I used to own a bridal shop and I can tell you resolutely that many brides use the shops they bought their wedding dress from to get referred to photographers, DJ's, tux rental, invitations, wedding cakes, the whole thing.

Is he networking with local bridal shops? Those should be his bread and butter.

He should be advertising on Facebook btw.

IF that's true, and they're looking for more "hip" DJ's, why not ask him to make a little regulation. What's more cool than a 50ish guy going "hip mainstream"? I'd have a laugh - not on him, but for being fresh and .. well, cool .

This may not be the most direct piece of advice but I once heard an audio from hardtofindseminars.com from a DJ who was killing it. I don't have the link but I'm sure if you emailed Michael at the website that he could help you out. I remember listening to it and hearing lots of great info that seemed pretty DJ specific.

Are you ranking for emergency keywords as well?

Also, does he suck as a DJ?
What happened to the previous customers?

Have him send a mail piece asking for referrals and offering a $100 finders fee or soemthing

There are a lot of things here and all of them have to do with his business model and not you. Are you being paid to consult? If so go for it. if not you can only make a few random suggestions and let him figure it out.

1. Why are his prices higher than the going rate? What does he offer as more? What makes him worth a premium? Remember if you are pricing as a premium choice you need to show the value. If he offers the same DJ services or even less than his price needs to change. It's up to him.

2. If he isn't "hip" and isn't reaching his market he needs to figure out who he needs to be. He needs to be what his customers want not who he wants to be.

3. Networking/Referrals: Aka where are they? If he has been in this business forever he should be nearly purely on Networking and referrals. This alone scares me. You could be promioting him on the web to get more business but honestly he shouldn't need web promotion unless he is hiring other DJs and expanding. He needs to seriously figure out why his referrals and newwork are not bringing him enough business.

This guy needs a serious business coach by the sounds of it.

how about rank #1 or 2 spot? any tracking on website? getting any traffics to website?

how about google places? I think video marketing should help as well..and Like Rus said, affiliate with Hotels/Restaurants..

Who are his target customers and who are they already doing business with?

I'd like to know how many visits the site is getting. Middle of page 1 doesn't do a company much good, but there are things you can do to improve the odds of getting visitors. There's a plugin being sold via WSO right now that uses rich snippets to get star ratings and review counts to show up below a web title in the SERPs. These yellow stars are sure to grab some eyeballs, even if the site is in the middle of page 1.

Of course, you need to make sure the site itself is going to convert. Testimonials would be key... and I'd imagine the site should be very visual.

Something needs to be done because he is coming into the wedding season and brides are looking to secure these types of services for spring and fall weddings. Most weddings occur late summer early fall.

Did you analyze the keywords in deep like:

1. Are the keywords relevant?
2. What is the bounce rate for keywords?
3. What is the average time spent on site per keyword

You may also need to spent some time on website visitors conversion enhancement.

have you put videos of the DJ performing in other weddings? I think this might help

How about some copy warning people about the dangers of hiring based on price alone, like someone not showing up on time or at all, them not having a large music library, not being able to mix, not knowing how to get the crowd excited, etc, and the crucial questions to ask any dj, such as do you have insurance?

Can he get video footage of some of the weddings he does so people can see what to expect? Or a parody video that compares and contrasts a good dj to a bad dj?

What is the exact search phrase count for his keyword?

I did

New York Wedding DJ 73 searches
Los Angeles Wedding DJ 140 searches
Tucson Wedding DJ 46 searches

Based on the size of these cities alone, I would think that being in the middle of page one wouldn't bring that many clicks with that few searches.

What is your analytics telling you the search phrases used to find his site are?

Many sites get 100 hits a month, 97 bots or hackers, especially if it's a wordpress site, 3 of them being keyword based search results.

I would suggest more keyword research and/or an Adwords campaign.

Then networking with Wedding Shops, Wedding Planners, Banquet Halls, Florists, and even Ministers.

As mentioned earlier FaceBook ads, as well as, local wedding directories and Craigslist.

