Hello marketers, I thought you'd enjoy this deep dive into the process that helped this attraction go viral on TikTok. Josh Sumsion from Dead City Haunted House comes on to discuss the process behind their TikTok videos, some of which are going viral. Here’s what you need to know to get your TikTok up and running.

Marketing Your Attraction

Unlocking TikTok for your Attraction

This podcast is a recording from a recent panel on personalizing your messaging to guests in preparation of opening your attraction this season.The discussion is divided into three sections—recommendations about messaging for guests before you open, while guests are on-premises, and after it closes.Key Takeaways:Include safety in your messaging but focus on fun.Be aware of the rules and regulations in your area.Talk to this year’s haunt demographic.Be nimble and dynamic in response to feedback.Have a protocol for crisis management.Consider requiring advance, online purchase of tickets.Add value and raise your ticket prices.Introduce your safety messaging at the right time in the right places.Encourage guests to share their experiences on social media.Have staff visibly cleaning your haunt.Have a protocol for screening staff and responding if someone has symptoms.Let your guests know they’ll be scared safely.

What Do You Say To Them? How to personalize your messaging during the pandemic

For the first time on Marketing Your Attraction, we bring a listener on the show for live coaching. Gamliel Beyderman is Founder of OneBefore,America's First Jewish Escape Room in Brooklyn New York. Visit OneBefore here: onebeforeescape.com.

Live Coaching Call with Jewish Escape Room 'OneBefore'

Scott Swenson joins us on the podcast to discuss the impact Story has in marketing your attraction.Scott has a new book out:Follow the Story: The Foundation of Every Great AttractionFollow the Story’s synopsis reads, “An attraction is most effective when it follows a path and takes guests on a journey. The story determines an attraction’s physical layout, character development, and technical design. It also points the way for clever marketing, merchandising, and branding. This book gives you the tools to develop a story and to use that story as a blueprint for your attraction's development.”Get your copy here or read more at www.followthestorybook.comHow does the story impact the marketing team?Because it’s not only about The Creatives. Departments must play together.Here are some takeaways from the recording: We become myopic when there are multiple departments but that isn’t true for the guest. The guest sees everything in one continuous experience. Moving past individual departments makes your attraction better because it makes the experience design cohesive.Successful marketing campaigns must have a ‘North Star’ to coordinate the departments together. Without this, the event design isn’t cohesive. Departments must be able to make individual decisions that contribute to the design rather than detracting from it. Specific SectionsBefore: How does marketing tell the backstory?If you don't have a strong IP to draw from, marketing helps the guest understand the story. Exposing your guests to the story longer increases their emotional reaction to the attraction. Use marketing to turn characters into ‘assets’ which continue to provide ROI for the event. To do this, their story must continue and evolve each year.After: How does marketing keep the story going and thereby reinforce asset creation?Scott shared an example of a Vampire Fashion Show campaign. Mrs. Vein actioned off items from her fashion show after the event.Alone experience - https://insidethemagic.net/2010/10/a-spoiler-free-tale-of-surviving-the-alone-personal-horror-experience-at-busch-gardens-howl-o-scream/Merchandising: Everything you sell reinforces the memory of the event. You’re purchasing a manifestation of the attraction. Connection merchandising to Your Story makes the guest more emotionally connection; this drives up demand but also encourages repeat visits. The story behind Merchandise must be compelling. Where should the marketing dollar go? All seasons are not created equal. Halloween focuses on physical set assets and brand name. Christmas, on the other hand, focuses more on the name of the experience. Connecting Departments. Where do we begin? Begin by getting face time with the creative department. Meet ‘The Creatives.’ Creatives want to be recognized. Then, set up a regular structured meeting that all stakeholders attend; keep communication open and everyone on the same page. Limit this meeting to 1 hour. PR example - Personalizing marketing to reach digital news sites, TV media, and influencers. Mentions in the book of how he turned photos of media personalities into vampires to get their attention.What’s the takeaway for the marketing team?You must understand the story and work with it, not fight it.Understand the Easter Eggs and the flow. When possible, work with the creative team during the creative development phase.Signing August 4th at Midsummer Scream.

