THE BASH Membership Toolkit Instructions

Your profile is the most important part of your membership with The Bash (and of course, your business). It’s the key to standing out to potential clients and getting booked for events!

profile description

First impressions count. Your profile description is one of the first things that potential clients see when they land on your profile. The beginning portion of your bio appears in search results, so complete it as soon as you join and make sure to start it off strong!

Be professional and personable. Your profile should professionally and clearly describe what you do, who you are, and what makes you special! Party planners want to imagine what it would be like to book you for their event so be descriptive, personable and share what makes you, you!
Make sure it’s SEO-optimized. Including what type of entertainment or services you specialize in and what party planners can expect from you in your description are important for SEO. Also, ensure your description is unique and different than any other place on the internet.

New to The Bash? Consider including how many years experience you have, your past awards, any notable events, and any examples of reviews from past clients—don’t be afraid to show off!

Helpful Blog Post: 6 Tips for Writing a Great Profile Description and SEO Best Practices For Your Profile

Member Control Panel Link: Update Your Profile Description

HELPFUL TIP! Not sure how long to make your description? Our Top 100 Bookers on The Bash have an average of 1,975 characters in their profile description.

profile and search photo
Your profile photo is worth a thousand words. The most important picture to upload is your profile picture—the one that shows up prominently on your profile and in search results. If you don’t have a profile picture, a placeholder photo will display on your profile until you update it with your own custom photo. Replace this one immediately with a high quality, recent photo that clearly shows party planners what your talent is—and makes them want to book you!

gallery photos
Show off your talent. Once you have your profile picture uploaded, start deciding on which additional photos you want to upload to your profile for all to see. Your gallery photos will appear right after your profile photo and you can drag and drop them into any order you’d like! We recommend including photos of your services as well as some action shots of your happy clients. You can even add a caption to each of them for some extra personalization! If you need some new, updated photos, consider hiring a professional to capture some for you at your next event.

Helpful Blog Post: 5 Tips for Choosing the Best Profile Picture and Your Photo Uploader
Member Control Panel Links: Add a Profile Photo and Add Gallery Photos

HELPFUL TIP! The Top 100 Bookers on The Bash have an average of 46 photos uploaded to their profile.

videos
Vendors with videos get 3X more bookings. Already have video of your services from past events? Upload them to your profile to show off your talent! You can upload up to 20 videos to your profile. To upload videos or audio files, they must first be uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo. You can then copy and paste those links to quickly and easily add them to your profile on The Bash.

Don’t have video? If you don’t have any videos to add, consider getting some at your next event! We find some members even upload video testimonials of happy clients. Or, if you don’t have videos just yet, you can add some audio recordings so potential clients can get a taste of your talent.

Helpful Blog Post: Get More Bookings With Video and How to Add Videos to Your Profile
Member Control Panel Link: Add Videos to Your Profile

HELPFUL TIP! Our Top 100 Bookers on The Bash have an average of 8 videos uploaded to their profile.

pricing

Create a realistic starting price. We know pricing can vary, but give your potential clients a general idea of what it may cost to book you on any given day. Simply enter a reasonable “starting at” price based off an average of what you usually get paid.
Through extensive user testing, we’ve seen firsthand that party and event planners want transparent pricing and vendors that provide it, are more likely to receive booking requests. Displaying pricing also allows your profile to be displayed when a planner filters their search by Budget or by Pay Range. It should be realistic, otherwise you risk pricing yourself out of getting booked. When you complete your pricing, your starting price will appear on your profile and in search results as “starting at $X” per event or per hour (depending on which timeframe you select). Not sure what to list as a pay range? Contact Account Services to get an idea of the average booking amount for your service in your location.

Helpful Blog Post: Quick Tip: How to Set a Starting Price for Your Business
Member Control Panel Link: Adjust Your Pricing

HELPFUL TIP! Vendors are more likely to get requested if they display transparent pricing on The Bash.

travel radius

Set your primary location. You can change the city and location of your profile at any time throughout your membership. We recommend listing in the largest metro area near you.