Dress him up like flava flave and put a crazy pic on his website that makes him look like a novelty crazy old party gangsta...with all the bling. Make him say "Fun". Call him an "O.G"... Make A USP out of his age.

He needs a USP. People are looking for "fun". Surround him with party girls in it or something...

Make em laugh and say "ROTFLMAO! I want this guy!!!"

Give him George Clinton hair, if only for the shot (extensions...) .... BTW: saw parliament in concert, man George was cool.

A web page and traffic are only half the battle. He needs a "Unique Selling Proposition". Thanks Cory Rudle!

You can also use the ad copy to create his "myth"! Give him a story. Make him a legend that EVERYBODY wants a piece of... You can create his myth for him, by utilizing his past experience, and crafting the words to make him seem infamous, ie; "perception", not de-ception.

Age can be a USP, or you can cover it up with "sly" glasses, and a big hat!

Edit:

Image Sells... All it takes is one good shot that makes people smile. A good shot and a crazy headline can be the one degree of separation that makes all the difference. Tell him to have fun playing gangsta dress up one day and take 50 pics... then choose the best single pic out of the fifty that communicates the message. Thats why photographers use a whole roll of film to get that one perfect shot.

If he wants you to do it, then charge for the shoot, you may make more than you did on the web page itself.

Image sells:




Doesnt matter what you look like underneath it.

Mike,

Wedding DJ Checklist gets a few searches.
Make a PDF download available telling people what to look for when hiring a wedding DJ
Have his details scattered throughout the PDF. Have a list of all time favorite music played at weddings (which he has in his collection of course)

(You could get sneaky here and have the people opt in to your autoresponder to get it. You then have a list from all over giving you the chance to sell the leads interstate etc. Just thinking out loud here )

Whoa fellas, I thought all we had to do was get them a high spot on Google and their phones would be ringing off the hook.

But seriously with 100 visits per month and not a call, there are much bigger issues at hand and the fact that the best promo he can think of is to discount $200 tells you a lot as well. Better idea is to give a free upgrade package as an incentive.

If he wants to command high end prices he needs to present a high end image value prop and come off some bucks so you can make it happen for him.

Very good info from link in post #5

1.) Is it the meta description that is not getting enough clicks? Have you tried doing a small adwords campaign and see what the highest CTR rate you can get for his site?

2.) His website, is it flash based or boring ? Does he have auto play music on his site?

3.) Refferals are key in this industry. He has been a DJ for over 20 years surely he has some peope who can recommend him to potential brides?

My question is why isnt he in Google places?.. typing in wedding dj will usually trigger it so i know its likely to be there.

If he's getting the traffic but no conversions the problem is definitely on the website or landing page. Does he have the price right up there on the page?
What about actually engaging the people getting to the page and asking them what are they looking for? Maybe provide a free report on "how to achieve the best dance floor at your wedding party" and start building a list? I have no clue about this niche but he should know what to offer. Then he can start asking his prospects what do they think would make their wedding unforgettable when it relates to the music, etc.

Also, if he wants to be hip, he should probably have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, etc. and look to provide some uncalled value from there.

LOVE the image USP idea from John Durham.

Those Rolling Stones are still damn popular at 66. Anybody want to accuse Mick and Keith of not being cool?

But who knows, maybe at home they're tired homebodies who just want to sit around.

What you are is often not as important as what people think you are.

Would you be willing to dress up and act as a character for $500 a night or more? I sure would. And it'd be hilarious. I'd have a fan page with new ridiculous photos every bloody week.

Just as a quick example, my dad likes to take a captain's hat on cruises and say he's...wait for it...The Captain. Of course nobody believes he's captain of the ship...but man does he come back with lots of chicklets in photos with him and my mom...and they all have a helluva good time partying with this crazy character until the wee hours of the morning.

At 100 visitors per month, conversion is the culprit here.

You are on the right track by trying to construct an offer but the offer sucks quite frankly.

Here's what I would do...

