Selling something that people already know is not easy.
Selling something people haven’t heard much about is even harder.
Selling something that people have never heard of and that they find difficult to imagine is the difficult task of an Escape Room operator.
Escape room providers have to overcome different marketing challenges that do not exist in other industries.
The Escape Room sales and marketing tips described here are designed to help increase the visibility of your Escape Room in the marketplace and – ultimately – sell more Escape Room games.
ESCAPE ROOM MARKETING CHALLENGES
Escape rooms face two different challenges.
Challenge 1: You can’t describe what’s inside – because that’s a secret.
Marketing an Escape Room is like trying to sell something invisible. You can’t show it to the customer until he pays for it!
People book Escape Games based on your promise. How do you convince someone to pay for something they can’t see before?
Challenge 2: An Escape Game is a one-time sale.
Once you have spent all your time, energy and money to convince customers, and they have booked an Escape Room, they can still only experience it once!
Even if your customers are thrilled with the service, set design, puzzles and storytelling, they will most likely only play this specific Escape Room once.
Multi-room operators are betting that a great first experience will delight customers so much that they’ll come back to try out the other Escape Rooms.
The following 21 marketing strategies will help you attract new customers to your Escape Room offering.
ENCLOSE YOUR COMMUNITY.
1. offer a free mini-game.
People love to try things for free.
This is how it could look like:
1. set up a mini version of the Escape game (10-15 minutes).
Tip: If you have the budget and the materials, create a mobile version that you can take to local festivals, fairs and other events.
2. bring the free Escape Room game to the public. Distribute flyers or business cards with a voucher for the mini-game on the back.
3. give people a taste of an entire Escape Game without giving it all away.
4. ask the participants about the mini escape game:
Did you enjoy it?
Was it fun?
Do you want to have more fun?
When would you like to try our complete game?
Sold to potential customers!
Offering potential customers a free, shortened version of the game immediately solves challenge 1. Now people know what to expect!
And if they have enjoyed it, the probability that they will come back again is very high!
If you book a complete Escape Game, you’ll also probably bring more friends with you. More friends means more word-of-mouth, more attention to your Escape Game location.
2. offer a money back guarantee.
“You didn’t like the game?
Tell us why, and we’ll give you your money back! ”
Given that you offer excellent service and a great escape game, few people will ever take advantage of it. But it allows you to show your customers that you have no doubt that they will enjoy the Escape Room experience.
What does it cost?
The amount of potential refunds. But again, if your escape game and service are good, you will rarely – if ever – have customers who will make use of the money back guarantee.
3. sell gift cards
If people like your Escape Room, they can share their experiences with friends or family members. Selling gift cards is a great way to help them do that.
Escape Room Gift Certificates are also the perfect gift for those who are part of today’s “Simplicity Movement” – people who are looking for smaller, simpler houses and give away their surplus possessions value gifts that give them an experience rather than objects they need to keep and maintain.
What does it cost?
Depending on how costly it is to ship or produce your vouchers / gift cards, this strategy can cost more or less money. Digital gift cards have the advantage that they only cost the time and effort to program them.
4. use of local media.
Local editors are always looking for fresh and interesting topics to share with their viewers or readers. And you run a fresh and interesting business.
Contact local journalists and ask them if they want to make a story about you and your Escape Room.
There are different perspectives for an interesting story. Here are a few possibilities:
First Escape Room in the area
Moving to a larger location or expanding the number of escape rooms you offer
Visit of youth groups
events for a charitable purpose in which you and your company are involved
Opening of the Escape Room under particularly difficult circumstances
Offers something unique that other Escape Game providers in the area don’t have
How much does it cost?
The time to contact the various media.
5. promote your competitors.
I know it sounds crazy, but let me explain.
If you only have one Escape Room, your customers won’t come back until you open another room. But that’s no reason to fob them off with a “thank you” and put the hope in it that they will remember you when that time comes.
Do you know what they will remember?
Exactly.
Tell your customers about another Escape Room in the area. This will show you that you are more than just about money!
When you open your next Escape Room, people will remember that you were the one who recommended another great experience to them.
They will remember that you were generous and attentive.
And they will come back.
