Promotional work is a great line of work to get into if you consider yourself a real people person. It’s a great way to make good money and interact with public while promoting fun products. Promotional work also offers a lot more flexibility than other jobs as well, making it a great for college students, and people looking for part time work to supplement a current income.
When applying for a promotional job, you must understand a few key points about the job itself and what marketing companies are looking in their promotional staff. This will help you apply for promotional jobs and get the ones you want.
Know Where to Find the Jobs:
When getting into promotional work, it’s important to know where to look for the good jobs. The best thing to do is to sign up with a local talent agency. This costs nothing, and you will receive postings for all of the jobs that come through the agency. The benefit of this is that most marketing companies look to hire through agencies first, as they offer a level of dependability. The one drawback of working with an agency is they will take 10% of the pay off the top of what the marketing company pays them for your work. However, the benefits of working with a well established agency usually makes that more than worth it.
Craig’s List is also turning into a very hot resource for finding promotional jobs. Just go under “gigs” in the event category, a viola! Be forewarned however that most of the jobs posted there will be posted by talent agencies, so you will most likely be working through an agency anyway. Make sure when you call to inquire about a job posting you find out who it is you’ll be working for, a talent agency or working directly for the marketing company.
Two great web resources for finding promotional jobs are www.eventspeak.com and www.mypromojobs.com. Event Speak has a longer history, and offers great forums for people just getting into the industry. You can post your resume there for potential employers, and search job postings. My Promo Jobs just started this past July, but promises to be a valuable resource for promotional staff and marketing companies looking for talent.
Promote Yourself!
In order to do promotional work, you MUST have good digital photographs of yourself available. Have at least one headshot and one body shot. This does not mean you have to have to be super gorgeous to do promotional work. However, most promotions have a certain profile they’re looking for, and will want to be sure you meet those standards.
Your photos do not have to be professional quality. As long as they give a good, clear, honest representation of what you look like, they will be fine. Just make sure to be professional yourself. For example, do not have photos that feature you holding a beer or a cigarette. Make sure you are wearing tasteful clothing, and are not half naked. Most companies find that tacky, and a real turn off.
If you are responding to a random posting independently, be sure to address the company in a professional manner. You cover email should be brief but informative, highlighting your enthusiasm and relevant experience. Always attach a resume.
Be Phone Savvy
Many companies may want to talk to you by phone before confirming you to work an event. They do this to judge if you are articulate, friendly and outgoing. Promotional work is all about having a great personality, and if you fall flat on the phone, you’re less likely to get booked.
Smile while talking. This may sound cheesy, but it really reflects in your tone of voice. Try not to give one word answers to any questions they may ask you, but also be sure not to ramble off topic. If they give you a chance to ask questions, make sure you ask at least one intelligent question. Ask about the product your promoting, what the training requirements are, attire requirements, etc. If the person on the other end of the line genuinely enjoyed speaking with you, then they will be more likely to book you for an event.
Along these lines, think carefully about your voicemail message when giving your phone number out for job contacts. If your phone message is offensive or generally rude, the comanies seeking you will make note of it. Keep your voicemail message simple, friendly, and clean.
Availability
Before responding to a job posting, make sure you’re available for all of the dates given. Agencies will book the staff with the best availability first, as it’s time consuming and frustrating to try to work around varied hours and broken up shifts. If you can work most of the event, but have a small conflict, make it known up front so you can be scheduled accordingly, and not cause any last minute hassles.
Say Thank You
Good manners go far in this day and age. If you have an email address for the person you’re applying with to work the event, be sure to send them an email thank you note after they interview you or contact you in anyway. Since promotional work is all about great interactions, it will make a great impression.
Show Up For the Event
While this may seem like a no brainier, it’s the most critical part of promotional work. The biggest frustration to marketing agencies is that promotional staff is notoriously unreliable. Since staff may only be booked to work a few days, the overall impression seems to be that they can blow off work whenever they choose.
The problem with this is that most marketing companies keep a careful record of all of the staff they have worked with in the past. If you fail to show up for an event, it is highly likely the agency you booked through will refuse to book you for any more jobs, and even if you change agencies, the marketing companies will know you when you’re submitted for another job and refuse to hire you as well.
On the flip side, if you build a reputation for being dependable and a great worker, agencies and marketing companies will remember you as well and request you specifically for all of the best promotions. This equals better pay and a steady flow of job offers. It’s in your best interest to show up on time and ready to work for each event.
Promotional work truly is a great experience for the right person. As stated before, you can pick which events you’d like to apply for, choose your days for the most part, and even have the opportunity to travel if your want to get on board with a promotional tour. Check it out and you won’t be disappointed.
Reference:
- Event Speak www.eventspeak.com My Promo Jobs www.mypromojobs.com Craig’s List www.craigslist.org
