Magic of Marketing with Katrina Kroetch

Photo Credit: Prestige Video Production

Magical Katrina Kroetch is a 5-time award-winning magician. She has performed her unique blend of playful and whimsical magic worldwide for many companies and household brands such as Salesforce, NASA, Amazon, and more. She has been a cast member of the international touring show Champions of Magic and a performer on numerous network television shows including Masters of Illusion and Penn and Teller: Fool Us. She has written for and been featured in a variety of magazines and newspapers including The Linking Ring, Vanish Magazine, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. Despite a changing world she continues to dazzle audiences with both interactive virtual magic shows and live in-person performances.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I grew up in rainy Portland, Oregon watching Turner Classic Movies and as a child I fell in love with the magic of old Hollywood.  Even at the young age of three, I was enthralled to watch all of Judy Garland’s movies including Meet me in St. Louis and Wizard of Oz. I had big dreams of being a musical theater actor. In high school I was in the cast of the local community theater’s performance of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. That began my love of strange and alternative types of live performance entertainment. I started to do swing dancing, burlesque, circus arts, juggling and even stilt walking at private events in San Francisco and the Bay Area. At 18, after graduating clown school I performed as a princess at children’s parties doing magic shows, face painting and balloon twisting. That was my gateway “drug” to performing magic. Although I never went to college or went the traditional route of normal entrepreneurs I devoured every marketing, self-help, psychology, sales, and business book I could get my hands on, preferring to focus on what I desired to specifically learn instead of paying for a generic business degree. Over the years I’ve discovered that in the business of show business clients focus more on your experience, style, and abilities over whether you have a college receipt (oops! - I mean) degree.

I’m glad I chose that route because I have zero student debt and I’ve become extremely successful in the magic industry not only as a respected performer but also in the financial aspects of the business.

What inspired you to start your business?

I knew that I always wanted to do live theatrical performing as a living, at first being an actor. Over time -- living in LA -- I grew to prefer magic. As a magician I’m not held back anymore by someone else’s scripts or perceptions of who I should be. I get to do, say, and act how I want. I love the creative freedom I have performing magic. Not to mention the pay at corporate events is way better than being an actor in the local community theater.

Where is your business based?

I live and work between three main cities (but I am fortunate that I get to fly all over the world doing what I do) I frequently perform in Los Angeles and San Francisco, but I also do magic in Las Vegas, Dallas, Miami, and even in New York City.

At 17 I started performing in San Francisco. In the Bay Area much of the economy is reliant on the tech industry. Starting out there as a young performer I wasn’t sure where I fit in. Many successful artists in the Bay Area eventually realize that they don't have to quit their dreams to survive and become a web developer. In fact, they can make a decent living doing what they love - all they have to do is market what they love to the industries where the money is. In San Francisco that is the technology industry. That’s why I do many magic shows for holiday parties and corporate events for companies like Google and Amazon. I get to do what I love, run my own business, and get a slice of that yummy corporate tech pie.

My main home bases however are Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I began my business as a freelancer and independent contractor working for agents and event planners directly who would hire talent for private parties, festivals, and events. As my resume grew and I gained recognition as a talented performer I began booking shows directly with clients. In the beginning I googled “private events San Francisco” and “corporate events San Francisco. You can google whatever your industry is plus your location and look at the first few websites to come up. I reached out to agents, event planners, and talent reps that booked entertainment for corporate events. These are the people who came up in search engines for the type of work I wanted to do. I personally emailed them info about me and what I offered. Often, people just ignored me, other times those emails started life-long relationships with event planners who’ve watched my growth and that still book me for events today.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Say yes to everything! Do every podcast, article, documentary, and interview request no matter how big or small. Getting your name out there is extremely important. I’m fortunate to be a female in a male dominated industry at a point in time where that’s seen as “cool,” “inspiring” and “trendy”. If you aren’t having people reaching out to feature you in publications or shows then you need to take the reins yourself and make your own opportunities. I have written articles in several industry defining magic publications and lectured for prestigious online magic brands simply because I reached out and pitched them. I created those opportunities for myself by making it easy for them to say yes and hire me. I would email pre-written articles and lists of ideas for magazine columns to the editors so everything was packaged up and wrapped in a neat little bow. It was a no brainer for them to say yes. When I was on the TV show Penn and Teller: Fool Us and Masters of Illusion I spent days recording videos of acts and writing scripts and alternative jokes so that, again, there was no choice for them but to say yes. You must show that you are dedicated, passionate, and hungry. Prove that you’re a breeze to work with and that you’re willing to go that extra mile to make it easy for people who help you and give them opportunities to hire you. It’s super important to create your own way. Nobody else is going to do that for you. Especially when you first start out. You must be your own agent, advertiser, assistant, Public Relations (PR) team, and cheerleader.

Also, on a more practical note: I find Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to be one of the most effective tools for marketing and advertising. I like to hire freelancers on www.upwork.com to create my SEO blog posts and copy. Just be sure you double check their work so that it's original and not plagiarized.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Being a woman in an extremely male dominated industry that’s socially and culturally well behind most other performance art genres can be difficult. Amongst some other magicians I’m often not taken seriously even when I work hard and bring value to the community. Especially with my hyper-feminine style and my liberal beliefs about sexuality and social norms. (Thank you, Rocky Horror Picture Show!) That can be daunting and sometimes disappointing.