If you establish a cross-selling strategy with your competitors, everyone will win.
What does it cost?
This strategy costs you absolutely nothing.
OPTIMIZE YOUR WEB PRESENCE.
First, of course, you should say that you need a website.
Secondly, your website should be easy to use and present your offer in the best possible way.
Third, you should use digital marketing strategies to attract visitors to your website.
6. paid online advertising
If you have no online advertising experience, then here are some tips:
There are countless ways to spend money online, but very few ways to spend money efficiently.
Unless you know exactly what to do – hire a professional to take care of the paid online advertising.
What does it cost?
Advertising online can be expensive, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing. Trust someone who handles your money responsibly and efficiently.
7. SEO
Everyone who uses the Internet has heard of SEO before.
However, not many people really understand what it means.
With a simple Google search, you’ll find countless SEO tips and tricks from reputable – and less reputable – experts.
The advice you’ll find in almost all articles:
Publish good content and you’ll be rewarded.
That’s all.
But what is “good” content?
Good content is everything that is useful and valuable to your target audience (your potential customers).
So instead of thinking long and hard about long tail keywords, canonical URLs and referrer strings, just sit down and think about the people who are interesting for your business.
What are their interests?
What are they likely to look for online?
If you have “couples” as your target group, post unique date ideas on your blog (make sure one of these ideas is an escape dream!).
What does it cost?
Your own online research and the writing of blogs and other content is basically free of charge. If you hire a marketing professional to help you with SEO, pay an hourly or monthly fee. These costs vary depending on your geographic location, the person or company you are hiring, and the amount of work the person is supposed to do.
8. remarketing
Have you ever noticed that after visiting some websites you start to see the ads everywhere?
This is remarketing and it is very effective.
If you plan to use part of your budget only for online marketing, remarketing is the option you should choose.
Remarketing guarantees that your offer (in this case “Escape Games”) will be remembered by potential customers even after they have left your website.
What does it cost?
Remarketing is cheaper than standard pay-per-click online advertising, but it’s not for free.
Tip: Remarketing only works if you already have visitors on your website.
9th TripAdvisor
Go to TripAdvisor and create a free list of exciting destinations. Write a catchy description of your business and upload a photo.
Sign up for Review Express to collect as many reviews as possible.
Of course, you should make sure that your Escape Rooms, Escape Games and Service also deserve to receive great reviews!
Tip: Remember that no matter how hard you work, you occasionally meet someone who has a negative attitude and puts that energy into a bad rating. Offering a money back guarantee can help, but don’t be discouraged if you’ve got a negative rating in the middle of mostly great reviews.
What does it cost?
TripAdvisor and Review Express are both free.
10. blogger reviews
Search the internet for blogs or websites that report about escape games, exit rooms, live escape games, etc.
If your Escape Room has a well-known theme like Sherlock Holmes or the Titanic, you can search for bloggers who also write about these things.
Contact bloggers who are aimed at your target audience and offer them a free game in return for their feedback.
Or even better – invite them to play a paid game so that their ratings are not biased.
Here are some websites that publish Escape Room Reviews:
Nowescape
Escape Reviewer
Escape Room Tips
Escape Room Addict
How much does it cost?
Inviting bloggers for reviews doesn’t cost you anything.
11. escape room directories
Some people already know Escape Games and are looking from home or when they are on the road for a suitable provider. Make sure they can find you!
Visit the Escape Room directories that cover your geographic area and contact the administrators if your company is not listed.
Here are some Escape Room directories:
Escape Reviewer Database
Escape Room Hub
Nowescape
Play Exit Games
What does it cost?
Most Escape Room directories will list your Escape Game offerings for free.
12. avoid discount coupon websites.
This is the only item on my list that tells you what not to do.
Don’t rely on Groupon and similar discount services if you want to develop a sustainable long-term marketing strategy.
Often the people who buy discount coupons for restaurants, services and entertainment are much more interested in discounts than in the venues.
This leads to several problems that have a negative impact on both your success and the industry as a whole:
The discount sites attract people who are basically not your target audience. So there is a danger that the Escape Game will be less appealing to them and that you will get a bad rating afterwards.
