Successful Performercast by Kris Sheppard | Successful Performer Cast | Weekly Interviews with Professional Entertainers | Show Business, Showbiz, Performer, Magic, Magician, Juggler, Comedian, Musician

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Syndication

In this interview, I have my very first return guest! Josh London goes in-depth on internet marketing, first talking about your website, and then going over SEO to help you create a solid foundation for your own internet marketing strategy.  

 

Sponsors:

Acting for Magicians by Richard Ribuffo — Pick up your copy today and SAVE $5!

 

Getting a View of the Landscape

• Differences between Pay Per Click and Search Engine Optimization

• What the large pieces of an internet marketing campaign are.

• Making sure you’re creating good quality content.

• Making sure all parts of your campaign line up with each other. No disconnects.

• Three stages to buying: Awareness, Research, and Buying.  

 

Website Design

• Make your website as simple as possible

• Get your user the info they want as fast as possible

• Build on a wordpress framework and use a responsive theme to make it mobile-friendly

• Create the hierarchy of your website: Homepage, About Page, Blog (keep it updated), Contact page

• Don't try to make it "clever." Clear and simple is the better way to do things.

• The importance of having a mobile friendly website  

 

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

• White hat vs black hat SEO techniques.

• How to get your site in top rankings in Google.

• Yoast Wordpresslugin will help you with your SEO.

• Using keywords in your title, meta description, and body copy.

• Optimizing your images.

• Don't "stuff" your page with keywords.

• Write for the user, not the search engine.

• What people might overlook when trying to make their site more SEO friendly.

• Using header tags within your copy.

• How to do keyword research.

• Using closely related keywords.

• Having a call to action.

• Look at what everyone else is doing and make what they're doing better.  

 

Website Content

• You want to have engaging content so that people don't leave. You want to lower your bounce rate.

• The importance of a blog.

• What should entertainers blog about and not blog about?

• Blogging and content marketing is an art.

• What should be the focus of your blog? Create content that your user wants and that will get shared on social outlets. (And not just by your mom.)

• The content that you blog about should be different than your static pages.

• Talk about the benefits of your services to your customer. Don't talk about yourself.

• How often should I update my blog?

• Don't create blog posts on a whim. Try buzzsumo.com

• Commenting on other peoples blog posts on your topic.

• Strategy of getting your blog posts shared.

• Out reaching for your content.

• Ninja outreach.com

• Your blog is another way for you to stay in front of your audience. TOMA

 

Parting Advice

It's all about content and making things easy for your user navigating on your site. Coming up: pay per click keywords.  

 

Where can we find Josh London?

Clickconvertprofit.com

Flying Solo

Direct download: SPC_080_Josh_London_-_Internet_Marketing_Part_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:30am PDT

Richard Ribuffo talks about Acting for Magicians teaching us how and why acting and theatre training are amongst the most valuable tools for magicians and how we can benefit greatly from understanding how to apply these tools.

Richard, will be the first to tell you he’s not a “successful performer, per se but a succeeding performer.” He does have tremendous value to offer though, when it comes to having a great product to sell. As David Ogilvy said, "Great marketing only makes a bad product fail faster,” so Richard is here to talk about how to improve our product, our show.

 

Sponsors:

Acting for Magicians by Richard Ribuffo — Pick up your copy today and SAVE $5!  

 

Interview with Richard Ribuffo: Success Mantras

What do you want them to Do, Think, or Feel? How do I get them to do that?

Count the pennies, and the dollars will count themselves.  

 

Acting for Magicians

• Talks about his background in acting

• Talks about his book and how it’s structured.

• Giving more thought to why you’re doing what you’re doing. It goes beyond just doing tricks.  

 

Artistic Method

The process of creating art from the point of view of the audience.

1. Experimentation

2. Observation

3. Discussion

4. Formulation

5. Disruption  

 

GOTE

Goal - What do you want your audience to do, think, or feel?

Other - Who is your other? If it’s your audience, who are they?

Tactic - How will you achieve your goal?

Expectation - What do you ecpect the outcome to be?

Cool exercise to help you understand GOTE better: Watch another performer’s act, deconstruct it, and try to figure out their GOTE.  