That being said, being a woman in magic’ is both a gift and a curse. On the good side of that ledger, I’m often gifted with opportunities purely because of my gender and tokenism. I don’t always agree with this sort of reverse discrimination but I always try to work hard to earn that privilege and so that magicians are seen in a positive light when I  represent them. The rest of society is becoming increasingly hip to sexual discrimination so that more and more female magicians are being recognized and celebrated.

Sometimes I dwell too much on what my peers think of me. I try to focus that energy into positive actionable things such as creating more art, writing lectures, articles, and giving back to the community. I like to let my art, magic, and work speak for itself. Being constructive with that energy helps me accomplish more and get things done.

How do you stay focused?

Coffee, coffee, and coffee!

How do you differentiate your business from the competition? 

I try to differentiate myself with design and luxury branding. It certainly helps to also be a female in a mostly male industry but I am not satisfied with being hired just because of gender. I want to be perceived as the best, most high-end and most qualified choice. A lot of that comes down to marketing and thinking about my branding. I spend more time focusing on the clients' experience throughout the research and booking process than I beleive many magicians do. My website and marketing materials such as photos, video demos, and client communications are thought out in extreme detail and I have organizational systems for everything. On average most clients say I’m the only one who called them to talk on the phone and personally quote them, I had the best website, and that I seemed the least creepy. (I’m fortunate that the expectations regarding magicians are pretty low I guess.) Of course this is not true of all magicians but the few that pay attention to these details and don’t seem “creepy” stand out.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Being featured in major publications and on national television shows has been the best way to grow my business. I know it’s easier said than done but “don’t be afraid!” I never went to college, never hired a PR person, but I was able to make those things happen. If I can, then you certainly can too. Again, this comes from reaching out and creating your own opportunities. Don’t be afraid to be rejected. 

“Failures quit when they fail, but winners fail until they succeed.”

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Don’t wait. Just do it. Don’t ask for permission. Make your own way.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

4-hour work week by Tim Ferris, - basically anything Tim Ferris does (his podcast is amazing!)

Also, the Canva app is the best do-it-yourself design app. INK is an amazing app for mailing thank you cards and holiday cards to clients. Little personal touches like this will make you stand out over the competition.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Hoostsuite is great for auto posting to social media. This is ideal if you want to avoid getting addicted to those type of apps and still put out content daily.

Who is your business role model? Why?

For business, I’m constantly inspired by Dita Von Teese. She doesn’t compromise who she is for anyone and she has an impressive business and empire with multiple streams of income. I was fortunate to get to meet her and perform virtual magic for her. It was a dream come true!

For magic, there are so many talented and successful ladies in magic that I look up to like Lea Kyle (America’s Got Talent), Lisa Menna, and Carissa Hendrix (to name a few). They are inspiring more little girls (and older girls) to pick up magic wands and learn card tricks at younger ages.

How do you balance work and life?

I removed all social media apps such as Instagram and Facebook from the  phone that I use for work but can get sucked into. Those apps are still easy to access on the iPad, but I find that it’s a more conscious choice to do so. I also set timers to end the workday around (depending on what projects I have going on) 6 or 7 p.m.. If something is really time sensitive, occasionally I’ll have to work until it’s completely done. I generally sleep in until 10 or 11 a.m. That means that when I’m working till 6 or 7 p.m.  I will have a 7-8 hour workday. It is truly difficult sometimes to have a balance because I work from home and I don’t really ever have “weekends” or entire days off.

As a magician I perform when everyone else has fun. Weekends are busiest for me and when I have the most shows and gigs. Monday through Friday people call and I do admin work, sales calls, book gigs and events, and do general business maintenance. I’m always on call 7 days a week because someone may book me at any time. However, if I receive a quote request or a phone call after 7 p.m. I try to have some self-control and wait to respond during normal business hours, between 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. When I was younger I would drop everything at any time of day to respond to clients and book gigs and that was not particularly healthy. Also, I am better with clients when I have a clear head and am in the work zone. I book gigs way more often when I’m not subconsciously annoyed at them for texting me at 2 a.m. It’s important to have self- control and a work/life balance for sure. It makes you better and your business better.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

A glass of wine, a hot bath with lavender bath salts, and a good book. - Also swing dancing!

What do you have planned for the next six months?

My life is a little up in the air as I’m waiting to see if I get a touring show contract which would be life changing. If I don’t end up in the show then my plan is to focus on marketing and PR so that I can get more high-end clientele. I also am sending pitch videos for TV shows so I can be featured on TV and maintain relevance in broadcast media.

How can our readers connect with you?

Find me on all the social medias! @magicalkatrina

Mywebsite: www.magicalkatrina.com

And if you want more business tips, magic performance videos or other insights into my crazy life you can subscribe to my Patreon for more content:  www.patreon.com/magicalkatrina