BE OPEN.
Today it is difficult to market an Escape Room without social media, especially Twitter and Facebook.
Use the popularity to your advantage. People react to companies that deal with them as people, so develop a friendly and authentic marketing strategy.
13. post regularly relevant content.
Share articles and pictures for your target group – they will share the content with friends because it is relevant to their interests.
Tip: There is a free tool that automatically makes your Facebook posts for you, so you only have to post in one place.
Customize your posts to your audience on any platform (e.g. posts on LinkedIn tend to be more professional, while you can use a more casual tone on Twitter and Facebook).
What does it cost?
Setting up profiles on the most popular social media platforms is free, as is publishing and sharing content.
In your social media activity, you get the most leverage from the team photos you take of your customers after they finish an escape game. Post the photos on your news feed and let the customers tag themselves.
Your customers’ friends will see the pictures with your logo and a group of happy, excited people.
Efficient, cheap advertising!
What does it cost?
Apart from the cost of the camera, taking digital photos and posting on social media, it won’t cost anything.
15. buy an ad in the local travel guides and maps.
Google your city or geographical region as if you’re coming to visit for the first time.
Visit hotels and see what types of brochures and maps they offer.
Talk to other entertainment providers near you and find out where they advertise.
Think about whether a poster campaign might be worthwhile.
How much does it cost?
The purchase of advertising space costs some money.
16. cooperate with local tour operators.
If your company is in an area served by tour buses and guides, find out if there is a way to negotiate a cross-promotion commission contract with these companies.
How much does it cost?
In general, a commission is paid for this type of contract.
REWARD YOUR CUSTOMERS
The best advertising is positive word-of-mouth propaganda from those who have played and enjoyed your Escape Game.
17. distribute merchandise for your Escape Game.
Give your customers small, inexpensive merchandise items like bunch of keys as a gift after they have played the Escape Game.
Try to choose something closely related to the theme of Escape Space.
If they liked the game and the item is cool, they will show it to their friends.
This is exactly what you need
How much does it cost?
Many companies sell merchandise for low prices. The more you order, the lower the price.
18. sell T-shirts and other items with your logo.
Some people like to collect T-shirts, shot glasses and other branded items as souvenirs from places they have visited, especially on holiday.
Every time someone wears a T-shirt with your logo, you get free advertising!
How much does it cost?
See point 17.
19. give customers discounts on future bookings.
This technique is similar to “upselling”, which you can often see in fast food chains, for example.
If you have more than one Escape Room, you can make players book another game immediately after the end of their Escape Game (while they are still full of adrenaline and emotion)!
Give a discount on the next Escape Game if you book directly.
Tip: If you have an Escape Room that is empty at this time, offer an even bigger discount to play this room immediately.
How much does it cost?
The financial losses are limited because you can fill an empty room. And of course there is positive word of mouth.
20. use the birthday call.
I must warn you now I will share a really strong sales tip with you.
Something your competitors don’t do.
How many emails do you usually get on your birthday?
Do you remember any of the companies that sent those emails?
If you’re like me, you don’t remember any of those emails, and they all end up in the spam folder.
Would you remember if someone you didn’t know called you on your birthday and said, “Hey, this is Max, from XYZ. I just wanted to wish you all the best for your birthday. Enjoy your day!”
Think about it.
Birthdays are usually happy days for your customers.
Use that!
Here is what you do:
Call your customers on their birthdays and wish them all the best for their birthday.
Nothing more.
Don’t sell anything.
They will remember you.
They will like you.
Next time they think of an Escape Room – who will they think of?
Sold!
Tip: You can get the phone numbers and birth dates of the players during the booking process.
How much does it cost?
One call is free, only takes 20 seconds.
21. loyalty and referrals.
Be the best you can be.
Create puzzles that are fun, challenging and unique.
Spend your time and money on quality, design and props.
Create a story that is fascinating and entertaining.
Give your customers a special day.
Make sure everyone who plays your Escape Game wants to come back for more.
People will tell their friends about the great experience in the Escape Room. They will write positive reviews. They will do the marketing for you.
Give your customers an extraordinary Escape Room experience and you’ll be rewarded for it.