How mileage is calculated. The Bash calculates the distance to the event location “as the crow flies” which allows you to receive more leads within your membership level (e.g., 100 miles in a straight line covers a lot more territory than 100 miles of windy roads).

Customize your mileage. Your default travel radius is based on your membership type, but you can always adjust it to what works best for your business. Almost 100% of bookings on The Bash happen within 500 miles of a vendor’s primary location, so while you can adjust your travel radius at any time, we recommend setting it at a more realistic range for your business. Most party planners on The Bash are looking for more localized vendors.

Helpful Blog Post: Get Better Leads: Customize Your Travel Distance
Member Control Panel Link: Adjust Your Travel Radius

HELPFUL TIP! Use this “As The Crow Flies” Distance Calculator to see if a location is within your travel radius: http://tjpeiffer.com/crowflies.html.

categories

Choosing the right categories is key. Your categories are the number one way party planners find you on The Bash, with your primary category being the most important. We recommend only choosing categories that you provide services for and that are reflected on your profile. Your categories directly influence the types of leads you will receive on The Bash. If you are not sure which are the best, most in-demand categories in your area for your service, please contact Account Services. Our team would be happy to help you choose the best categories for your business!

Helpful Blog Post: How to Choose the Best Categories for Your Business
Member Control Panel Link: Choose Your Categories

HELPFUL TIP! If you provide different types of services, we recommend creating additional profiles on The Bash. This way each profile can speak to the specific service.

event types

Don’t service certain event types? When you join The Bash, all event types are automatically selected. We highly recommend listing in as many event types as possible to maximize your leads. You will always have a chance to say you are not available or that you do not provide that service if you receive a lead you’re not interested in. However, if there is a certain event type that you just do not service, you have the ability to opt out of receiving leads for it.

Helpful Blog Post: 10 Things You Should Know About The Bash

Member Control Panel Link: Adjust Your Event Types

virtual events
Opt in to virtual events. Vendors on The Bash can easily opt in to The Bash’s virtual events feature. Any vendors who opt in will receive an icon on their profile indicating they perform virtually and are displayed on our virtual event services page.

Helpful Blog Post: Virtual Events on The Bash

Member Control Panel Link: Opt in to Virtual Events
HELPFUL TIP! Don’t service funerals or kids parties? You can opt out of specific event types in the ‘Profile’ tab of your Member Control Panel.

online payments

Set up online payments. EventPay (formerly referred to as GigPay) is a convenient and secure way to receive deposit and balance payments from bookings on The Bash. EventPay is an optional feature that is available to vendors located in the United States.
It’s easy to enroll, secure, and 100% free for members to receive funds to a bank account (checking account) in as fast as 2 business days. It’s also convenient to be able to pay booking fees directly from the deposit. EventPay removes the hassle of invoices, depositing checks, paying added fees, and waiting for deposits from clients.

Clients book with confidence. When you are booked online through EventPay, clients book with peace of mind knowing they’re backed by our free, automatic Guarantee.

Helpful Blog Post: EventPay – An Easy & Secure Way to Accept Online Payments

Member Control Panel Link: Enroll in EventPay
HELPFUL TIP! Over 80% of all The Bash events are booked by members enrolled in EventPay.

badges and awards
Earn The Bash badges. The Bash offers several badges and awards that are automatically posted to members’ profiles depending on certain specifications. For example, if you’re quick to respond to requests, volunteer your services at charitable events, or are a veteran of The Bash, you’ll qualify for a badge. The Bash annual awards. The Bash also offers two annual awards: The Best of Award and Rising Star Award. The Best of Award is given out every year to members who receive 4 or more client reviews of 4 stars or higher throughout that year. The Rising Star Award recognizes the members who have earned the most revenue from The Bash bookings.