Do the 10x10x4 video formula from traffic geyser. Call the video series something like:

"10 Questions Brides Neglected To Ask Their DJ That Could Have Prevented Ruining Their Wedding Day"

Each 'question' is a video and the bride has to opt-in to get access to the series. By video 10 the DJ is like an old friend and has huge credibility.

You still need an offer though and simply offering $200 off is not great positioning. Over the video series he could offer to visit the home of the bride for free with a demo playlist customized for them. He should be able to close the deal for sure once in the home.

I'm with ronr on this one. How strong are his calls to action? Does he just have his phone number on the page?

You have to tell people what to do. It's not enough to just have your phone number. You have to say "Call Today to Set up an Appointment" or something a long those lines. Or even "Call Today Before We are Booked for the Wedding Season!"

Also, having a solid USP is a must especially if he is charging people more than others. Why should people use him over the young "hip" DJ? Years of experience in this industry just aren't enough. I would rather have someone with a couple years of experience that seems fun and knows the current music than an older guy that's been doing it for 20 years that is stuck in the 90's.

Good luck!

Sean

This post may not be the answer you are looking for but you will cheat yourself if you dont give it consideration...

Maybe have a younger person take his incoming calls and say "The DJ stays booked so he's busy, I handle his inquiries...". Help build his myth.

Use images that just keep the whole age thing from being a factor at all. Go over the top and create 20% inquiry conversions. Do whatever it takes to hook them, and then let them be the judge after they call and hear the presentation.

People make alot of judgement calls when they are anticipating what they think they need to have a good time - Before the fact


"After" the fact, or "reception" in this case... No matter who the DJ is , they all walk away saying "It was an awesome time, and that guy did such a great job".

All they remember is the good time, and there is so much joy that they love everyone who participated, even though there may be a moment of questioning his age when they watch him setting up his equipment...

So if you can just side step the whole preconceived notion thing from the beginning, it can help.

There is alot of SEO advice here, and call to action advice... but what Im talking about is the actual "conversions"... Obviously with all his experience he has talent... you have to work on the actual "perception" of the guy... the traffic is there... now you have to "sell" it.

I learned this in the music industry...

There is a difference between a "radio hit" or studio musician/ vs. a good ,live club act.

People hear a radio song in controlled conditions... in their cars... when there isnt alot going on around them, and the songs are played over and over... Every nuance has to be perfect, there cannot be grammatical errors, or even inappropriate "jargon" for a given audience... there cannot be drummers missing beats even a "fraction" off... the guitar players cannot fret out when they bend a note, it has to be perfect because its played over and over in peoples cars where they really listen closely... and would be heavily scrutinized...

HOWEVER, in a "club"... there are people all around dancing and conversations going, and speakers pumping... you could miss half your notes, or sing half a song with the wrong words, and people will still scream "Hell Yeah!!"

The nuances dont matter that much.

Thats why a garage band does not make a recording band, and a live band that an artist takes on the road alot of times are not the musicians who played on his album.

In researching DJ's people scrutinize, but if you can just get him to the event...people are just gonna be saying "Hell Yeah!!!", and they will walk around saying "That ole man Rocked the house" afterwards.

With his level of experience, they wont be disappointed, but if you cant get him to the show, they will never find that out.

Take it or leave it.

You got him to the first page of google and that required talent...getting him to the show is another ballgame and you have to consider some more variables.

Alot of things go over peoples heads when they are partying that would never fly on the radio, or in this case "The scrutinizing research process".

If you can bypass that all, and just book him and get him to the show they will love him, even if he only has half the talent he probably has.

In order to do that you have to work on the "perception"; his website , and "closing process", is an awesome opportunity to do that.

I would try to bypass all of that, and have a younger person respond to his inquiries and make him look too busy to take calls... Let an assistant book him, and use the images on his website to project whatever image you want.

Its not all about seo and technical expertise, its also about understanding the psychology of how sales work, and conversion, and looking at the end result of people having the most experienced DJ on the market show them a good time.

In this case, you arent just a webdesigner, you have top be a "star maker".

Im not saying this is you, but an SEO pro; a marketer does not make. SEO pro's "work" for marketers for this reason, but you can be the one who is all of it.

