After servicing clients from coast to coast, here are the top five marketing myths I have come across in my travels to over hundreds and hundreds of bowling centers.
So here they are:
Myth 1: Find & Fill a Need
While there has to be a need in order for people to buy into your product or program, the need alone doesn't guarantee a sale. One of the biggest factors in people choosing whom they will buy from is the genuine passion of the person they are speaking to. You have to truly believe in what you are selling. If you're not bought in, or worse if your staff isn’t ALL IN, they won't be bought in.
Myth 2: Teach Them about Me and My Business
Your marketing message is not about you or what you do. Your marketing message is about what your target audience is going through and what they desire to be or to have, and/or do. What you do, (provide entertainment, socialization, competition, do something different or just fun). is the tool to help them achieve what they desire.
Myth 3: Get in Front of as Many People as Possible. It's All About the Numbers
You can get in front of thousands of people, email all of them, send out a Facebook post to your friends and fans and not get a single new customer. It's not about how many people you talk to. It's about talking to the right people about the right thing. This is why it's so important to define your target audience + the challenge they are facing and the solution you offer. Understanding your niche will help you describe their world and what they are experiencing. What a family wants from the bowling experience and what a 24 yr old male or female want are two entirely different sets of expectations. Do you know what they are?
Myth 4: They Need to See the Value
Yes, they need to see the value. But the emphasis should not be on THEY HAVE TO SEE but rather on WE HAVE TO DEMONSTRATE. It is our job to demonstrate the value of what we offer and justify the prices we are asking.
Myth 5: The Intention of My Marketing Message is to Get a New Bowler
Many times when I ask my clients what is your intention with this marketing message, they say to get new bowlers or to retain existing ones. The trouble is, a marketing message is meant to be the first step in developing a relationship. The relationship will end in new business.
There are really two intentions you should focus on when writing your core marketing message.
The first is what you would like your target audience to get out of it? Do you want them to feel understood and heard? Do you want them to know the possibilities of what might be?
The second is what would you like to get out of your marketing message? Do you want them to see you as an entertainment option? Do you want them to think of you first when they decide they want a fun bowling experience to make a change? Do you want them to know that you are THE BEST choice?
And how will you demonstrate that? Written or audio or visual testimonials!!
While these are only a few marketing myths out there, they are biggies. Don't fall into the trap of a flat, ineffective marketing message. Your marketing message is often the first impression people will receive about you and your bowling center.
And that’s a fact, Jack J