Helpful Blog Post: The Bash Badges & Awards
Member Control Panel Link: Add Badges & Awards to Your Personal Website
HELPFUL TIP! You can easily add and promote your Badges and Awards on your own personal website by going to the ‘Tools’ tab of your account.

reviews

Feel the love. For any events that are booked on The Bash, the client will receive a “Review Request” email automatically the day after the event has concluded. Once the client submits their review, it will be immediately posted to your profile! We recommend responding to the review, whether negative or positive as this gives you the chance to show your personality to potential clients looking at your reviews. You can trigger a single review reminder to the client or contact us to do it for you!

Display your reviews in any order you’d like. You have the ability to adjust the order of your reviews on your profile at any time by going to the ‘Reviews’ section of your Member Control Panel. Put your best and most recent reviews first!

Share your reviews on your personal site. The Bash’s Portable Review Widget (available in your ‘Tools’ tab) allows you to embed the reviews you get from The Bash on your own personal website so you can share all the love you’ve received!

Helpful Blog Post: Everything You Need To Know About Reviews and 5 Ways to Utilize Reviews to Get Your Business Booked
Member Control Panel Link: Adjust the Order of Your Reviews

Member Control Panel Link: Add the Portable Review Widget
HELPFUL TIP! Our Top 100 Bookers on The Bash have an average of 40 reviews on their profile.

additional profiles
Why create an additional profile? An additional profile makes sense if you offer multiple services, if you’re looking to have a strong presence in two different locations, or if you’re looking for both group and solo gigs. Additional profiles allow you to tailor each profile (your photos, videos, bio, pricing, and more) to the unique services you provide. Below are some examples of why vendors create additioanl profiles on The Bash.

Example 1: If you’re both a DJ and a Magician, it would be best to create separate profiles because they are two completely different services that clients would be searching for.

Example 2: If you live halfway between two major markets or cities like Philadelphia and New York or L.A. and San Diego, you should establish a profile in each city to maximize your exposure, search results, and leads.

Example 3: If you’re part of a group act like a cover band and are a soloist, creating separate profiles allows you to book band gigs as well as some solo gigs.

Helpful Blog Post: The Benefits of Creating Additional Profiles
Member Control Panel Link: Create an Additional Profile
HELPFUL TIP! Once you create additional profiles, you can link all of them using our ‘Related Profiles’ feature so planners can see all your different profiles and services.

Managing Your Leads

Once you have your profile lookin’ good, you’ll start getting leads in no time!
Here are some ways you can more efficiently and successfully manage your leads to ensure they turn into bookings!

Leads inbox
Stay organized. Your leads from The Bash will always be added to your Leads Inbox, but you can organize them further by creating specific folders! (e.g., Booked Events, Upcoming Events, Past Events). Creating folders is a great way to make sure no booking falls through the cracks!

Helpful Blog Post: How to Manage and Organize Your Leads Inbox

Member Control Panel Link: Manage Your Leads Inbox

Responding to leads
It’s all in your response. When and how you respond to a client can make or break whether you get hired for their event. Make sure you are responding quickly (9 hours is the site average) and professionally. Also, make sure it’s personalized, detailed and friendly. Follow up. Once you submit a ‘yes’ quote to a client, the client’s phone number and email address will populate on the request. Make sure you’re following up within 24-48 hours with a call or text!

Helpful Blog Post: Tips for Following Up and Best Practices for Responding to Your Leads Member Control Panel Link: Respond to Your Leads

HELPFUL TIP! The average response time by vendors on The Bash is 9 hours, but our top bookers respond within 6 hours. View your response time on your Dashboard.

Aead and client text message alerts

Respond on-the-go. The Bash’s free text message alerts feature allows members to receive notifications as soon as a client submits a request. It will also alert you when a client messages you! Text alerts are a great way to improve your response time, and in turn, beat your competition and boost the number of bookings secured.

Helpful Blog Post: About Text-Lead Alerts and Text Message Templates to Use When Following Up Member Control Panel Link: Opt-in to Text Lead & Client Message Alerts

saved responses

Respond faster with saved responses. Are you often responding to client requests with similar messages? Instead of having to type up these responses over and over again, try setting up a few saved responses so all you’ll have to do is add some personalization to the message depending on the client and their event. This will save you time and help you respond to leads much faster.