 

Contest!

Prize: An Autographed Copy of Acting for Magicians

In order to win, share your own GOTE by posting it in the comments below the show notes and in two weeks on 10/2, I'll announce the winner on my show.

 

Other Topics Covered

• How he made his jump to full time and what he’s doing right now to make it work for him.

• Mentoring and being mentored

 

Parting Advice

Always make the more interesting choice.  

 

Recommended books and resources:

Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!  

  

Resources:

Facebook Groups: AMA, SME Talk Magic

Take acting classes

Zero to Booked Solid in 30 Days by James Munton

 

Where can we find Richard Ribuffo?

Acting for Magicians

Richard the Magician

 

 

Direct download: SPC_079_Richard_Ribuffo_-_Acting_for_Magicians.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:30am PDT

In this episode, variety entertainer Carisa Hendrix takes us through some of her personal steps to success which includes hiring a full-time assistant, Facebook Ads, press releases, and doing things out of order!

Hailing from Calgary, Carisa is a variety entertainer who for the past ten years has professionally performed magic, sideshow, circus, and fire acts. She’s taken her act all around Canada and the world. She’s been featured in Ripley’s Believe it Or Not, Vegas Strip Search, and the Guinness Book of World Records where she holds the record for “longest duration fire torch teething.”

She’s a skilled entertainer with a wide range of talents which also includes artistic director of Ballyhoo Entertainment where she crafts and designs custom entertainment options for corporate and special events.

She’s a trusted authority in fire eating and teaches on the subject via her blog at Firepedia.com.

Let’s just say she’s not the sort I’d like to happen across in a dark alley.  

 

Sponsors:

Acting for Magicians by Richard Ribuffo — Pick up your copy today and SAVE $5!

ManageGigs.com — a system that helps you manage all your customers, gigs, set lists, and more! ManageGigs is looking for a small group of working performers to serve as beta testers. Click here to sign up for your chance to be a part of the Beta program.

 

Contest: Win a Book!

I'm proud to report that we've recently gotten to 50,000 downloads! Thank you for all your support! As  thanks, I'm giving away a free book to one lucky winner. The book is Dan Kennedy's No BS Direct Marketing book.

To enter, click here and leave a comment telling me your favorite moment in one of my episodes, or one thing you've picked up from an interview that's helped your business. I'll announce the winner in a couple weeks.  

 

Interview with Carisa Hendrix: Success Quote

• A generous spirit.

• Authentic relationships.

• Consistent, considerate, and complete work.  

 

Carisa’s Road to Success

Carisa tells about the broad topics of knowledge she has that have contributed to her entertainment business success.  

 

Hiring an Assistant

• Hiring a full-time assistant, and what’ she’s learned in the process.

• Hiring someone that wants what she’s accomplished, so she’s also mentoring someone as well as paying them.

• The value of having a personal assistant.

• How she realized that she needed an assistant.

• How to interview and pick your assistant.

• Writing a good job description.

• Bringing a non-biased third party to the interviews.

• Job duties of her current assistant.

 

Press Releases

• Cultivating relationships with the press.

• How write press releases.

• Have something to offer them.

• Write it so the editor doesn’t have to do anything.

• How to spin things to be more attractive to editors.

• What needs to be in a press release?

• Try to figure out what would make a good story. An interesting hook. Why now? What’s happening now?

• Who do you send press releases to? How do you build your press list?

• Not limited to just news press, but blogs and other new media avenues  

 

Facebook Ads

• Using Facebook ads to reach very specific audiences.

• Using ads to build their community.

• Getting in front of and staying in front of the people who have already seen their shows. Top of Mind Awareness

• Starting conversations around their brand.  

 

Doing Things Out of Order

• When working on a goal, take a step back and see if you should be doing things in a different order.

• Don’t obsess over the specific order of things. Sometimes, it may be more effective to do things out or order.

 

Other Topics Covered

• Sometimes you need to fire clients.

• Entertainment is art in the pursuit of joy.

• Talks about some of the “normal” jobs she’s had.

• How she almost went down a different road entirely.

• Having to re-learn some things.

• Her parasol act that she uses as a CEO piece.

