Recent industry reports indicate that 3 out of 4 bowling centers in this country spend the lion's share of their marketing budget developing fliers for in center use to be distributed to customers that are coming there anyway!!
As an industry we spend very little on trying to retain and grow existing customers and even less on NEW ones.
Moreover, the over riding objective of our industry model is to grow bowlers from non bowlers to casual open play bowlers to mini league bowlers and hopefully to competitive bowlers.
We all work very hard trying to convince the open play bowler to "Join Up" and get involved in a structured weekly or every other week short season or traditional season program.
No doubt you are doing this right now as you implement your summer league programs.
But should you? Should you really be doing the same old thing even in today's helter skelter economic environment of high gas prices, high food prices, declining home sales and deafening calls to shrink our $14 trillion dollar debt...or raise the debt ceiling limit?
Maybe, there is a large niche out there that is just looking to knock some pins, down, drink some beer on a hot night and hang out with some friends.
And that is all they want. No league; no structure; no averages; just fun.
If you can identify these people, then you can market to them and just maybe they will fill the gaps in your revenue model that a declining league base has created.
Here's a suggestion on "HOW TO identify that niche and get those people to raise their hands."
Start with a face book ad (budget $50 per day for 7 days per offer (two test offers would cost you $750 and three test offers would cost you $1,050) offering a family and friends special; you know, a special hourly fun program; then follow that up with an email to your entire open play data base telling them of the offer AND one special added value offer as well.
Now in both face book and emails, test different "added value"offers such as:
1.bring this coupon in and get $10 off in open play bowling
2.get 1 hour of free bowling with 1 hour of paid bowling
3.get a free pizza with 2 hours of bowling
4.no offer, just your 2 hour specials
Which one pulled better? And that is, (at least until you test other offers against the winner) the offer you should be shouting from the roof tops!!!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
The Appetizers
There are two kinds of people in the world that will buy from you. The first group consists of people who like your product and have an appetite for it. They want information; they want to know product offerings and they want to know "what's new"?
Then there is the second group. These are people who don't actively seek information about your product. Oh, they know of your product, might have even have tried it a time or three, but they don't actively seek more information about it.
Now that's not to say that the second group of people, we'll call them "the no appetite people" won't have an interest in your product eventually; they very well might.
But if you want to be successful, then marketing your product to the first group certainly makes more sense. You identify them by how frequently they bought your product. The more frequent the buyer, the more they like your product and the more engaged they are when you send them information.
Try to get to this first group with product information and ask them to bring a friend bowling, maybe even suggest that they bring someone who is not as engaged as they are.
After all, everything old is new again
Then there is the second group. These are people who don't actively seek information about your product. Oh, they know of your product, might have even have tried it a time or three, but they don't actively seek more information about it.
Now that's not to say that the second group of people, we'll call them "the no appetite people" won't have an interest in your product eventually; they very well might.
But if you want to be successful, then marketing your product to the first group certainly makes more sense. You identify them by how frequently they bought your product. The more frequent the buyer, the more they like your product and the more engaged they are when you send them information.
Try to get to this first group with product information and ask them to bring a friend bowling, maybe even suggest that they bring someone who is not as engaged as they are.
After all, everything old is new again
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Gas It Up
Gas in Southern California is $4.89 a gallon, maybe higher today.
In NYC, gas is $4.29. No doubt in your city, town or village is high too.
According to the AAA, gas prices nationwide are up $1.20 a gallon since one year ago.
Last time this happened. our business was affected. People need to eat, pay the rent, buy clothes and fill up their cars to get to work, school and pick up the kids.
Bowling is not going to be high on their list of discretionary spending. Neither are movies or other recreational/entertainment options they don't HAVE to have.
Let's get going and start our digital campaign of "affordable fun is close to home" start sending emails and post on your Facebook page using this as your campaign theme.
Overlay special offers and be sure to say that "Happy Lanes gives you more miles per gallon of fun".
And then cap it all off by offering the opportunity to win $25 to $100 gas cards. Run that sweepstakes on your face book page, "Win up to $100 in gasoline" just for bowling at Happy Lanes" available during School Easter break.
Promote your family bowling specials (Pizza Pins n Pepsi) and your daytime kids specials (Bowl up to two hours for $X.XX and get a FREE Pepsi, or FREE pizza, or FREE fries).
