Matt:  Hello and welcome back to “Pixels and Points”! I’m Matt Nelson, the Digital Media Director at Redroc Advertising.

Susie: And I’m Susie, the Traditional Media Planner Buyer here at Redroc.

Matt: Today, we’re diving into some quick media and marketing tips for theme parks, events, and amusement parks. So, Susie, what are some key considerations for parks when planning events and advertising?

Susie: Absolutely, Matt. First things first, your website is critical. You’ve got to ensure your SEO, PPC, and email strategies are on point. They’re the low-hanging fruit to kickstart your marketing efforts.

Matt: Right, and speaking of SEO, optimizing towards Google is key. At Redroc, we have dedicated account teams to stay on top of SEO trends, ensuring our clients’ websites are top-notch and easily found.

Susie: Exactly, Matt. Your website is often the first impression for visitors. It needs to be current, user-friendly, and optimized for organic search.

Matt: Moving on to PPC, it’s a significant investment to ensure you’re targeting the right audience effectively. Retargeting campaigns can be particularly powerful, reminding potential visitors to return and explore further.

Susie: And don’t forget email campaigns. They’re still crucial, but with recent changes, it’s essential to work with experts who can navigate email regulations to keep your domain reputation intact.

Matt: Absolutely, Susie. These campaigns tie into your ticketing platform, ensuring seamless communication and customer engagement. And of course, social media plays a vital role. Video content is king for showcasing park attractions and generating excitement. Platforms like TikTok and Reels are excellent for engaging with a younger audience and building buzz. Collaborating with influencers can also amplify your reach.

Susie: Paid social media campaigns are also essential for targeting specific demographics and interests, across platforms from Facebook to Instagram and beyond. Each platform serves a unique purpose based on your target audience. Pinterest, for instance, can be effective for certain demographics looking for visual inspiration.

Matt: Alright, Susie, let’s talk about location based advertising strategies. We’ve touched on some big options, with digital and mobile IDs. These are key for targeting specific audiences.

Susie: Absolutely. With geofencing, for instance, we can pinpoint potential clients by setting up virtual perimeters around key locations. For example, imagine we’re promoting a business gathering venue. We’d geofence major companies nearby and adjust locations periodically to ensure we hit the right targets.

Matt: Exactly. And using mobile IDs allows us to track and target individuals who frequent specific places, like sports parks for families or business hubs for professionals. It’s all about precision.

Susie: Right on target. These localized strategies are perfect for honing in on our client’s exact audience. It’s not just about competitors; it’s about understanding and engaging with the right crowd.

Matt: That’s why it’s one of our top tactics. Even though it’s niche, it’s highly effective for many of our clients. We’re talking about hitting the bullseye every time.

Susie: Next up, let’s delve into keyword retargeting and lookalike audiences. These strategies really amplify our reach.

Matt: Keyword retargeting is like hitting the jackpot. We can target people who are actively searching for specific events or services, whether it’s a Christmas event at a park or a spooky Halloween night. And it’s not just limited to search engines; we can follow them across the web with videos and display ads.

Susie: And let’s not forget retargeting those who’ve shown interest in our client’s site, like those who added items to their cart but didn’t check out. Offering them deals later can really seal the deal.

Matt: Exactly. Delaying those deals a bit can sometimes nudge them into making that final purchase. It’s all about timing and strategy.

Susie: And then there’s lookalike retargeting. That’s where we identify people similar to those who’ve already converted. It’s a powerful way to expand our client’s customer base based on their best customers’ behaviors.

Matt: It’s like finding new leads that are already inclined to engage with our client’s offerings. It’s all about leveraging data to its fullest.

Susie: So, Matt, these strategies are not just about throwing ads out there; they’re about precision, timing, and maximizing our client’s ROI. It’s exciting stuff.

Matt: Absolutely, Susie. Localized, targeted, and data-driven—these are the pillars of our digital marketing success.

Susie: Seasonal events are also crucial. You want to capitalize on local happenings and national holidays to attract visitors.

Matt: Absolutely, aligning events with local festivals or big sports events can significantly boost attendance.

Susie: It’s about creating that alignment and building loyalty with your park or venue.

Matt: These strategies work whether you’re a large amusement park or a smaller entertainment venue.

Susie: It’s all about making your location a destination in your market.

Matt: Exactly, and marketing these events effectively ensures they become successful and well-attended. All right, next we’ve got TV, OTT, and radio. So, favorites of the traditional media buyer.

Susie: Yeah, obviously we talked about video earlier with social. Where’s the number one place you’re going to get your video seen is going to be television, that’s where you’re going to get those eyeballs, those impressions. And you could fit so much into a 30-second spot.

Matt: I think the other great thing about TV is if you do a spot buy, there’s always that separation between news and sales. But if you have attractions, if you have something exciting going on, it’s something that the news departments are going to get excited about.

Susie: Especially if it’s a slow news day, you might get some extra coverage out of that, which is always kind of that feel-good story, what’s going on local in the community.

Matt: So, it could be a really good place for outreach too. And as far as radio, endorsements are great. You know, we’ve had a lot of success with getting local DJs out to ride the rides, do a walkthrough through a haunted house, and then talk about it on air.

Susie: Which I think is great for building that community outreach. Obviously, you get all the spots and dots along with it and all that value out of promo spots.

Matt: Including OTT in that, it’s even though it’s not broadcast TV and radio, you can get that local feel and that local coverage with OTT and hitting those local cord cutters.

Susie: Exactly. Lots of frequency with that.

Matt: But the local TV and the local radio is a must for any brand in a local area that you’re trying to build your brand, and then you kind of work down from there. With all the other digital options, people think that they’re going to be hitting what they need to hit, but if you want to be a presence and for people to know you in the market, you have to go with a broader reach for your branding message.

Susie: Budget-wise, I know TV, radio budgets can be big and scary, but like you’re saying with TV streaming and digital audio, there’s other ways to be a player in this space. You can stretch your dollars, make your dollars work for you.

Matt: Susie is definitely a pro at that. All right, well, I think that’s gonna be it for us today.

Susie: Yes, I think we covered it all. We covered a lot.

Matt: I tried. (chuckles)

Susie: Well, we’ll see y’all next time on Pixel some Points.

Matt: Yep, see y’all next time.