A well thought out marketing calendar is an essential tool for launching structured marketing campaigns that support your overall business goals. Consider your marketing calendar your blueprint for your messaging to target new business, existing guests and your loyal members. This approach creates a strong foundation for achieving your sales and marketing goals.
Your marketing calendar will keep you on track throughout the year and ensure you are taking advantage of every opportunity to market your family entertainment center (FEC). It’s easy for time to get away from you so planning ahead is important. The major holidays are the most obvious so it’s a great place to start. What are the major holidays where your business is located? Check out this list of holidays organized by country to make sure you’re not leaving any opportunities to plan fun, holiday-themed events at your FEC.
Once you have your list of holidays most relevant to your FEC and your target audience, it’s time to sprinkle in a few obscure holidays and observances. Take a look at this list of fun holidays that create great opportunities for special promotions or simple emails just to say “Hi.” Remember, you don’t always have to plan an event or promotion. Periodic emails to your customers help your business stay top of mind. Here is our list of favorites for each month.
Sunday, January 26: Spouse's Day
Create a package for spouse's day that includes a meal for 2, dessert and access to an activity or two.
Friday, February 7: Send a Card to a Friend Day
Send a quick email to all your customers and thank them for being a loyal customer and friend.
Tuesday, March 10: Mario Day
Yes, thee Mario. If your FEC has a race track, this is one is for you.
Friday, April 10: Siblings Day
Encourage customers to bring their sibling in to have some fun, bonding time together.
Sunday, April 26: Pretzel Day
Create a package that includes a free pretzel with purchase of any activity.
Friday, May 15: Pizza Party Day
Friday pizza party - this one is a no brainer with endless opportunities.
Monday, June 29: Camera Day
Do you snap photos or use RFID technology to capture highlight videos of your guests engaged with activities? If so, this is a great opportunity to promote it. It's a favorite Clubspeed feature!
Monday, June 22: Onion Ring Day
Another yummy, low-cost snack food easy to offer alongside other purchases.
Wednesday, July 8: Video Games Day
Take advantage of a fun-day like this one to boost a normally slow weeknight.
Friday, August 7: International Beer Day
Most beer drinkers need little excuse to go out on a Friday night for a beer, but if you promote it, they will come.
Saturday, September 5: Cheese Pizza Day
Good old fashion Saturday, family night with a cheese pizza. Use your imagination.
Monday, September 21: Miniature Golf Day
This is a good one for FECs that have miniature golf as one of their activities.
Sunday, October 4: Taco Day
Have tacos on your menu? Switch up the normal taco Tuesday for a Sunday taco bar.
Thursday, November 12: Happy Hour Day
Make happy hour run an hour or 2 longer this day. This helps increase spend per customer.
Friday, December 18: Ugly Sweater Day
Wear an ugly sweater and receive discounts on activities, food or merchandise.
At this point your annual calendar includes specials, promotions and event-offerings related to all your major holidays and you have added some fun holidays that serve as great excuses to stay top of mind and encourage customers to come in during non-peak times. Include offers that repeat weekly such as, family night Fridays or taco Tuesdays. These days can serve as a dependable source for repeat visitors. What next? Begin promoting your calendar of events. Always allow ample time. For example, use posters and tabletop displays to promote upcoming specials and include the following months promotions. Use a tool like Clubspeed’s CRM and email marketing to make sure you’re communicating to the right contacts in your database. Remember that social media is your friend and it is an excellent place for promoting events and staying top of mind. Also keep your website current with all upcoming events. If you don’t have one already, add an events page to your website to help promote your marketing calendar.
Just remember to be flexible and change course throughout the year as you see what promotions and event are working better than others. Most FECs can relate to business fluctuating based on seasons so having a structured, well-planned and properly executed marketing calendar can be just the ticket to picking up the slack when needed.
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