I run a small business that just opened in December. How do we get our name out in these poor economic times?
March 28, 2010 by
Filed under business group activities
After years of planning, we had the misfortune of opening in the middle of the worst recession in 70 years. The business is a children’s’ recreation center with rock climbing, zip lines, and other high adventure activities. It is incredibly fun for kids, but not a necessity. Discretionary spending is extremely low right now, so groceries come before entertainment for many families in our area. All this is making our first months of business scary at best.
The real difficulty is that many of our potential customers don’t even know we exist. Kids love our facility, so once we get them in the first time, they tend to come back. But we still estimate that less than 10% of our potential customers know that we have opened or where we are located.
We have tried a variety of advertising and marketing techniques including: online directories, print, limited radio, extremely discounted entry to large groups (summer camps, etc.), flyers to schools and other organizations, and in person marketing at events and expos. Still, our exposure is very low.
In the current economy, it seems that people are avoiding unnecessary expenses like the plague. What are some low cost ways to spread the word about our business when people are not actively looking for new ways to spend money?
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What if you sponsored a “family fun day” and got the radio stations to come do a live remote broadcast? Offer free hot dogs or sodas and contests… Radio stations come out to this stuff because it gets people to their events too. You can also use free online calenders, have you sent out a press release to the local media? Often they like to cover local new businesses. Also, the newspapers often do a special summer guide that lists activities and such for the summer. Any local magazines too do this. Maybe you could offer a discount on a contract with a summer camp group. Work with your chamber of commerce… this kind of stuff is word of mouth…. if a park is fun, then the word gets out.
It sounds like you need to get the people who like your place to bring their friends. Try giving out coupons to customers that give a discount if they come back with a group.
If the kids visiting are a bit older, setting up a Facebook page and putting up a sign asking them to become fans might be worthwhile.
Finally, I’m a big fan of Google’s Local Business Center – make sure you get listed there, pick some good categories and more people may find your business.
Jungle, it sounds like you’ve worked hard in the past few months to build your business. So, you’ve laid the foundation for growth. Now, the trick is to build on the often hidden successes.
The best marketers for your business are, of course, the folks who have already visited you. I would start with them at the center of your bulls-eye and build from there. I wouldn’t spend a lot of money marketing to new potential customers; instead focus on those who already like you and get them to be your “sneezers,” spreading the virus of your business. (I assume you have all their names and addresses since they had to sign waivers.)
For instance, if the kids had fun, invite them back for a visit with a “bring a friend for free” offer. Each kid bringing a friend means the potential for exponential word of mouth growth. As they are leaving from that half-price offer, give both kids a coupon for the same “bring a friend” offer if they come back within 2 weeks. You get the picture: Make the kids the word-of-mouth agents for your business. (By the way, make sure your staff treats every kid as special; nothing spreads quicker than bad word of mouth.)
Another idea is to make your business a destination for birthday parties. Consider offering free cakes or some other deal for the birthday boy or girl. Even during tough economic times, parents want their kids to feel special on their birthdays, so play that card. Just like many restaurants survive on their catering businesses, serving groups might just be your ticket: Offer your facility at a steep discount for Boys and Girls Clubs, school groups and other organizations. (It won’t hurt to be known around town as the caring good guy, either.)
I wouldn’t spend much money online or in local papers at this point, but you might pin flyers to the local coffee shop bulletin boards, trying to reach parents. In short, you’re trying to become front of mind for fun. For guerrilla marketing resources, you might check Jay Conrad Levinson’s site at http://www.gmarketing.com.