5 Keys to a Successful Magic Business

The text message screenshot read:

Corporate Site Lead Notification
Coy Duke
Coyvance@hc.mail
June 7
Sky-lounge, 123 Fake Address, 2 hours walkaround

The follow-up text from my client read:
“Wow! I imagine you didn’t create this yourself.”

I happily replied, “Nope!”

(By the way, the name and address of the person in the screenshot have been changed to protect his privacy.)

I had just finished turning on his automation for his website’s contact forms.

Within three minutes, he had already picked up a new lead.

Oh, and this likely came from the new Google Ads campaign I had set up for him too.

I love getting results like this for my clients.

The truth is technology makes all of this possible. I couldn’t have done this for him 20 years ago.

Or if I could, it would have been freakishly expensive.

I’m often amazed at how antiquated many magicians’ websites and ways of running their businesses are.

Like the rest of the world, you have to adapt.

First, make it easy for clients to contact you. Having an easy-to-spell email address is critical.

And not something like bozothemagician34217@comcast.net.

By the way, if that happens to be a real email address, all I can say is…sorry, Bozo.

No, to be a professional, you want to have a professional clean email address based on your domain.

My school site’s domain is elementaryschoolassemblies.com. So my professional email address is cris@elementaryschoolassemblies.com.

My foam party site is freddyfrogsfoam.com. My wife likes it because of the alliteration. So my professional email address is cris@freddyfrogsfoam.com.

Remember what I said about spelling? It’s really important. But you can get around it by having your email address set up as clickable on your site.

That means someone looking at your site on their smartphone can simply click your email address to fire off a message to you.

But there’s even more to consider. It’s a magic word, too. Not hocus-pocus. Not Abracadabra.

This magic word is automation.

Automaton is a beautiful thing. It lets you follow up and respond to leads instantly.

That screenshot I showed you earlier? As soon as that guy filled out the contact form and clicked ‘submit,’ he received an email from the magician in question.

The email provided basic information about his show offerings written in a way that’s conversational and easy to read.

But the best part is what happens later. Every few days for the duration of the automation sequence, this lead will get messages from the magician.

They are simply little ‘nudges’ to stay top of mind.

They remind the lead who the magician is and why they should book his services. The key is to make these emails fun to read and not too sales-y.

The beauty of all of this is my client, the magician, doesn’t have to do a thing. Just wait for the leads to come.

Because of the system I set up. First, the website. It’s clean, professional, and is optimized for SEO. That is, the site is designed to grab Google’s attention in searches.

As much as I love SEO, though, it does take time. So for this particular client, I also set up a Google Ads account.

There is a lot to Google Ads. Beyond the ads themselves, you need Google Analytics so you can see what’s working. And what isn’t.

You need a Google Tag Manager account to connect your site to these various services.

It’s all fairly complex.

But it’s worth it.

My school assembly business has essentially been running on SEO and email marketing automation for close to a decade now.

Sure, I still do occasional postcard mailings. And I do some Google Ads to get in front of eyeballs in my local market.

The majority of a successful magic business is built on the back of five things:

1. Know your market

All of this cool technology doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t know your market.

I found out what needs my market had. Then I designed products (my shows) to fulfill those needs.

Simple.

2. A well-designed site

I love the entrepreneurial spirit of magicians. They try to do everything themselves. But sometimes it’s best to let go of the reins.

A well-designed site requires a LOT. Design ability, mastery of a few key pieces of technology, an understanding of your market, and persuasive copywriting skills.

Most importantly, your site is your ‘24/7 salesperson.’ Always working for you, selling and persuading.

Gone are the days when your site is merely a digital business card, used only to contact you.

These days, your site can do 90% of the heavy lifting for you.

In 99 times out of 100, when people reach out to me, it’s mostly to talk prices and availability.

I do very little actual ‘selling’ anymore. Besides, no one likes to be ‘sold.’

3. Get eyeballs on your site

I love hearing magicians say that word of mouth is the best form of advertisement.

Sure it is. Eventually.

But first, you gotta get noticed.

The easiest ways to do that in the 21st century are through SEO (organic searches) and Google Ads.

Of course, direct mail still works too.

Both are needed to keep a robust flow of traffic to your site.

4. Email marketing

This is probably the least ‘sexy’ of the list. But done correctly, it can bring you a lot of money.

Plus you look a lot more professional in your clients’ eyes.

Too many magicians and other entertainers are royal flakes when it comes to the business side of show business.

That’s honest feedback from a LOT of clients over the years.

They praise my ability to make their jobs easier and alleviate any fears that I’m going to flake out and not show up for a show.

5. Have a great show

Yup, there’s a reason why it’s last on the list.

The best show in the world doesn’t matter if it doesn’t fit the market you’re after.

The best show in the world doesn’t matter if people don’t know about you.

But at the end of the day, you do need not just a good show but a great show.

One that will start generating that crucial word of mouth.

So there’s your outline for success in 2025 and beyond.

--Cris

P.S. By the way…whenever you’re ready, here are 5 ways I can help you grow your magic business to book more shows at higher fees:

 
1. Grab my FREE report for professional working magicians.

It’s called “The 2-Word Secret to Eliminate Your Competition & Become Your Area’s Busiest Magician.” This report reveals a strategy that almost NO magicians are using (and the ones who are don’t use it correctly). Get your free copy HERE.

2. Get my website video training for under $10:

 
In this 2-hour video training, I’ll reveal exactly what your website needs if you want to succeed as a professional entertainer in the 21st century. Get all the details HERE.

 
3. Get a complete business-building plan handed to you on a silver platter.

 
Not sure how to move your magic business forward? I’ll analyze your complete magic business (website, market, competition, and more) and give you a complete game plan for getting your performing business to the next level. Find out how HERE.

 
4. Work with me privately.

 
Need help in multiple areas? I can help you with your website, direct mail, email, or other marketing strategies. I also offer consulting services for crafting magic routines or even entire shows. Want to find out more? Shoot me an email at cris@theprofessionalmagicianclubpro.com.

5. Check out my extensive line of magic routines and marketing products

I have several professional routines, marketing courses, books, and other resources to boost your shows and make booking shows easier and more profitable. Check out my line of products HERE.

To find out more how I can help you book more shows at higher fees, click the button below to see my list of services.

© Copyright Cris Johnson, Inc.