Do day care centers still refer to shows as in house field trips?

Not necessarily, but you would do well to describe your program as such when speaking to daycare directors.

Thank you, and if I could follow up are they more commonly looking for shows with a message, or shows for fun?

Yes like Arthur said. It doesn't hurt to mention it.

Much depends on the time of the year. A holiday, (Christmas, Halloween, etc) is more about fun. It's a treat.
A themed show with a message helps the director justify the cost. And it's possible that it helps reinforce what
the theachers are already teaching. It also helps convince the parents that the daycare is doing more than just babysitting.

If you in an area where magicians aren't so known, or you have a really big name, they will hire you simply because you are
available then.

Magicians are rare in some parts, and if it's going to be seven more years before you become available again,
maybe they better get you while they can.

Tom

Listen to Tom. He knows more about this topic then anyone and has written a book on it.

When it comes to marketing for any type of market it is really an understanding of their needs or problems and offering a solution to that need. In essence we are problem solvers. If you can solve a problem a daycare has a need for, your value goes up ten-fold. You do not ever want to be seen as just magician A,B or C. They need to see value.

How you show this value is through understanding them first and then offering them something that they need or that can really assist them. Saying you have a great show is fine. But doesn't everyone say that? It is not enough in your marketing efforts to just say you are good. You need to prove your worth.

Like anything, we are a business and this means thinking like a consumer. A consumer buys based on a need they have. If you have a solution for the need at the time when they need it, you get the sale. Simple as that. So what are some ways in which you can solve and meet a need for daycares? How can you be a solutions provider for them?

Some ideas and marketing approaches for daycares would be as follows:

1) educational based show to educate kids based on a theme.
2) field trip idea or a stay-cation approach where by instead of going on a field trip, you bring it to them.
3) holiday based program where by your show is being done around a holiday as a celebration.
4) reward for kids achieving a certain goal or certain behavior.
5) summer camp programming. During the summer the daycares tend to run summer camps and tend to include older age ranges.
6) empowerment and enrichment programming.
7) link it into a reading based program or your summer reading club show theme. This goes a bit with the educational based programming concept listed above.
8) tie in to what the children are learning already in the school. Information can be obtained by asking friends that have kids in the schools you are looking at.
9) a simple way to treat the kids.
10) some daycares have a theme for every month or some have a theme week. Tie in your show to that theme for a win-win situation. Also, YOUR show itself could be a catalyst for a themed day.
11) year end celebrations.
12) back to school night events.
13) open houses where by daycares are open to get new parents to know about the schools offerings.
14) many daycares these days are doing more outreach programs. These are to raise money for a nonprofit based group. You can help assist in this fundraising effort.
15) offer to do magic at their community booths. Many daycares have booths at community festivals to get folks knowing about them. This is a great way to work with them to make their booth more attractive to folks walking by.

There are more. However, the point is that you can see that there are many ways in which you can get your show booked. Each of these listed is a solution to a problem that tend to be faced with. By locking into these needs, you can stand a much better chance of not only getting noticed, but getting hired as well.

Hope this helps.

Kyle

Excellent advice from Tom and Kyle. To answer your follow-up question, BJ: My wife and I do very well offering educationally themed shows to daycares. We have programs on Self Esteem, Playground Safety, Reading, Dental Hygiene, a Dr. Seuss Show, and so on. Plus, as mentioned above, fun holiday shows like Easter, Halloween, Christmas, etc.

That said, if you're just starting out, a good rule of thumb is to first find out what is needed in your market. In other words, before you go developing a bunch of different shows, speak to several daycare directors (and moms, too) and ask what kinds of programs they would be interested in. I have a friend who created a wonderful program called "Best of Friends." But when he tried to sell it, not too many people were interested. So it was a wasted effort.

Above all, if you are going to offer educational programs ... keep it light! Don't knock the kids over head with your messages. They want to have fun! So find a way to make them laugh ... while sharing your positive messages.

Best of luck,

Arthur

Thanks Authur,

Great advice. You do indeed need to do your homework and find out the needs of the daycares first. Get to know their wants by asking questions and showing interest. Then offer then a solution to meet those needs.

Kyle