How do you advertise your pool room ?

[highrun55]

I have been using, matches, business cards, pens, hand outs , but word of mouth seems to be the best. Newspapers seem to want to charge to much money.
When you need to advertise the most is when you have the least money.
Any others that Im overlooking after 14 years.


thanks
mickey
the houseman

 

[manwon]

I have been using, matches, business cards, pens, hand outs , but word of mouth seems to be the best. Newspapers seem to want to charge to much money.
When you need to advertise the most is when you have the least money.
Any others that Im overlooking after 14 years.


thanks
mickey
the houseman

Hello Mickey, I use all the above also. In addition we also have a couple of Pool / Billiard newpapers that cover Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and California, I advertise in both. Also, do you advertise in the Yellow Pages in the book and in the online directory? I do and many people find me that way.

Also, do you have links to your website, on the sites of wholesalers you buy products from. Most will allow you to place a link on their site for free just because you sell their products, this will also bring people in the door.
I have links with McDermott, and many other wholesalers.

I hope this helps, and have a great night!!!

 

[AZE]

Word of mouth has and always will be the best form of advertising.
Media advertising (news paper, flyers, t-shirts, etc) can be effective, but I don't think a lot of business owners understand that most advertising like this is only truely effective if its properly repeated.
Standard flyers might yield you a 1:100 responce - but if you could hit the same people 5 or so times in the same month then your response would probably be 10 fold.

On a side note, if any of you are looking for design / print (business cards, flyers, websites, t-shirts, banners, etc) let me know. AZ members get a discount. I've done work with a lot of AZ'ers, just ask around.

 

[Irish634]

Why couldn't we have a sticky that lists all the rooms/websites....Like a room directory. Kind of like the table mechanic directory in that section.

Room owners could post their hours, web links, address & contact info. Just another form of advertising. There are always threads on here with people looking for places to play when they travel.

Just a thought.
Craig

 

[highrun55]

Advertise

Hello Mickey, I use all the above also. In addition we also have a couple of Pool / Billiard newpapers that cover Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and California, I advertise in both. Also, do you advertise in the Yellow Pages in the book and in the online directory? I do and many people find me that way.

Also, do you have links to your website, on the sites of wholesalers you buy products from. Most will allow you to place a link on their site for free just because you sell their products, this will also bring people in the door.
I have links with McDermott, and many other wholesalers.

I hope this helps, and have a great night!!!

Great ideas, will check into them.
thanks
highrun55

 

[cueandcushion]

Some suggestions

I advertise on matchbooks, yellow pages, giveaway postcards, 9 different business cards, Internet website. Posting on AZbilliards and several different sites. I also have a MySpace page with discounts for "friends" listed on our page. I also advertise on Craigslist under the small business section as well other areas when applicable. I will post under sporting goods when I am selling a pool table or cue stick sometimes. Poolrooms.com and other listing sites. Advertise on Entertainment book and their website. The generation of under 25 does MOST of their research for entertainment ONLINE. Not to concentrate on that segment of the market is slitting your own throat to the next generation of pool players. Concentrate on Students, highschool and college. Putting up flyers at local schools offering student rates or coupons you print yourself. http://www.cueandcushion.com/specials/webspec1.htm If you are not spending at least 3-4 hours a week online promoting yourself. You are letting business slip away. I also advertise with local restaurants with exchange coupons. We give away coupons to their restaurant..they give away pool coupons. We give discounts to leagues for dart supplies in exchange for mailing list names and customers. There are a lot of good books out there I recommend.

I sell tee shirts with our web address and specials listed on them at cost. I then give price specials to people that wear them. This way the customer gets a shirt cheap and you get advertising around town when they wear them out to other places. This has been VERY successful for us.

Jay Conrad Levinson has several books on marketing. Some of the points are repeated in following books but buy them used on Amazon and the information is really worthwhile. Some of it common sense some will give you "light bulb" moments. The Guerrilla Marketing series of books is a keeper. Make all your employees read them too.

Everytime you buy a product online. Review it and sign it with your name and web site address. You have to get in the habit of advertising every single chance you get. Once you do it becomes second nature and new customers are always trickling in.


Just some ramblings off the top of my head.

Have contests in your pool room. Free pool for a month to anyone that designs a tee shirt. The person will most likely get tired of practicing alone. They will invite new friends to play that month exposing your room to new blood.

You can have other contests once a month with free pool as the grand prize.

Always give free pool to people on their birthday. People rarely celebrate alone and bring friends in with them.