• The things that get measured, get managed.

 

Parting Advice

If there’s something you really want to do, find out under what circumstances it would be pleasurable, and make you feel successful. Know why you’re doing what you’re doing.  

 

Recommended books and resources:

Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!

 

Resources:

Quickbooks or Manager Sal

Carisa's Fire Eating DVD  

 

Books:

Step by Step to Standup Comedy Workbooks by Greg Dean

Workbook 1: How to Write Jokes

Workbook 2: How to Improve Jokes and Routines

Workbook 3: How to Remember Jokes Naturally

Workbook 4: How to Be a Funny Performer

Workbook 5: How to Get the Experience to Be Funny

 

Four Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss

The Practicing Mind by Thomas M. Sterner

 

Where can we find Carisa Hendrix?

carisahendrix.com

Learn Fire Eating      

 

Direct download: SPC_078_Carisa_Hendrix_-_Variety_Artist.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:30am PDT

In this episode, Chipper Lowell talks about being raised around the circus, his approach to comedy, and the importance of branding yourself!

With his comedy, magic, and fun, crazy antics, Chipper has made a living performing for over 25 years. He’s headlined casino showrooms in Vegas, Atlantic City, Tahoe, and Reno. Brought his show aboard top cruise lines like Princess, Holland America, and Celebrity. He’s also become a favorite of top corporations performing at their events and trade shows. Add to this, he’s also toured with his one man show, “The Chipper Experience, where comedy and magic collide,” in performing arts centers, theaters, and casino show rooms throughout the US and Canada.

When it comes to accolades, Chipper has twice received “Comedy Magician of the Year,” “Specialty Act of the Year,” and was nominated two times for “Stage Magician of the Year.” He’s also been listed among the “Top Funniest Magicians Performing Today” in Magic Magazine.

The Reno Gazette Journal says "He sparkles with funny one-liners."  

 

Contest: Win a Book!

I'm proud to report that we've recently gotten to 50,000 downloads! Thank you for all your support! As thanks, I'm giving away a free book to one lucky winner. The book is Dan Kennedy's No BS Direct Marketing book.

To enter, leave a comment on the show notes page telling me your favorite moment in one of my episodes, or one thing you've picked up from an interview that's helped your business. I'll announce the winner in a couple weeks.  

 

Interview with Chipper Lowell: Success Quote

Go with the flow. Pay attention to every detail.  

 

Chipper’s Approach to Comedy

• Inspired by Karrell Fox and subscribes to his philosophy of “come up with the routine and material first, then figure out the method."

• Does a small case study on his “Trained Turtle” routine.

• Put as many speed bumps and walls as you can into your routines, because then you’re creating more opportunities for funny moments. (Tip from Teller.)

• Making up bizarre rules like “the woman cannot be closer than 10 ft from you."

 

Being Clean and Branding Your Act

• He doesn’t care whether he’s clean or dirty, but his product is clean.

• When you work dirty, you define the places you can work.

• It really came down to how he wanted to brand himself.  

 

Failure Moment

Tells about an instance that could have been a failure but with a little creative thinking and attention to timing, things went off without a hitch.  

 

Other Topics Covered

• Designing your life by writing your eulogy and working backward from that.

• Looking at how Disney does things and modeling your business after them.

• Talks about being raised on circuses and being on the road with his family.

• How he discovered comedy magic.

• How he got a job juggling for Disneyland…after shaving his mustache of course!

• Dealing with outside distractions while performing.

• Being honest about your performances and the audience reactions.

• Variances in audiences, and bending your material accordingly.

• How taking improv courses (with The Groundlings) helped his act.

• Staying within time constraints for performances.

• Eliminating your competition when people call and want to book you specifically.

• Controlling the environment in which you perform in.

 

Parting Advice

Go with the flow.  

 

Recommended books and resources:

Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!

 

Resources:

Voice memo recorder on your smart phone.  

 

Books:

 
 
Jim Steinmeyer’s Books (Know the history of your profession.)
 
 
 

Where can we find Chipper Lowell?

 
Direct download: SPC_077_Chipper_Lowell_-_Comic_Magician.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:30am PDT

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