How To Use Story in Your Marketing and Drive Revenue

Main Topic: Adapting your attraction to a new target market’s cultureStep 1: You should have the demographic and psychographic analysis of this new target market done. Additionally, your team must have decided the new market is worth testing. Step 2: What that we’re doing now needs to change?You’ll go through each of the below considerations before deciding on tactics.Tactics/Considerations:Direct or Mass?Mass marketing is for high throughput attractions targeting a large target market. Mass marketing includes TV, Radio, Hulu, etc. Sometimes you find microcosms where you can go mass in a small way. For example, college radio stations, community TV, regional billboards, or influencers. Otherwise, most new target markets are a direct selling tactic.Language.The language applies to signage, directions, website, tickets, maps, apps, menus and more.Do visitors understand your website and can they purchase tickets? What about references that don’t translate to English? This need not be a large overhaul but could benefit from tweaking.Technology.Many markets don’t have desktops; they’re using tablets and mobile only. They may not have access to new technology (IE buying refurbished devices). Is your market more tech-savvy or less tech-savvy? Do you need a phone line, a WhatsApp ID, a WeChat ID, or a Messenger link?Distribution Channels.How does this market consume media and check your quantity? Popular options include Facebook, WeChat, TripAdvisor, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Google, and more. Developing a new distribution channel could be a large investment. Media Assets.Can your new target market see themselves in the narrative of your marketing? How well do your marketing assets translate over? Families, ethnicities, etc.Values.Will the nature of your attraction violate the value system of this new market? What about the marketing messages you’re using? Examples of multigenerational families, etc. Attraction Theming.Large examples include phantom manor versus mystic manor and small examples include adjusting stage shows by adding target market specific jokes.Food.If the target market is large enough, should you incorporate new food?

Adapting your attraction to a new target market’s culture

Content Marketing is one of the most misunderstood tactics, and we explain it all in this episode.“Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.In short, instead of pitching your products or services, you are delivering information that makes your buyer more intelligent. The essence of this content strategy is the belief that if we, as businesses, deliver consistent, ongoing valuable information to buyers, they ultimately reward us with their business and loyalty.”-By Content Marketing InsWhy do it?Customer InformationCustomer RetentionThe History of Content Marketing: https://youtu.be/9OHgMMpGLzk John Deere & The Furrow Magazine: https://youtu.be/rbKvoKeu4vcGetting Started Guide: https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/getting-started/Examples:PC Gamer/Razer “The Complete Guide to PC Gaming”: https://www.pcgamer.com/introducing-the-complete-guide-to-pc-gaming/Ideas of Order Magazine made by Redbird for California Closets: https://www.ideasoforder.com/OK Go - The One Moment - made by Morton Salt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvW61K2s0tA MasterThis made by Liberty Mutual: http://www.jackmorton.com/work/building-content-driven-customer-loyalty-breakthrough-liberty-mutual/2018 Oscar winner animation short film | dear basketball: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziUc0OCDmoUConsult QD by Cleveland Clinic: https://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/ Restaurant and Attraction Magazines in hotel rooms are usually created by tourism boardsAirBNB Magazine and Trip Guideshttps://www.airbnb.com/things-to-dohttps://www.airbnb.com/magazineMeasuring Content MarketingHow do you find our if your target market is learning something from your content?Content and Website ViewsBrand SearchesSearch Engine RankingEmail Sign UpsPurchases by remarketing.End of Show Zest Enlight Marketing App - https://zest.is/enlight Seasonal Entertainment Source: https://haunted.typeform.com/to/k9CEOz

Content Marketing Defined

Where do ideas come from? What makes someone creative? How do I get better ideas? Discover the process and best practices behind brainstorming in this episode.