Helpful Blog Post: Start Responding Faster With Saved Responses
Member Control Panel Link: Create Saved Responses
HELPFUL TIP! Almost 90% of The Bash’s Top 100 Bookers have at least 1 saved response and, on average, they have 7 total saved responses.

Auto-add

Auto-add gets members more bookings. When a client fills out a booking request, they’re given the option to allow The Bash to contact 5 or 10 additional similar members for their event. This is our auto-add feature and members are automatically opted in to it. Auto-add is proven to not only help clients find vendors quickly, it creates more exposure and opportunities for members to get leads.

Helpful Blog Post: Auto-Add: What Is It and How Does It Get You More Gigs?

Portable contact form
Capture leads from outside. The Portable Contact Form is a form that you can embed on your own personal website to get leads. It allows you to funnel leads into a single source—your inbox on The Bash! It’s easy to add and can be formatted to fit any design.

Helpful Blog Post: The New Portable Contact Form
Member Control Panel Link: Embed the Form on Your Website

HELPFUL TIP! Clients request additional vendors for their events 83% of the time and almost 50% of all bookings are from auto-added leads.

Calendar

Black out dates you’re not available for. If you are going to be on vacation or are booked on certain days, black them out on your calendar so clients know you’re not available for those dates. You will not receive leads on those dates and they will be grayed out and not selectable on your public profile’s calendar.

Keep your calendar up-to-date. Your calendar will automatically display your booked events from The Bash. You can also add other events to your calendar to help manage your availability in one place and to also show potential clients that you’re in demand and busy. If you have any public events (like at local festivals or bars) make sure to add them to your calendar because it allows potential clients to come check you out before booking your service!

Propel your rankings in search. If a client books you outside of The Bash (e.g., through your personal website), you can still get credit towards your booking dollars on The Bash to help propel your rankings in search. You just have to add that event to your calendar and pay the 5% booking fee. This will give you credit for the booking on The Bash, allowing you to accept online payments (if you’re enrolled in EventPay), and to collect a client review.

Helpful Blog Post: How to Utilize Your Calendar on The Bash

Member Control Panel Link: Manage Your Calendar on The Bash
HELPFUL TIP! Adding outside bookings to The Bash directly impacts your search ranking.

Getting Booked

Now that you know how to manage and respond to leads, you’ll be getting booked in no time! Here are some helpful tips and tools to be aware of as you’re getting booked!

Confirming a booking

You or the client can confirm the booking. If you’ve been hired by a client for an event, congratulations! The next step is to confirm the booking through The Bash, which you or the client can do as long as the client has confirmed with you that they’d like to book your service. In the ‘Leads’ tab of your Member Control Panel, just locate the request and click the ‘Book Now’ button. A 5% ($20 minimum) booking fee is charged to vendors on all bookings secured through The Bash.

Making changes to confirmed bookings. Once an event is officially booked on The Bash, only The Bash can make changes to the event’s details (time, date, rates, location, etc.). We encourage you to confirm changes with the client directly and contact us at info@thebash.com to inform us of the updates. We will then confirm the changes with the client and update the booking accordingly.

Viewing your booking dollars. Once you have confirmed bookings on The Bash, you can view all of your booking dollars you have earned through The Bash on the Booking Dollars page within your Tools tab.

Helpful Blog Posts: How to Confirm a Booking and 10 Ways to Get More Bookings
Member Control Panel Link: View Your Booking Dollars

HELPFUL TIP! If a client finds you through The Bash and hires you, you are required to confirm the booking through the site per our User Agreement.

Collecting payments for bookings
Getting paid for the booking. If you’re enrolled in EventPay, you can receive the online deposit and balance payments from clients to your bank account in as fast as 2 business days and have the option to pay the booking fee directly from the deposit. Otherwise, you can collect payment however you currently do. When you get paid is up to you. You have full control on when you would like to get paid by your clients. When you are submitting a quote, you determine when the balance is due from your client. You can also choose whether a deposit is required and when you’d like it to be paid to you.