Don't keep your center in idle.
Get out there and gas up your promotions!
Got a better idea?
Let us know and we'll post it on this blog.
In NYC, gas is $4.29. No doubt in your city, town or village is high too.
According to the AAA, gas prices nationwide are up $1.20 a gallon since one year ago.
Last time this happened. our business was affected. People need to eat, pay the rent, buy clothes and fill up their cars to get to work, school and pick up the kids.
Bowling is not going to be high on their list of discretionary spending. Neither are movies or other recreational/entertainment options they don't HAVE to have.
Let's get going and start our digital campaign of "affordable fun is close to home" start sending emails and post on your Facebook page using this as your campaign theme.
Overlay special offers and be sure to say that "Happy Lanes gives you more miles per gallon of fun".
And then cap it all off by offering the opportunity to win $25 to $100 gas cards. Run that sweepstakes on your face book page, "Win up to $100 in gasoline" just for bowling at Happy Lanes" available during School Easter break.
Promote your family bowling specials (Pizza Pins n Pepsi) and your daytime kids specials (Bowl up to two hours for $X.XX and get a FREE Pepsi, or FREE pizza, or FREE fries).
Don't keep your center in idle.
Get out there and gas up your promotions!
Got a better idea?
Let us know and we'll post it on this blog.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Erasers
Before computers, erasers were put on pencils because eventually someone made a mistake and had to redo it.
In the typewriter era, erasable tapes could be inserted under the key and the misspelled word would be removed.
In the computer era, it's even easier, we press the delete key or the backspace key and "poof" the error is gone.
To even double our chances of not making mistakes, computers have spell check and grammar check. No reason to make a mistake now. Right?
Wrong.
Your employees are not computers, nor are they typewriters or even pencils. They are human beings who will eventually make a mistake...just like you.
What do you do when they make a mistake? Do you freak out and yell at them? Do you take away what they do and give it to someone else or do you encourage them to do better next time?
The answer to these questions lies in the type of workplace environment YOU have established.
As the leader, you have choices:
1. Establish a zero tolerance for mistakes. make a mistake and get hollered at or worse, get fired.
2. Establish a three strikes and you are out policy. Screw up three times and get hollered at or, worse, get fired.
3. Establish an environment where mistakes are encouraged, initiatives are celebrated and staff is free to come to you with new ideas.
Bottom line is: If you're employees are not making mistakes, they are not doing their jobs and they certainly are not helping to build your business.
How do you deal with mistakes?
In the typewriter era, erasable tapes could be inserted under the key and the misspelled word would be removed.
In the computer era, it's even easier, we press the delete key or the backspace key and "poof" the error is gone.
To even double our chances of not making mistakes, computers have spell check and grammar check. No reason to make a mistake now. Right?
Wrong.
Your employees are not computers, nor are they typewriters or even pencils. They are human beings who will eventually make a mistake...just like you.
What do you do when they make a mistake? Do you freak out and yell at them? Do you take away what they do and give it to someone else or do you encourage them to do better next time?
The answer to these questions lies in the type of workplace environment YOU have established.
As the leader, you have choices:
1. Establish a zero tolerance for mistakes. make a mistake and get hollered at or worse, get fired.
2. Establish a three strikes and you are out policy. Screw up three times and get hollered at or, worse, get fired.
3. Establish an environment where mistakes are encouraged, initiatives are celebrated and staff is free to come to you with new ideas.
Bottom line is: If you're employees are not making mistakes, they are not doing their jobs and they certainly are not helping to build your business.
How do you deal with mistakes?
Friday, April 8, 2011
Marketing Tip #182: An Important E mail Secret
Want to increase customer engagement and boost your email ROI?
Consider a “friends and family” viral campaign.
Here’s some information that will increase your email response rate...dramatically!
One of the tried and true email campaigns of yesterday was the "friends and family" email offers.
These "friends-and-family email campaigns" contained very targeted promotions sent to preselected groups of employees, business partners and perhaps best customers.
These offers were highly coveted and were perceived as being “better” than those available to the general public.
The campaigns not only were strong revenue performers, but also became effective acquisition tools due to the perceived value of the included offers.
Today, the friends and family campaign is typically distributed to the entire customer file. This type of campaign capitalizes on a perception of exclusivity; the customer who receives perceives that he is getting a better and more valuable offer than other people.