Marketing Your Attraction Episode 30: Coming up with better ideas

Experiential Marketing Experiences are increasing in number and complexity. Some experimental marketing campaigns are nearly identical to attractions! We discuss the benefits and threats posed by this new form of campaign.A quick overview of the different ones that we have experienced:The Twilight Zone Pop-Up at The GroveSmallfootIT ExperienceReady Player OneGuinness Brewery TourKnott’s Scary Farm example of “#ScarySelfie” with C-K agencyRazer Tour - College campus and video game events. Use claw machine to encourage guests to share email and post on social media.Razer uses Future Publishing Events - www.futureplc.com/services/events/Could be a secondary source of income for an attraction to create experiential marketing experiences for companies. There are entire agencies that create events. Game of Thrones/Westworld Activations - www.giantspoon.com/Use of MarketingDecide your goal: Sales, in-person awareness, online exposureCosts/Location - Demographic, malls, festivals, community centers such as the beachIt must be high quality, represent clearly your experience (think of it as a free trial), and include a CTAHow do you prove the value?

Episode 29 - The Advantages & Threats of Experiential Marketing Experiences

Struggling with your attraction's marketing plan? This episode walks you step by step through a marketing plan. Download the template from our email list!

[Marketing Your Attraction] The quick & dirty Marketing Plan

NEWS/Quick-Takes:The Halloween season is starting much earlier than usual and the Theme Park Halloween landscape is shifting to keep pace.See Festival del Terror at 6 Flags Mexico, the early Cedar Point opening of HalloWeekends, and Knott’s. Follow news from the Haunted Attraction Network for more Halloween updates.Six Flags Great America located just outside of Chicago is hoping to increase job applicants by offering a free ticket for anyone that interviews.Main Topic:Marketing’s Role In Recruiting - Support HR DepartmentCreate recruiting content while filming assets for consumersUtilize social media, both paid and organic, to get the word out and recognize employees through social media. (Disney does a great job with the “Every Role Is A Starring Role”)Offer incentives to current employees and returning employees.Facebook Jobs - https://www.facebook.com/business/learn/facebook-page-post-jobs Wrap-Up:Free Subscription to Seasonal Entertainment Source: http://seasonalentertainmentsource.com Visit MarketingYourAttraction.com for blog posts and an archive of past episodes.Jack The Ripper Virtual Reality Haunted House at HollowZone.comSubscribe to the podcast and leave a review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player.

Marketing Your Attraction: Marketing’s Role In Recruiting

NEWS/Quick-Takes:Amazon has YouTube envy: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-15/amazon-wants-twitch-to-be-a-youtube-competitor?mod=djemCMOToday Theme Park Announcements:Canada’s WonderlandSix Flags Magic MountainCarowindsScary FarmSkullcandy creates live concert series as part of content marketing push“Consumers today, young consumers are very savvy, and they’re very savvy about paid influencers. Obviously, we’re a commercial entity, and of course we want to sell headphones, but we want the music to be pure,” Klodnicki said. Of course, Skullcandy can — and does — retarget attendees and viewers with more commercial advertisements after the fact. Skullcandy spends the majority of its marketing budget on digital ads. Unlike Apple and Bose, it doesn’t buy TV or print ads.”https://digiday.com/marketing/skullcandy-creates-live-concert-series-part-content-marketing-push/Secrets of the Wicker Man at Alton Towers revealed“Filmed over several months, the documentary follows the team as they complete construction of Wicker Man, a family thrill-ride with a huge sculpture at its heart that appears to burst into flames as the ride rushes through it. As the resort was preparing to open the attraction to the public, senior members of the Alton Towers team revealed to the documentary how important the success of the £16 million ride is, as they strive to rebuild trust with visitors following the incident on The Smiler in 2015 which saw two young women, Leah Washington and Vicky Balch, lose a leg.”https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/burton/alton-towers-channel-4-wicker-1882935 Main Topic:UpchargingHow can you charge your guests more and make them feel like they are getting a much better value than guests spending less? How can you create that value?Airbnb Story: What does an 10 star experience look like?https://mastersofscale.com/brian-chesky-handcrafted/Wrap-Up:Free Subscription to Seasonal Entertainment Source: http://seasonalentertainmentsource.com Visit MarketingYourAttraction.com for blog posts and an archive of past episodes.Subscribe to the podcast and leave a review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player.

