within a month.

The lessons to learn

• we can look at the big picture of what we really want. Do I want an agent (not necessarily helpful) / do I want perfect gigs (not necessarily in my immediate control) / do I want good job opportunities?
• we can figure out what that means and get specific about what that looks like
• we can ask for exactly what we want
• we can seek out the right people, not just people in general (she didn’t need all the agents. She just needed one)
• we can seek improvement instead of perfection
• opportunity is available to us if we commit

Design solves problems. Art creates them.

Here’s my advice for a magician who wanted to make a general marketing video to progress a sales process…

Maybe having a video about how to hire a magician with a lot of transparency (here’s how different magicians price themselves (I price myself based on the amazing value I provide. Some other magicians price themselves this way too. Other people prioritize taking every gig that comes in so they can offer lower rates and are less specialized.), here’s how different magicians perform(my pristine presentation is important to me, other magicians are highly skilled at jumping in to disorganized events and trying to make it work)) would be helpful to your prospects and help them make a decision. They might be looking for a super funny and sloppily dressed magician. In which case you’re not worth the money. Or they might need someone that really breaks peoples brains and elevates an elegant experience.

Educating them (even before the sales call) could be really helpful and it means you’re a trusted source. Then, they and their friends will always come to you first.

We put a lot of work into talking to clients, and offering them proposals or invitations to work with us. We want to get closure or continue the conversation at the least. We don’t want to be ghosted.

There are a multitude of reasons that someone might not respond…

• the event was canceled
• the budget changed
• they have a friend who can do the job instead
• they got distracted
• they aren’t in a rush
• they got overwhelmed by the decision
• they feel insecure about making the decision
• they have to run it by a committee
• they thought they already confirmed

Followup emails often sound like this…
“Hi! I never heard back from you. Checking in on that proposal I sent you. Do you have any questions?”

The problem with these emails is that they’re negative and requesting.

Instead I would find a way to be generous and empathetic and positive.

Positive:

Because people want to be around positive people that make them feel good. They book us, they and their guests get more of that positivity

Empathetic:

People have their own interests and they buy for themselves not because someone wants them to.

Generous:

If we’re showing up at every turn with some new gift, they know that we’re on their side and that our performance is also going to be above and beyond what they expect.

Pressure:

The mistake that many followups make is that they are solely focused on pressure. Pressure is very helpful in making a human take something seriously. Our attention is evolutionarily biased toward danger. Social pressure is the danger of being rejected from the tribe and sent to die. Any interaction adds pressure. We don’t need to worry about applying pressure in the content of the message.

The alternative message

So, don’t refer to any missteps on their part. Use positive language. Think of ways to add to their life.

Even if it gets no response, this approach feels better to do anyhow!

Maybe a message like “You just came up in my thoughts. It sparked an idea of an other option for you… in my experience some people planning parties like yours are not as concerned with __ (the main value being offered… eg “a memorable experience” / “guests bonding together” / “elevating the experience with world-class entertainment”) as they are with saving money. Sometimes peoples budgets change suddenly. If you just wanted someone who can do some tricks, I know some high school age magicians who are not very experienced working with crowds and may love giving your event a try. I’d be glad to connect you or help you look at other options. I love getting people the entertainment that best suits their needs.”

The Hollywood Magic Castle is an incredible private club. It’s a really special experience. I’ve helped people get in. I am writing this article to inform people that it’s complicated.

It’s a private club and i’m not a member. I am connected to many performers and members.

Protecting people’s careers

Anyone that i get in would be putting my reputation on the line as well as any member or performer that puts you on the list. Many people – even some of my friends – drink too much or get wild. Then, it’s not good for my business relationships. We in showbiz need strong relationships and we need to be dependable. When I promise someone that folks are cool, I want to come thru on that promise every time.

The castle also has many rules that need to be followed.

So, you could try to develop a friendship with me where I trust you to behave well and inspire me to go through the work of getting in you in to the castle, or you could become a member. The membership would probably be faster.

Guest openings are scarce

When I performed at the castle last time, I was able to bring in 6 guests on a wednesday night for free. Anyone after that needed to pay full door fees and have dinner reservations. Most of these spots are saved for close friends and industry contacts. Since a person’s list is limited they also want to be assured that every guest will show up. If a guest doesn’t show up, or doesn’t follow the rules including the strict dress code, it’s a waste of a valuable pass.

Many people want to come to the castle and it’s a great place for a performer to be showcased. So, they usually want someone who’s good for them to come to the show.

It’s challenging

The way guests are managed is very old school. There isn’t a ticket system or any digital way to organize the guests. That means that a performer or a member must talk to someone about their list. They need to keep track of their own guest list, and the person managing the whole list needs to organize it.

Performers must submit their lists 24hrs in advance

It’s also an option for a member to walk people in. I think they have 4 guests allowable for free each night. After that maximum, the guests each need to pay $25 for entry.

Valet for non-members is $25 + tip

Even the people with dinner reservations who are paying for entry will need to be on a list. After they’re added to the list, they’ll need to call the reservations line and announce they’re on a guest list before making their dinner reservation. Dinner reservations are limited also. Food is not at a competitive price.

If you come to me, I need to…

1. figure out what connection I have to get a person in.
2. I have to then figure out how to communicate with that connection.
3. Then, get approval from them.
4. check back in with you
5. introduce you two
6. make sure that any questions are answered

The connection person needs to…

1. check with their current list counts for each night
2. communicate with me
3. communicate with you
4. add you to the list
5. they might feel obligated to say hi to you after the show too

I’m your friend

If you’re already someone whom I trust and like, and you want me to introduce you to a performer, the only performers that can get you on the list are the ones performing the night you’d like to visit. I don’t know the booking schedule in advance. So, you’ll probably need to check in with me the week of your visit so that I can check the lineup and see if I can connect you.

Stats are a quantifiable way to prove our value. They need to be referring to the core Unique Value Proposition and they need to sound positive.

Stats could also include star ratings on yelp / TripAdvisor / gig salad 

We don’t want to spend much time thinking about the business side. We want to get to the show. Fill out this chart and I’ll make your success easier.

Other people will get ahead because you won’t do the work you hate.People say they have to deal with a lot of to be able to do the fun stuff. What if it was all fun stuff? I think it’s possible. Less crappy, more happy!