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At this very moment, it’s only human to feel mentally exhausted, overwhelmed, and more than a little stuck when it comes to developing key marketing strategies to effectively advertise your family entertainment center during the current economic crisis. The COVID-19 outbreak has, in very little time, completely altered the way businesses do business. With little notice, owners have been forced to shut their doors, and pivot to producing content and messaging that keeps their customers engaged, informed, and anticipatory of a grand re-opening. Though these are complicated times, supporting your business with the right marketing strategies should be one of your first steps to setting your center up for a triumphant return.
1. Generate Revenue Through Gift Card Sales with Hownd’s Buy Now, Visit Later Support Voucher Program
At Hownd, stepping up to support local businesses as their cash flow slowed or stopped with a solution was our first order of business. By working with owners to create and distribute “Buy Now, Visit Later” Support Vouchers, we’ve been able to generate over $600,000 in revenue right now to sustain local businesses like yours. Reaching both current and future customers, the profit from each voucher purchased goes to the business immediately while the customer receives a promotion to use when the doors re-open. Through focusing your marketing efforts on a community that’s willing to help, you can show that home is truly where the heart is.
Click here for more information on how Hownd is helping.
2. A Little Less Newsletters, A Little More Action
As a product of the pandemic, businesses have inundated inboxes with a wave of COVID-19 announcements and closure notifications over the last couple of weeks via email newsletters. Now’s the time to shift your marketing. Targeted email promotions such as Support Vouchers provide meaningful value with measurable results. Newsletters (while informative) run the risk of cramming inboxes and exhausting your list or going completely lost amongst the sea of similar subject lines and messaging. So save your next newsletter for another day and use your email for some good, like delivering offers that bring positivity and crucial revenue back to your business.
3. Don’t Go Dark on Social Media Marketing
Without the benefit of face-to-face communication, utilizing your business pages on social media to stay in contact with your customers during this juncture is simply a must. This is where you can respond promptly to questions and direct messaging, push promotions to your channels (and encourage them to be shared), and show that even though you’re closed for visitors, you are definitely still in business.
4. Dial Up Your Digital Content Strategy
Whether it’s finally starting that bowling or rolling skating-centric podcast you’ve wanted to do for your customers for years or putting together a webinar with other business owners with your network, using your time to create compelling digital content provides short — and long term benefits. Remember that we’re all indoors, device usage is way up, and people are receptive right now to breaking up their day with something new.
For inspiration, feel free to check out Hownd’s VP of Sales Adam Russell leading a recent webinar on preparing for a successful post-Covid 19 comeback in partnership Party Center Software.
5. Keep Up with Industry Competition
If you stop all marketing efforts and your leading competitor doesn’t, you’ll risk falling behind when life starts to bounce back. Assume that other businesses are applying a consistent approach to their marketing during the downturn, concentrate on what you could be doing today, tomorrow, and in the future. If you’re a current Hownd merchant, reach out to your success manager today to set yourself up with promotions that convert.