Adding Value to Your Attraction (AKA Rethinking Upcharges)

NEWS/Quick-Takes:This 18+ Horror-Themed Campground Is The Most Disturbing Place To Go Camping: https://www.narcity.com/ca/on/toronto/travel/this-18-horror-themed-campground-near-toronto-is-the-most-disturbing-place-youll-ever-go-campingSix Flags launches loyalty program:https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/six-flags-launches-preeminent-new-loyalty-program-2018-08-15 Main Topic:Groupon/GoldStar DiscountingOften necessary on slower days. Build the margin into your price. Make a discounting plan before you begin. You don’t want to be reactive (IE numbers are low, so we’ll reduce price). There’s not getting around that school and work nights are tough for our audiences. Nobody wants to feel like they spent more than they had to. Audiences come to expect something is listed on Groupon/Goldstar. Thus, it’s both an advantage and a disadvantage.Our recommendation?Build those margins into the plan from the beginning and form relationships with discount sites ahead of time. That way, when it is needed, you can pull the lever. Those sites are a last resort.Don’t forget to negotiate with the sites and try to add value on your own platforms first.Can you add value to your channels first? IE buy a ticket get a free food item, etc.If the added value doesn't work, try a targeted discount. Keep this discreet if possible.Wrap-Up:Free Subscription to Seasonal Entertainment Source: http://seasonalentertainmentsource.com Visit MarketingYourAttraction.com for blog posts and an archive of past episodes.Subscribe to the podcast and leave a review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player.

Groupon and the Art of Discounting - A Cautionary Tale

The hosts walk through best practices for working with marketing, creative, and media buying agencies for your attraction.NEWS/Quick-Takes:Physical products are more valuable than digital products - https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/how-can-marketers-deal-with-an-oversaturated-digital-space-turn-back-to-physical-products/ Expansion of Dollywood: “The "new land," a $37 million investment, was the theme park's largest capital investment ever.”https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/dolly-parton-announces-plans-for-new-dollywood-area-set-to-open-in-2019/51-580078465Snapchat Story Ads - https://forbusiness.snapchat.com/blog/introducing-story-ads-a-new-way-to-showcase-your-brand-or-product-in-discover/ “With one tap, Snapchatters can jump into a collection of 3-20 Snaps and dive deeper into your new fashion collection, movie release, suite of products, and more.”Main Topic:Ad Agencies - Help businesses execute marketing strategies and they range from full service to boutique. Think of them as an extension to your marketing department, which differs from contractors because they have support systems in place. Full-Service, Creative vs. Consultant vs. Media Buying vs. Smaller Specialities (Social Media, PR, etc.)Pros: They help reduce cost because you get the benefit of their expertise without needing to hire. Additionally, they provide an infrastructure for those that do not want to manage a piecemeal team. It’s a benefit for smaller companies until you’re large enough to make your own worth it (Disney). For example, Universal uses multiple agencies for different campaigns.Advice:Try to avoid lengthy contracts. Agencies try to get you to sign a longer contract, but try to take it project by project.Costly retainers. Retainers can be high, and be aware that an agency has many clients; they’re not always working on your attraction.Some will charge an hourly wage and others charge a fee on top of the spend. Example, for $10,000 spent on Google ads, they will take 10% added on top. The agency manages the ads so you don’t have to worry.Craft your RFP and outline exactly what you need.What’s campaign distribution?What specifically do you need?Sit down with at least 5-10 agencies; treat this like hiring employees (both in terms of testing and in terms of cultural fit).It’s OK to wait if you don't find a good fit.There are three broad functions to cover: Media Buy/Placement, Campaign Strategy, and Creative. Wrap-Up:Free Subscription to Seasonal Entertainment Source: http://seasonalentertainmentsource.com

Your Guide to Working With Marketing Agencies!