Anybody can build a website, it takes a marketer to build a USP.

As a designer- That can be a USP for you.

Maybe team up with a photographer and offer a package deal or a limo company etc. Also - load up the site with testimonials if they have them.
Headline - Don't Let A Cheap Crappy Inexperienced DJ Ruin Your Special Day - Read What Our Past Happily Married Clients Have To Say!
Or something like that. Everybody knows SOMEBODY that had or went to a wedding that had a shi**y DJ so hit home and remind them of the pain that OTHER bride felt. Pain - a great motivator!
The competition if fierce but everybody want their once on a lifetime (or in my case twice going on thrice (if I am dumb enough to do it again)) day to be perfect so price ain't always the issue.

One hundred unique visitors per month is a pretty small sample from which to draw any reliable conclusions.

If you're satisfied that his site and services offered on it look right, get more unique visitors.

Otherwise, be cautious about predicting how much rain will fall if you can get a client's site to page one. They will call you on it.

I am thinking of starting a WF dating area - at least we all understand each other!

If he looks and acts old school, if his site looks old school, if the copy's old school, that's the turn off. "Old School" is a bad, bad word to anyone under 40. If he's conducting business like he did before 2000, it's not going to be effective today on a twenty-something bride. Sure, she'll listen to the Stones. But they're still grandpas to her.

Look at celebrity wedding planner Colin Cowie. The guy just turned 50. But he dresses well, keeps well groomed, relatively fit and with a smile in his eyes. He just reinvented his entire wedding site as well. 50 isn't old. Age doesn't matter. It's acting old and looking old that's the problem.

I think the simplest answer is it has to be his site. Can u post a link Mike so we can see what the problem is because otherwise its a guess.

I was just married last sept for the first time (at 42) and I remember the DJ hiring experience well because he is actually now a client. I think if I saw the site I can help a bit.

I don't think age is always a factor because a lot of the wedding shows I was semi-forced to take place in had MANY older brides and their guests are often in the older set as well.

A good DJ sort of becomes an adviser to a "first time" couple and to me that was what helped us make our decision. That and the fact the other DJ's had 25 page contracts and the guy that had a one page one seemed super up front with us. Our biggest concern was "will the guy show up"!!! That was a much bigger consideration beyond age or price. The price was actually middle of the road and the guy has since raised it once he did some good marketing (and yes he has other djs he needs to put to work).

Well probably what is happening is people are referring his name to brides/grooms so they are looking for them specifically.

I think the main issue I see wtih his site is there is no unique sales proposition and no strong call to action as others have said.

Also, more specifically the about us says "Gordon Slagle has performed a aveage of 40 Weddings a year since 1993. I put my heart and soul into my reception performances. Disney..." besides the spelling errors I would be thinking to myself if he is so busy, is he going to lose me in the crowd. I want to hear things like "call me and tell me about YOUR day" cause I can tell you out of all the sales things that say it is about the customer...this one to me is the largest example of that...it's a bride and grooms day and it better be about THEM...the DJ should seem transparent.

Also, the one thing that my DJ told me that caught my ear most was "People remember the music, they base how good a day it was on the music" and it made perfect sense. What kind of music will he play. Do I have to give him an entire list of songs or will he fill it in. From his experiences, what was best for that fill in....I dont see any of that hand-holding thing I spoke of earlier.

Also, yes, bad picture but John Durham gave u best advise on that.

<EDIT: No pricing just gets him crossed off a list really fast, btw. They are not going to call to ask him how much they are just going to find someone that lists their prices and it is in their price range.>

Its not screaming "DJ" to me, or "party" I dont know why just at the moment. It seems more "elegant" than it does "Lets party down". I give it an "A" for elegance, but it still aint screaming "DJ".

Actually, whats funny is the site is better than 99% of the places we were looking at but John mentioned what I could not put my finger on. I remember seeing a really good one recently but didnt save the address. The DJ I did work for was only print media or I would send you there. He did have a lot of response from post cards he hands out at the bridal shows if that helps.

It's his site. Needs an overhaul.