I’m going to go out on a tangent here, but, hold on…we’re going to loop this back around to haunted houses soon. Take a minute and think about the items or services you ONLY buy with a coupon, an offer or a sale. For me, I ONLY buy clothing on sale and look for offers of 30%-75% off! When I get an email from one of my favorite brands, I open the browser immediately or screen shot the offer to remind me to visit the website later for more details. Typically I don’t buy clothing but once maybe twice a year and have been doing this for years now, and it’s always after Christmas! Now, I have this weird obsession with Nike tennis shoes. I want every color and every style and will often pay full price IF the color and style is right. Needless to say, my obsession with Nike tennis shoes drives my wife Holly nuts! With that said, I have to pick and choose my shoe battles carefully. I often make shoe purchases a couple of times a year and buy multiple styles and colors at once. Lo and behold, a few weeks after purchasing 3 or 4 pair of shoes, I sometimes get a coupon offer from Nike or stumble upon a sale at a retailer.

Being as I just purchased 3 or 4 pair of shoes, the offer better be good enough to justify buying another pair of shoes after purchasing so many. If I go to my wife and say, “Nike is offering free shipping”, that is not going to fly…but if I go to my wife and say “Nike just gave me a 40% off coupon” that will usually be enough to get a half eye roll and a go ahead. This same type of deal works with some of the other products I buy, where I may not need that product right NOW, but the offer if so good, it’s hard to turn down, especially if it’s a product I use regularly. Where am I going with all this? Your offers can have the same effect on your customer base for your haunted attraction, be it before the haunt opens for the season or during the season EVEN if they have already been to your attraction that year.

Let’s talk about your core customer base of super fans that are more likely to visit your attraction multiple times in a season AND your casual consumer that just wants to do something for Halloween. Your core customer base that loves your attraction is most likely going to visit you every year regardless, so they would be way more likely to buy a pre-season ticket during the months of August and early September, for a discounted rate. You might be thinking, “Why am I going to offer a core customer a discounted ticket when I know for sure they visit my attraction every year?” Good question! Two reasons: 1) Cash flow can be low the closer you get to opening day, so the core customer base can help you generate some much needed early income. 2) The core customer base is more likely to visit your attraction multiple times in a season, so who cares that they got a half off ticket in August, they will be back again later in the season because they love you!

Then there is the casual haunt goer who is just looking for something to do for Halloween and does not yet have any brand loyalty to a haunted house. This consumer often just goes with the flow of whatever appears in front of them most often and is a good deal! Giving this casual haunt goer an offer such as a $5 OFF coupon or buy three get one free tickets, will give you the best chance at converting a sale. Plus, whether or not it’s a physical coupon or a coupon attached to a digital ad, they will now have a reason to save your coupon, (unlike a generic flyer or banner ad) and or take a screen shot of your digital ad for when the time is right to visit a haunt with their friends. See, as much as I wish advertising was instant and all digital ads converted to sales upon an impression, it does not necessarily work that way. Branding, frequency and good creative all play a huge role in your ticket sales as well as OFFERS!

In closing, don’t be afraid to offer specials even toward the busiest time of the season! All the more reason to buckle down and give as many people a reason to visit your attraction, especially if you have stiff competition in your market. Making offers for the duration of the season, just improves your chances of getting more customers AND repeat business from the customers that have already visited your attraction that season. So, you want to improve ticket sales? Just remember to make offers, offers offers! Now…back to browsing for new Nike tennis shoes…

Now is the perfect time to get started on your marketing plans. Contact Fearworm today to get started.