You are responsible for collecting payments from clients. If you request a deposit due at the time of booking, we will automatically collect the deposit for you at the time of booking; however, we do not automatically bill your clients for any other payments. You are responsible for collecting payment from your clients, however we are always happy to send convenient payment links to your clients upon your request. At any time, your clients are able to log in to their account on The Bash to make their payments. We do highly recommend requesting deposits at the time of booking to ensure you’re paid upfront.

Helpful Blog Posts: Meet EventPay
HELPFUL TIP! With EventPay, your funds go directly to your bank account once the client makes those payments. We do not hold payments from your clients.

Requiring a deposit
Why you should require a deposit at the time of booking. Most clients are willing to put money down to secure the date and a deposit makes them feel like the booking is official. Deposits also protect you as the vendor in case of a cancellation and clients are less likely to cancel if they have already paid the deposit. If you’re enrolled in EventPay, you can easily require a deposit at the time of booking when you’re submitting the quote, but remember, you’ll have to do it for every new quote.

Helpful Blog Post: Require a Deposit to Get Booked

Recording outside bookings
Boost your search results ranking & star rating. As mentioned in the calendar section, if you receive an outside booking from a client, you can add it to your calendar on The Bash and get credit for it as you would for any other bookings on The Bash by paying the 5% booking fee for it. This will count towards your booking dollars, boosting your search ranking, and you will be eligible for a review.

Helpful Blog Posts: Adding Bookings on Behalf of Clients

Member Control Panel Link: Add an Outside Booking to Your Calendar
HELPFUL TIP! Reporting an outside booking through The Bash allows the client to post a review to your profile and will help boost your search ranking!

Canceling an event

What if you have to cancel an event? Always inform both your client and The Bash as soon as possible whenever you have to cancel a booking. Once notified of a cancellation, The Bash tries to help the client find a replacement vendor to fulfill the service. The sooner you let us know, the more likely we’ll be able to find one, preventing an unpleasant outcome.

What happens to the booking fee? In the instance of a vendor cancellation, the vendor must notify The Bash of the cancellation no less than 14 days prior to the event date. For any event booked within 14 days of the event date, the vendor must notify The Bash of the cancellation within 24 hours of the booking. If the vendor notifies The Bash of the cancellation within the required time frame, The Bash will refund the booking fee, and the client will not be permitted to post a review. Should the vendor fail to notify The Bash of the cancellation within the required timeframe, the vendor will forfeit the booking fee, and the client will be permitted to post a review.

Helpful Blog Post: Vendor and Client Event Cancellation Policies

Full Event Protection Policy: The Bash Event Protection Policy
HELPFUL TIP! If you must cancel an event, make sure to inform your client and The Bash as soon as possible!

Star rating analyzer

See how clients rate you. Your star rating is based on the results of the client review survey that we send to each of your clients after an event. The survey asks your clients to rate you in 5 areas: overall satisfaction, professionalism, accommodating, talent, and likelihood to recommend to others. We total the points for each area and create an average that translates to your star rating.

Helpful Blog Post: Star Rating Analyzer: How You Are Rated by Your Clients
Member Control Panel Link: Use the Star Rating Analyzer

Profile exposure
See your search performance. Your profile exposure page shows you how many times your profile showed up in search results and how many views your profile had in the last seven days. You’ll also find stats on your Featured Profiles, if you have any active ones. The more you book with The Bash, the higher you’ll rank in search results.

Helpful Blog Post: Quick Tip: Understand Search Results
Member Control Panel Link: View Your Search Statistics

HELPFUL TIP! Search results are calculated based many different factors including your location, primary category, and total bookings.

Refer a friend program
Earn extra cash. For every friend or colleague that you refer to The Bash, you earn a 25% commission of the initial membership fees (after any discounts or coupons) that the new vendor pays. All you need is an active membership that is enrolled in EventPay (so we can pay you) and you’ll receive the bonus after your friend has been with The Bash for 30 days. Any referral funds will be transferred directly to your EventPay account within 45 days after the referral successfully uses your link or code and pays their initial membership fee. There’s no limit on how many people you can refer, so feel free to add your referral link to your personal or business website.

