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Essentials in
Valentines
Singing Valentines: Review Your Success!
Evaluate your Singing Valentine's Program. What went right? What could have been done better? Sounds of Concord developed this review.
Updated: 12/29/2003 9:38:00 AM
Since our chorus had limited V-Day experience, we had to do a considerable amount of scrambling to make it successful. This memo is meant to record what happened, what worked, what didn’t and how we can improve for 2002 and beyond.
In 2001, we performed 70 gigs and got paid for 68. In 1999 and 2000 we recorded 0 and 10 gigs.
There were seven quartets. Three were PM only. One night only. And three were all day. Our all-day AM-PM-Night quartet did a record 18 gigs (in nine hours) and still had some slack time! (Keep in mind, this was Dave James’s quartet!).
A rule of thumb: Two gigs per hour is a reasonable planning number. As we get closer g to V-Day, perhaps more a few more can be sandwiched in. So, for a PM only quartet, figure 8 gigs etc.
For both planning and personnel assignment purposes, the SV project can be broken down into three components:
- Sales and Marketing
- Logging of orders and Taking Payment
- Scheduling and Delivery of the SV’s
Sales and Marketing
Brochures and Posters
We started by deciding on our target audience: males wanting to buy something memorable for their wives, girlfriends, daughters, mothers or mother-in-laws. Attachment 1 is a copy of our brochure. Having a specific target made writing the content easier and more compelling. And, for example, since it was men we were going after, we used a dark red colored brochure instead of, say, pink. The brochure was a tri-fold, 8.5” x 5.5” folded in thirds—the perfect size for men to put in their shirt pockets. NOTE: Only eight SV’s were ordered for men by women.
Attachment 2 is a copy of our 8.5” x 11” poster. It was designed to have a pocket at the bottom to place up to 20 tri-fold brochures. All of the required information was printed on the posters so they were still effective even if the all the tri-folds were taken.
The printer was CopyLand, 452 Great Road (2A) in Acton. Owner’s name (and SV purchaser): Russ Smith. 978 264 0290. E-mail: copyland@earthlink.net Did all printing for 3,000+ brochures and 200 posters for $240.
Ways to improve the brochures/posters: None. Use exactly the same. I would suggest having the printer fold the tri-folds. Use better glue on the poster pocket.
Direct Marketing
This consists of the hanging of posters, the distribution of brochures and word-of-mouth advertising through members and friends. The categories of targeted places for posters were: fitness clubs; barbershops; hardware stores; liquor stores; social clubs; hospitals; and assisted living complexes. I used the Verizon on-line yellow pages to get a list of these places within our targeted area. At rehearsals, members were asked to sign their name next to locations where they would post our posters/brochures. Attachment 3 is a sample page. This insured coverage at the places we determined most important. Members were also encouraged to put up posters wherever they could - post offices, skating rinks, train stations (put them on car windows in parking lots) etc. In total we used up over 3,000 tri-folds. How many were effectively distributed, I don’t know. At each of the four rehearsals before V-day, we kept reminding members to pass out as many brochures at work and to friends as possible. “Always have several in your shirt pocket”.
Ways to improve the direct marketing:
- Delegate this better by assigning individuals to be in charge of specific areas near where they live/work. They can then get others to help them. Still insist, however, they return their lists as to where the brochures were left and when back to Valentine Central. Post the coverage/assignments on the SOC members’ web.
- Additional spots to go after which we didn’t get last year: Alewife parking garage and lots!!! Hit it several times. Perhaps pass them out in the train station to commuters.
Broadcast Marketing
Advertising. Since we had no idea how successful we could be, we did not do any newspaper advertising to keep expenses down. The Beverly, MA chorus, who has had a very successful program, does and it accounts for ½ of their 100 gigs. They spent about $900 in advertising, which is the equivalent of about 20 gigs. It is reported to generate about half, or 50, gigs.
Ways to improve our advertising: Ads can be placed at the last minute. We should have one waiting in the wings with a predetermined placement if we feel we need to use it. The person with overall PR responsibility should have this also.
Public Relations
We got started late on the public relations side, but did manage to get a picture with a caption showing one of our quartets singing to a “recipient” at a local nursing home. We used a Polaroid camera with black and white film and wrote the caption for the paper. Make sure a picture with more “action” is used. Ours was rather dull (quartet standing erect, recipient with calm expression). Our press release caption read:
“Say I Love You with a Song, a Picture and a Rose. Deborah _ of Littleton is serenaded at work at Sunbridge in Concord by members of the Sounds of Concord men’s ensemble. Each Valentine’s Day, the SOC sends quartets throughout the MetroWest area to deliver singing valentines and roses. For information call 781-266-2111 x1765, email SingingValentine@onebox.com or visit www.SoundsOfConcord.org.”
Radio Spots: We tried to make guest appearances on several local radio programs but it didn’t happen. We started too late with too little manpower. For the same cost reasons as above, we decided not to pay for spot radio ads.
Ways to improve our public relations: This has to be delegated to one person very early in the game with clear objectives set – we want in on every local paper. Don’t just send the clip in – it will get “lost”. Each editor must be called and asked (plead?) that they help you out. Ask them what they want (pictures etc.). If you have a good reputation in the community AND if you make their job very easy, they usually will. They like pictures especially of community folk!
Pricing of SV’s. Below is the pricing schedule we used:
- $40 - Delivery in an 8-hour window (9AM-5PM)
- $50 - Delivery in a 3-hour window (9AM-5PM)
- $60 - Delivery in a 30-minute window (9AM-5PM)
- $60 – Delivery in the evening (5PM-9PM)
Ways to improve pricing schedule: None. It was easy to understand by buyers. However, I would offer any V-Day participating SOC member a 50% discount on one gig.
Logging of Orders & Taking Payment
Taking the Order
. Onebox, an internet services company, provided an excellent (and free) solution for order taking. Buyers can either leave a phone message or send an email. In either case, Dave James (who set this up) was notified via email. DJ and Dick Bonzagni made most of the call backs and gathered the gig and payment information.
Ways to improve: None.
Methods of payment.
We grossed $3,185 averaging $46.83 over 68 paid gigs. We used Karen’s hairdresser’s VISA and MC accounts for processing those.
Payment Method |
Number of paid gigs |
Percentage |
Cash |
12 |
17% |
PayPal |
10 |
15% |
Checks |
41 |
61% |
VISA |
2 |
3% |
MC |
3 |
4% |
Ways to improve payment methods: None.
Payment administration.
Almost all payments eventually flowed to Dick and held at his house until after the event. Payment information changed overtime and all the changes had to be captured in the database. For example:
- amount being paid which relates to a particular level of service.
- expected type of payment -- said PayPal but then sent checks
- actual type of payment received
- “where” the money is (e.g. being held by which SOC member; in the mail; at Dick’s house, etc.) and at what date it got there.
Ways to improve payment administration: Make sure that all payments go to one person who has controls the database system until SV day is over.
Scheduling and Delivery of the SV’s
Scheduling the gigs.
There were several constraints which made scheduling a challenge:
- Members who bought SVs wanted to be in that performing quartet
- Buyers who paid for a higher service level had to be accommodated with tighter timeframes.
- Not all quartets operated all day.
- And, of course, every effort has to be made to physically cluster each quartet’s gigs.
As last minute orders flowed in, the schedules were switched about several times. The database that was designed permitted quick juggling.
Ways to improve scheduling the gigs: None.
Delivery of the SV’s.
Due to workday constraints etc., quartets started at different time from different locations therefore meeting at a central location was not feasible. Therefore final detailed schedules were drawn up by the night before V-Day and emailed to each quartet leader. Switching a gig with another quartet during V-Day was done quartet-to-quartet via cell phone.
Ways to improve: None.
SV Songs and Delivery.
We sang two standard version songs: Heart of My Heart and Let Me Call You Sweetheart.
Ways to improve: Besides eliminating the baritones, none. For scheduling, it might be a good idea to get some of the more experienced singers to learn either the bari or tenor parts.
SV Gifts
We provided a rose, a card and a Polaroid picture. The rose was wrapped in white chiffon. The card had the sender’s name on it. We have plenty of cards already printed. Several days before V-Day, each quartet leader was given a shopping bag filled with the necessities. We got the Polaroid film through Scott. The rose supplier was A.C. Moore at 225 Amherst St., Nashua, NH, 033 598 6684. Contact person: Pat, assistant manager. Notes: Exit 7w north Nashua, route 101A. I ask for and got a discount (50% sale price) for the flowers. The chiffon was full price.
Ways to improve: Last year I didn’t buy enough roses soon enough. Make this purchase very early (others choruses wiped out the supplies). Can use them the following year.
Other Information:
Summary of Expenses:
Copies for Member Info |
$2.63 |
Colored Paper |
$2.28 |
Copying |
$6.83 |
Brochures & Posters |
$212.90 |
Flowers etc. |
$30.72 |
Additional Posters |
$37.37 |
More Flowers etc. |
$26.23 |
(2) Polaroid Cameras |
$64.43 |
More Flowers etc. |
$25.07 |
$408.46 |
Note: The above are expenses that went thru Dick Bonzagni. Polaroid film was either paid for by someone else or donated. I estimate actual money spent was about $450.
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