How do you feel about using multiple websites to promote to different markets even if they are related?
For example, is it better to have a separate site promoting birthday parties and library shows or is it better to keep them all under the one website?

I personally prefer a different Website for my various shows.

Website # 1 is for Schools, and Libraries

Website # 2 is for Family Events and Birthday Parties

Website # 3 is for Adult Only Performance. This is my Mind Reading/Mentalism Website.

This is what I prefer to do but other might like to put it all under one website. That to me is not very professional at all. But this is my opinion and I am only one person.

Rodney

Rodney,

Thanks for your reply. I agree about keeping websites for adult shows and children's shows separate but I am not sure about the need for separate websites for different shows for children like libraries and birthdays.

I know magicians who have a seperate website for kids and adults.
It's much more professional that way.

Seperate websites are fine as long as they link one to the other, I also think it looks much more profesional.

Why link them? Isn't the whole point to try to keep them separate? Do you mean link them so the public can see?

Forgive my ignorance of most things internet. I truly have no clue what you mean by "link them".

When I was doing hypnosis shows, I had separate sites for hyp and magic. That was effective. I did not want to be seen as a magician who also happened to do hypnosis. Getting on my soapbox here, but I took hypnosis very seriously and, frankly, it is the overabundance of hack hypnotists (who are really frustrated comics, magicians, hotdog vendors, etc. who think hypnosis is easy but don't understand it) that was a factor in my decision to leave the biz.

Now I have separate sites for my general magic shows and my specialized medicine show.

I used to have several different domains (lots of them) but interestingly they did not seem to improve my bookings. My thinking was I could catch them at one site if I missed them at another, but I suspect what was happening was the same people were coming across all of my domains (don't ask me about tracking unique visitors and all that, as I am not a techie and won't have the answer).

Very true and sincere sentiments about hypnotists Starrpower, I will agree 100%. Hypnosis is not a "trick" or "illusion", but an art and science in and of itself. In my opinion it should not have anything to do or related to magic.

I also agree on separate websites for separate types of shows and markets. If it requires separate marketing, it should be separate web sites.

If you are going to have separate websites, I think it is a good idea to cross sell your shows by linking your sites. You can mention your other shows in a small way that doesn't confuse the viewer. This way someone that may be checking out your adult show may also be a prospect for a kid's show (and vice-versa). It would be a shame to miss out on a prospect that didn't realize you offered other types of shows. Since multiple sites will not always get the same search engine ranking, you could have someone search under YourTown-Magcian and get your adult site while they were actually looking for a kid show.

Are you going to have a completely different domain name for each website? If so, it might make it twice as hard to climb to SEO ladder when you are doubling your effort.

Why not just have the same website but on separate pages?

From my perspective:
- if the two services are directed at the same buyer, put them in the same website.
- if the two services serve two different markets, put them in different.

There are obviously exceptions.

While I have two different services myself, I try to keep them related (at least thematically) to keep it all under the umbrella of one personality (me). http://www.amazingcompanyevents.com/

Scott is exactly right. I have 3 websites (well actually more, but 3 sites that matter to me). One site is for my corporate work which is being redesigned as we speak (www.josh-london.com), I also have the site for my kids and family shows http://www.TheSanDiegoMagician.com and also a site that ranks well in seo so I just use it as a funnel http://www.JoshLondonMagic.com

Separate sites is really the way to go. I also cross promote my corporate events TO my birthday party/family clients but NEVER my kid shows to my corporate clients.

Josh

For what it's worth, I don't market online in the usual sense. I use good old-fashioned mail. My mailings point the readers to websites that are basically the same thing as what I mail.

But I do use different print material (pointing to different websites) for each type of client. I do a very tiny bit of cross promoting but nothing as wide as a kid birthday party to a corporate function. I don't do either of those anyway but you get the point. If I'm booked for public shows in nearby areas I'll do a little promoting during the first one for the second one.

Oh, and those websites I mentioned each have their own domain name but are hosted together. That saves some money and still keeps them separate.

Bazinga!