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Besides air, food, and water, most teenagers rely on their cell phones to survive. That’s why a growing number of family entertainment centers (FECs) believe it makes sense to market to a core segment of their audience via text messaging.
 “It’s so direct,” says David Novstrup, general manager for Wylie Thunder Road in Aberdeen, South Dakota, who started to text guests in late 2009. “You know you’re targeting the right people. With other ways, you’re not sure if you’re hitting your customers.”
Daniel Decker also saw the value of connecting with young customers on their iPhones, Droids, and BlackBerry devices. Last summer’s weekly teen nights served as a springboard to launch a texting campaign; at the end of each evening, the DJ would urge customers to sign up, using a free drink an incentive. Within seconds, 50 people would join their database; they now have more than 700 names on their list.
“It’s the best way to get the teens,” declares Decker, director of integrated services at Prime Time Family Entertainment Center in Abilene, Texas. “They’re texting at teen night anyway.”
The immediacy of texting is another benefit, he says. On slow nights, Decker will send out a blast to help generate some last-minute business.
Mobile Magic
Novstrup and Decker agree the web-based text systems are fairly easy to use and inexpensive. For instance, after Decker logs on to the provider’s website, a dashboard pops up. It shows how many messages he has sent, the number of people in the database, and their wireless providers. The system also allows him to put the phone numbers into different groups— for him, it’s college, kids club, general, and teen.
Once Decker picks the group, he types in the message and hits “send.” He pays $80 for a thousand texts; over that, it’s pro rated.
Novstrup, who is a partner in a text messaging service, suggests sending texts within a few hours of the promotion for the best results. “They might forget about it if it’s a few days away or it could get buried in their texts,” he says.
As for the message itself, the shorter, the better, says David Breen, CEO of PiNZ Entertainment in Milford, Massachusetts, who likes to send texts for special events or to promote live entertainment at his adjoining bar.
“Get straight to the point,” he advises. “You don’t have a lot of room to negotiate.”
Don’t make the texts overly promotional either, Decker adds. “We always make sure there’s value in each text. We tell them about a special or offer free laser tag. It’s not just, ‘Prime Time is a great place.’”
Wylie Thunder Road customers will automatically receive a free ticket within a half hour of signing up, Novstrup says. This way, they see the benefit right away and understand the FEC doesn’t just want to collect their personal information.
Novstrup sends a couple texts a month, and every message includes an opt-out option, which is important to ease any spamming concerns.
“You don’t want to abuse it,” Novstrup notes. “You don’t want to ruin the relationship.”
Contact Contributing Editor Mike Bederka at mbederka@IAAPA.org.
Text Staff, Too
FECs shouldn’t limit their texting to customers only. David Novstrup of Wylie Thunder Road finds texting an effective and efficient way to contact staff, as well.
When rainy weather keeps guests away, he’ll let some employees know to stay home. Or if a large group shows up unexpectedly, Novstrup will put out the call for additional help. The first staffer to respond by text or call gets the extra shift.
“From the time I send the text to time the person is working could be as little as 20 minutes,” he says. |
How FECs Can Take Marketing Tips from Minor League Baseball
Minor league baseball teams run on small budgets and must contend with a seasonal business. Sound familiar?
FECs and minor league squads face similar challenges, and both industries need to fight for customers’ entertainment dollars. But where baseball excels (and FECs can learn a thing or two) is the marketing.
“Their philosophy is to create a new product every single game,” explains Scott Brown, director of marketing for Swings-N-Things Family Fun Park in Olmsted Falls, Ohio, citing teams usually lack the big names to attract fans on star power alone.
With promotions, minor league teams frequently lean toward current events, pop culture, or just plain wacky ideas. For example, one team’s annual “Awful Night” features giveaways of bubble wrap and pictures of gallbladders, concession stand eats of Spam and cheese sandwiches, and videos clips of David Hasselhoff movies. An appearance by the actor who played Chewbacca highlighted another team’s “Star Wars” night.
FECs may not have to take their marketing and promotions to such extremes, but they do need to step outside their comfort zone to attract new guests and keep them coming back, Brown says. “How do we keep our product fresh and unique to our audience even though they’ve seen it over and over again? You can only repackage game room token deals in so many ways,” he says.
For Brown, a recent sports shakeup provided the inspiration for his novel promotion. In 2010, professional basketball superstar LeBron James left the nearby Cleveland Cavilers for the Miami Heat. Tapping into the anger of many loyal fans, Swings-N-Things hosted a “LeBon Fire” where people could burn their LeBron jerseys and other related gear.
“It was wildly successful,” he says of the event, which came together in less than 24 hours. Hundreds of people attended, and NBC, ABC, and Fox all ran TV segments on it. A CBS affiliate even sponsored the spectacle, intended to be cathartic rather than malicious.
“It’s kind of like when you burn your ex-girlfriend’s love letters,” Brown describes.
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