Welcome to the July marketing blog!
We have officially finished half the year and, hopefully, we have hosted some wonderful promotions, events, and had good engagement on social media. Have you planned the second half of your year? If you haven’t, here’s good news: There is still time!
As always, we have an entire calendar that helps with who to call to sell group events and we give you monthly marketing ideas as well. Check out our past volumes to get even more ideas to start planning for next year.
Now it’s time to talk changes in social media. There have been lots of changes this year including quite a few in the past month. So, in this edition, we are going to talk about those changes and what they can mean for your business.
Facebook’s New Level of Transparency
Over the past year, there has been a lot of discussion about Facebook’s transparency concerning where articles and ads come from. Not long ago they added a new info button to most articles. You can click it and see more information about the page sharing the article and what other posts there have been. They are doing the same with ads.
People can go to any page, view the company’s information and see all the ads they are running across Facebook, Instagram, or Messenger. Not only will they see ads that come across their newsfeed, they will also be able to see ads that are not targeted at them. People will be able to view the copy and graphics submitted for advertising, giving users a chance to report ads that may not be legit. Here is the release and a video that Facebook shared about the changes.
Keep in mind when you are giving special offers to a targeted group, people can view the ad and receive the same offer even if they were not targeted. If you are using targeted offers to see what works and what doesn’t, the data could be a little skewed but shouldn’t be enough to keep you from running targeted offers.
The key to assuring your ads are not reported is to create clear content, have great graphics, and don’t spam your fans with too many ads!
IGTV
For a couple of years now, video has been the leader of engagement on social media. In August 2016, Instagram launched Instagram Stories. It was a way for users to share more content, especially longer videos, without taking over the feed. There are around 300 million active users each day on Instagram Stories.
Now Instagram has launched IGTV. Instagram videos have only been one minute long. IGTV gives users the ability to make videos from a minute up to an hour. The best part of it all is that videos are taken in full-screen portrait mode. That means you don’t have to flip your phone on the side to see the video.
Here are a few ideas for videos you can produce on IGTV that will help you connect with your followers.
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Birthday Parties
Birthday parties are big business and people call our center to book birthday parties all the time. We tell them our parties are the best in town but how about we show them? Record a birthday party so they can get the full experience of how great your parties are. Be sure to get parent permission first.
You could show them a day in a life of a party host. Get creative and show people how fun your birthday parties really are!
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Back of the House
Do you make everything in your kitchen from scratch? Are you testing new items for your menu? We made our pizza dough from scratch. Most people didn’t know that and were surprised when they found out. We also liked to try new pizzas and would get creative in the kitchen.
Those are the moments you can share with your followers. Think of ways to show them how fun cooking hundreds of pizzas a day is or the size of the equipment. Show them all the new food you are coming up with and have them comment on what you should do next.
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Games and Attractions
People come to us because we have amazing games and attractions. IGTV will be a great place for you to showcase what’s coming to your center or even what you already have.
It always amazed me that we would move the games around and people would say, “Oh, you got a bunch of new games.” Nope, it was just hidden in the back. Look at your reports and see what may not be getting loads of play time and showcase it. Maybe someone didn’t know you had it. Or how about opening up the back of a machine and showing how a game works?
What about how safe your ride is? We had a ride with loads of safety triggers. If not done right, the ride wouldn’t start. What parent wouldn’t love to hear about how safe it is!
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Meet the Team
Our team is our greatest asset, so why wouldn’t we want to showcase them? Remember, people buy from people. Create a connection with your team before the guest even comes in. If you have a team member of the month, interview them, ask them questions about why they love working there, what food guests have to try, what is their favorite game or attraction, etc. Encourage people to come and say hi.
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Interview Your Fans
Do you have someone on your team who is outgoing and engaging? Have them video the center during your busy times. They can walk through the center, ask guests if they are having a good time, what their favorite thing was, and encourage people to bring the family out for fun! It’s a great way to get instant recommendations you can share. Remember, ask the guests permission before you start to record.
Upcoming Marketing & Promotion Ideas
- National Night Out, August 2nd – Work with your local law enforcement or neighborhoods to see how you can get involved in local activities. Many places have booths or are looking for fun donations.
- National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, August 4th – have your sales team go out the Friday before and give cookies to businesses you are looking at building relationships with. It’s a great way to get past the gatekeeper!
- National Bowling Day, August 11th – Offer special bowling prices to celebrate. Bronze Coaching Classes will be held at 14 locations across the US to celebrate too! Register or get more information at https://www.bowl.com
- Grandparents Day, September 9th – Create a special package for grandparents to come in to have fun and spend time with their grandchildren.
- National Singles Day, September 23rd – host a fun single and mingle event. Have food and drink specials along with bowling for a great night out.
Have marketing questions? Be sure to email us at marketing@trainertianment.net.