Helpful Blog Post: Refer a Friend, Earn Cash

Member Control Panel Link: Get Your Unique Link
HELPFUL TIP! Through The Bash’s Referral Bonus Program, you’ll earn when you refer your friends and they join The Bash!

featured profiles

Show up above search results. Featured Profiles are windows of ad space that maximize your business’ exposure by guaranteeing premium placement throughout the TheBash.com. With a Featured Profile, your profile will be displayed above search results in specific categories and locations where you’re looking for more leads.

They’re customizable! You can now choose a unique photo and create a custom description for each Featured Profile. You’ll also receive a Featured Vendor Spotlight which allows you to tell clients more about your business and get additional placement just below search results.

How they can be valuable. If you’re showing up high in search results for your primary category (e.g., cover band), but not for other categories you service (e.g., dance band, variety band, rock band), you might want to give Featured Profiles a try for one of those. For location, we recommend choosing a larger metropolitan area (e.g., Chicago or Los Angeles) because they generate the highest volume of traffic. Although these areas are more expensive, they will give you the most amount of value.

Helpful Blog Post: Featured Profiles – Get More Exposure
Member Control Panel Link: Purchase Featured Profiles
HELPFUL TIP! Featured Profiles vary depending on the category and location you choose, but start at just $10!

Elevate your ranking
How vendors are ranked on The Bash. Where you rank in search results on depends on a number of factors. When party planners search The Bash, they enter their event location and the type of service they’re looking for. The site returns a “best match” list of vendors, which is calculated based on many factors including location, primary category, and bookings. Ensure you’re getting the most exposure in search results by booking your events through The Bash.

Helpful Blog Posts: How Do You Rank on The Bash? and Gig Tip: Boost Your Search Ranking
Member Control Panel Link: See Where You Rank

Event insurance
We have you covered. Many venues require vendors to have event insurance. The Bash actually offers it by partnering with EventHelper.com which allows vendors to purchase liability coverage on a per-event basis. It can be easily purchased in the ‘Tools’ tab of your Member Control Panel.

Helpful Blog Post: Event Insurance: Got Coverage?
Member Control Panel Link: Purchase Event Insurance
HELPFUL TIP! Use the Search Results Analyzer in your Member Control Panel to see where you rank in search.

Top 5 tips for success

Keep these 5 tips for success in mind throughout your membership with The Bash.

5 tips for success

Set up your profile for success! The most important thing you can do to guarantee success on The Bash is to make a good first impression through your profile page. This includes writing a compelling profile description, choosing the perfect profile picture, and uploading high-quality videos and photos to your profile. Getting quality leads all starts with having a professional and attractive profile!
Respond professionally and quickly to booking requests! One out of every three bookings goes to the vendor who gets in touch with the client first! On average, The Bash members get in touch with clients within 9 hours of receiving the lead, so check your average response time in your Member Control Panel to make sure you’re responding quickly enough.
Follow up with clients! When you reply to a lead on The Bash, you will be given the client’s contact information (phone number and email address). We strongly recommend proactive outreach to clients after you submit your quote via phone and/or email. It gives the client a peek into your personality and also gives them a chance to ask any questions they may have about your quote.
Confirm your bookings on The Bash! It is important to confirm every booking so that you can boost your ranking on The Bash and be eligible for the client to leave you a review after the event. Your bookings are one of the factors that impacts your search results ranking on The Bash.
Respond to client reviews! Get a positive review from a client after an event? Respond to it with a personalized thank you and reiterate how much you enjoyed their event. Responding to client reviews gives you the opportunity for potential clients to see your personality! Same goes for negative reviews—respond with a friendly, non-defensive message to show future clients your side of the story and that you’re taking the necessary steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Questions?
We’re here to be in business with you!
Don’t hesitate to contact our friendly Account Services team with any questions you may have: