Millennials. Love ‘em or love to talk about ‘em, there’s no denying they have some serious purchasing power. You may think of Millennials as college kids and twenty-somethings, but today’s largest generation includes anyone born from 1981 to 1996. That makes them a generation of post-grads, professionals, and families — the very demographic most attractive to amusement parks and FECs (family entertainment centers).
What’s great about Millennials (and their successors, Generation Z), is that they’re more aware of—and open to—marketing efforts than previous generations. All they ask in return is that brands strip away the varnish and prove that they (and not just their advertising dollars) are worth the investment.
With the ease of opting in (or out) of ads these days, it’s more important than ever for businesses to win trust—and keep it. How can you achieve that? By staying relevant, being genuine, and adding real value to people’s lives.
FECs and amusement parks, listen up. These five digital marketing strategies are the key to meeting people where they are, making your brand and your business more successful with every interaction.
Entertainment Center and Amusement Park Marketing Strategies
Here are 5 key strategies you should implement to reach more relevant customers and become unignorable to your most profitable demographics:
Focus on mobile-first customer experiences
I’ve been saying it for years, and it’s not going away: mobile matters. If you still haven’t optimized your website for mobile experience, you’re missing more than half of your audience. Only 43% of today’s consumers still search on desktop, a number that dips even lower when you factor in social media activity. If you want a competitive digital presence, you can’t simply tack mobile responsiveness onto your website and call it a day. Make mobile-first a priority.
Invest in retargeting
Sure, you want to draw in new customers and new sales opportunities, but don’t cast such a wide net that caught fish slip free. People who have visited your facility, website, or social media pages are “warm leads” that will spend money more easily than people who have never interacted with your brand. Take advantage of yesterday’s catch by allocating part of your marketing budget for retargeting ads on Facebook and Instagram, special offers for repeat customers, and email marketing and e-commerce campaigns.
Tap into live streaming
Remember how I said that authenticity matters to Millennials more than flashy graphics or clever campaigns? That need for a real connection makes live campaigns one of the most effective digital marketing strategies available to your FEC. Facebook Live and other streaming tools give people what they want: a glimpse behind the curtain to see what your business is all about.
Not sure where to start? I’ve got you covered with 21 Award Winning Ideas for FEC Video Content.
Embrace 24-hour disappearing messages
When Snapchat was on trend, people would ask me why they should waste their marketing budget on such short-lived campaigns. My answer? Disappearing videos create a sense of urgency. There’s no putting it off for later. If your followers don’t watch your content ASAP, they’ll miss whatever fun and freebies you may have posted!
What started with Snapchat has hit its stride with Instagram Stories and Facebook Stories. 24-hour content is a lot less polished than other promotional materials—and that’s a good thing. In a world where authenticity reigns, more people engage with these dynamic, off-the-cuff (or so it seems) styles of video content than the carefully curated posts in their feeds. And if you need yet another win for Insta Stories, the app shows you who watched each video in your Story, allowing you to track the content that’s working vs. the content that’s losing your audience.
Focus on local search and reviews
When you spend as much time in digital marketing as I do, you learn the difference between temporary trends and the digital marketing trends that are here to stay. Hyper-local marketing isn’t new, and neither are reviews. Today’s consumers want to know exactly what they’re getting into, and they trust their neighbors to tell it to them straight. But the importance that consumers (and Big Brother Google) place on social proof only continues to grow. In fact, Google has announced that Google reviews affect companies’ SERPs (search engine results pages). Basically, if you want to rank higher in local search, reviews are your golden ticket.
Is your marketing strategy in place for a successful year? Contact TrustWorkz for a free assessment of your web presence.