The perception of friends-and-family offers being “special” continues; going so far as to outperform on all key measurements, vs. otherwise identical promotions without the friends-and-family messaging.
In a recent study, Experian CheetahMail’s Strategic Services team found that "the most common offers during the 2010 holiday season for friends-and-family emails were 20% and 30% off".
During this same time period, many businesses also sent non-friends-and-family promotions with the exact same offer values.
When these campaigns were compared, the results were clear:
"Friends-and-family emails had 30% higher open rates and 27% higher click through rates, and they generated double the transaction rates and triple the revenue per email than bulk e mailings with the same offer".
How soon can you start a friends and family campaign for your bowling center?
p.s. If you need help on this, give us a jingle @ 212 867 2577 or email us at fredkaplowitz@gmail.
Consider a “friends and family” viral campaign.
Here’s some information that will increase your email response rate...dramatically!
One of the tried and true email campaigns of yesterday was the "friends and family" email offers.
These "friends-and-family email campaigns" contained very targeted promotions sent to preselected groups of employees, business partners and perhaps best customers.
These offers were highly coveted and were perceived as being “better” than those available to the general public.
The campaigns not only were strong revenue performers, but also became effective acquisition tools due to the perceived value of the included offers.
Today, the friends and family campaign is typically distributed to the entire customer file. This type of campaign capitalizes on a perception of exclusivity; the customer who receives perceives that he is getting a better and more valuable offer than other people.
The perception of friends-and-family offers being “special” continues; going so far as to outperform on all key measurements, vs. otherwise identical promotions without the friends-and-family messaging.
In a recent study, Experian CheetahMail’s Strategic Services team found that "the most common offers during the 2010 holiday season for friends-and-family emails were 20% and 30% off".
During this same time period, many businesses also sent non-friends-and-family promotions with the exact same offer values.
When these campaigns were compared, the results were clear:
"Friends-and-family emails had 30% higher open rates and 27% higher click through rates, and they generated double the transaction rates and triple the revenue per email than bulk e mailings with the same offer".
How soon can you start a friends and family campaign for your bowling center?
p.s. If you need help on this, give us a jingle @ 212 867 2577 or email us at fredkaplowitz@gmail.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
The Hammer and The Nail
It has been said that, in business as in life, some days you are the hammer and some days you are the nail. But if you think that, what do your employees think? Probably the same thing. Or more likely...the nail.
The only problem is you may be using only one tool - the hammer - to fix or build your business. Maybe other tools are needed.
Tools like making short season programs part of your start up season and not just a fill in, programs that more efficiently utilize your data base by building relationships (rather than just selling) in ways that can improve your "open rate or click through rate."
More importantly, what about your employees?
Have you been using the same "tool" on them, only to find out that after the initial meetings, speeches, threats and persuasive dialogue that they retreat back to old behavior?
Maybe its because you haven't found out the secret to employee motivation.
Very simply, the secret is called "matter."
Employees, according to many surveys of workers in many industries, simply want to do work that "matters"; work that gives them a reason to believe that they are contributing to the organization's goals and that they make a difference.
When was the last time you complemented your employees or recognized their work for its contribution to your business?
Sure, everyone wants more money, but deep down, employees want to do work that matters.
Now you can go back to being the hammer or sometimes the nail or you can look for some new tools
What new tools do you need to put in your tool kit?
The only problem is you may be using only one tool - the hammer - to fix or build your business. Maybe other tools are needed.
Tools like making short season programs part of your start up season and not just a fill in, programs that more efficiently utilize your data base by building relationships (rather than just selling) in ways that can improve your "open rate or click through rate."
More importantly, what about your employees?
Have you been using the same "tool" on them, only to find out that after the initial meetings, speeches, threats and persuasive dialogue that they retreat back to old behavior?
Maybe its because you haven't found out the secret to employee motivation.
Very simply, the secret is called "matter."
Employees, according to many surveys of workers in many industries, simply want to do work that "matters"; work that gives them a reason to believe that they are contributing to the organization's goals and that they make a difference.
When was the last time you complemented your employees or recognized their work for its contribution to your business?
Sure, everyone wants more money, but deep down, employees want to do work that matters.
Now you can go back to being the hammer or sometimes the nail or you can look for some new tools
What new tools do you need to put in your tool kit?
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