Do you advertise or just wait for them to stop in? What is currently working or NOT working for you?
Advertising
- Thread starter The Pool Hall
- Start date
We used to use a local print newletter but they folded this month. The responce was only so so despite over 4000 copies distributed each month. The best and most effective has been an online newsletter combined with 200 to 400 emails each month. This gives us the ability highlight and also change promo's quickly
Social networking sites. MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and Craigslist.
Picture ads, Coupons, news alerts on all of them. We have specials JUST for people that are on our list of "friends" so whoever doesnt want our mailers wont get them. Cheap and direct to people. We also share advertising with local bars. We advertise their tournaments and they advertise ours. But having a website that is updated constantly is a must. The days of websites being a luxury and not a business necessity passed by 5 years ago. My belief is ANY business without a website now is doomed.
Picture ads, Coupons, news alerts on all of them. We have specials JUST for people that are on our list of "friends" so whoever doesnt want our mailers wont get them. Cheap and direct to people. We also share advertising with local bars. We advertise their tournaments and they advertise ours. But having a website that is updated constantly is a must. The days of websites being a luxury and not a business necessity passed by 5 years ago. My belief is ANY business without a website now is doomed.
Thanks, anyone care to share more?
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Cant afford to advertise like I would like to, word of mouth seems the best for us, customers telling other people about my specials. It`s hard to be just a pool room these days for sure.
good luck to all of you, cold weather is coming and that should help.
highrun55
Word of mouth has been the best. We have beer, food and 4 tables. APA helps us alot. Put a ad on AM radio station but only been on a week so not sure if it works yet or not.
Craig, I started working on a facebook page over the last few days. Any suggestions would be help because I know Nothing about it. Who do you suggest for hosting a site? Thanks, Bubba.
Right now for advertising we are using Facebook, Myspace, Craigslist and Email blasts. Occasionally we will do coupons over email and on the sites. We also belong to multiple groups on Facebook and Google groups.
We have put ads up in pool newspapers, regular newspapers, radio and we were getting a very small return on the ads. So now we just make sure that we are listed on the tournament schedual in the pool newspaper. It also helps to have APA, BCA and VNEA leagues plus the dart leagues, and video game players as well to help spread the word that we are here, we have a good environment, nice tables and good staff. Staff is important especially with word of mouth because one bad waitress or bartender can sink your ship!
We have put ads up in pool newspapers, regular newspapers, radio and we were getting a very small return on the ads. So now we just make sure that we are listed on the tournament schedual in the pool newspaper. It also helps to have APA, BCA and VNEA leagues plus the dart leagues, and video game players as well to help spread the word that we are here, we have a good environment, nice tables and good staff. Staff is important especially with word of mouth because one bad waitress or bartender can sink your ship!
I assume you meant me...
We host our site through a local server here in St Louis Network Solutions.
Facebook I am still learning to use. MySpace is easier to customize in my opinion and easier to use in terms of messaging and sending out bulletins etc. Facebook you have to load up an invitation to an event to send out tourny announcements and such. It really is a "learn as you go" system. Sorry I am not more helpful.
Craig
We are starting APA 9 ball tuesday this week and we have been doing 8 ball APA on thursday for a few sessions. Open tuesday through saturday right now. The last few weeks have been alot better. We have about 500 flyers going into a local college mail boxes. The college is about 10 miles away with no pool halls around that sell beer. We advertised APA and I put a wing special on it also. What, if anything have you done lately?