NEWS/Quick-Takes:Empty Malls - https://digiday.com/marketing/online-retailers-using-empty-mall-spaces-test-products/ The Science of Storytelling -https://marketingland.com/the-science-of-storytelling-245561 The Expanding Market:“DXB Entertainments saw the number of visitors to Dubai Parks and Resorts rise 48% during the second quarter and 46% during the first half of 2018. International guests accounted for 38% of visitors during the first half, while annual pass holders made up 25% of visits.”Another Reason to Monitor your Brand:“A post on a Facebook page called 'Six Flags Club' has been shared over 100,000 times with over 40,000 comments. The post writes that every single person who shares and comments within the next 12 hours will get 4 free Six Flags tickets. Western Mass News confirmed with a spokesperson for Six Flags Wednesday night that the page is not associated with the amusement park. We're told Six Flags is working with Facebook to try and take the post down.”Peter Weishar is UCF’s new professor of themed entertainment design. Main Topic:SEO for BeginnersStep 1 - Keyword ResearchThink about what keywords guests will use to find your attraction. Make sure to think about general categories and other terms that the general public might use. For example, not just haunted house, but also haunted maze, Halloween things to do, etc.Step 2 - Setup your site correctlyDon’t put your text into images on your website. Make sure you have at least 150 - 300 words on each part of your page and you naturally include the keywords a few times in that text.Google factors in how mobile friendly your website is and how long it takes to load. Make sure to compress the images. Google Webmasters Program: https://www.google.com/webmasters Plug-In for Wordpress -> Yoast SEO: https://yoast.com/wordpress/plugins/seo/ Step 3 - Get other websites to link to your site:Social Media PlatformsCommunity Event CalendarsContact your local Visitor Bureaus and ask them to promote you on their websitePartner PagesLocal Bloggers, Newspapers, other media outletsAttraction Directories, search “Things To Do” Where to go next?Creating a blog. Adding more content onto your site. Writing guest blog posts for other blogs and linking back to your site. Using keyword tools like Moz.com: https://moz.com/explorer/ https://moz.com/free-seo-toolshttps://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo Wrap-Up:Free Subscription to Seasonal Entertainment Source: http://seasonalentertainmentsource.com

SEO - Search Engine Optimization For Beginners

NEWS/Quick-Takes:Alien: Descent vs. The Void Midsummer Scream: A great convention chuck full of marketing examples for attractions. All the attractions in the Southern California area participate and each is a great example of attractions connection with guests at conventions. Track the hashtag online to see some of the examples. Six Flags brought a scare zone, scare actors, and hosted a main stage announcement panel. ​Main Topic:Yelp and TripAdvisor Review Websiteshttps://hbr.org/2018/02/study-replying-to-customer-reviews-results-in-better-ratings “Harvard Business Review found that when hotels start responding, they receive 12% more reviews and their ratings increase, on average, by 0.12 stars. While these gains may seem modest, TripAdvisor rounds average ratings to the nearest half star: A hotel with a rating of 4.26 stars will be rounded up to a 4.5, while a hotel with 4.24 stars will be rounded down to a 4. Therefore, even small changes can have a significant impact on consumers’ perceptions.”Why? “If the consumer notices a manager responding to past reviews, they might decide not to leave a trivial or unsubstantiated negative review, to avoid a potentially uncomfortable online interaction with the manager. Once hotels started responding, they experienced a sharp drop in the rate of short negative reviews. And while longer negative reviews still cropped up, these reviews often contained constructive feedback that could be useful to managers trying to make changes.”Example of how to handle hecklers: https://tim.blog/2018/07/16/aisha-tyler/Tips:Encourage reviews, but focus on one platform at a time (one CTA). Make sure you have a dedicated team member to managing feedback and reviews.De-escalate the situation and remove them from the public view as soon as possible.Assign responses to someone who is trained is guest service and knows how to handle these situations and resolve them.Wrap-Up:Free Subscription to Seasonal Entertainment Source: http://seasonalentertainmentsource.com

Navigating Review Websites

The "Marketing Your Attraction" Podcast is essential listening for every member of the Attractions Industry, including theme parks, haunted houses, escape rooms, family fun centers and more. Every episode takes listeners on a deep dive into a different marketing topic and how it applies to the Attractions Industry. Hosts Brad and Philip have spent over a decade in the industry and bring a total of over 20 years of combined marketing experience. Subscribe now for your regular dose of marketing insights.

hubhopper

Marketing Your Attraction

hubhopper