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  • Cheap advertising

    Anyone have any advice for cheap advertising that is effective(besides Facebook, twitter, website) we are trying to explore new avenues without breaking the budget. Thanks.

  • #2
    That is a pretty good deal. Email marketing is really cheap and easy as well.

    Is it legal for them to sell the students emails?
    Joshua
    www.hauntedprints.com
    info?hauntedprints.com

    Comment


    • #3
      It's only illegal if they advertise that they WILL NOT do so. Just like websites taht you sign up on, even this one here, if it doesn't say "We will not give / sell your information... yada yada" then they have every right to do so!!

      And that's where a lot of your spam probably comes from :P

      Comment


      • #4
        Mail Chimp

        Mail Chimp if my favorite email marketing provider.

        They allow up to 2000 email subscribers and 12000 emails a month for FREE. No strings attached, they only require there logo at the bottom of the email, just like most other providers who still charge you.

        Plus they have a ton of easy to use templates and click tracking tools.

        MailChimp..... http://eepurl.com/ePMFY
        Joshua
        www.hauntedprints.com
        info?hauntedprints.com

        Comment


        • #5
          Spamming people is generally a bad idea, and a good way to generate some very negative word of mouth, which will cost you double in marketing costs: one half being the cost of counter-acting that negative word-of-mouth, and second half being in opportunity costs of not being able to use those tight resources more effectively, specially when it counts, like getting a haunt ready to open for season.

          C.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by mrfoos
            Business-wise you could not be more incorrect.
            You're kidding, right?

            I don't know what your particular trade is outside of haunting, but one of mine is in Web Publishing. If you spam thousands of college students, some who are computer students, and know how to report spam to their ISP's, then you can have your account suspended.

            Not only that, there isn't a single reputable autorepsonder or email marketing service, such as Aweber, Get Response, and others, that doesn't require strict anti-spam measures, such as double opt-ins for list building, opt-out and unsubscribe links at the bottom of every email, and so on. If they were to even get the slightest inkling that you used spam techniques to start building your list, or they get any complaints about spam from people on your list, they would terminate your account.

            Also, what happens if you list the haunt website in the email? That would tag the website as spam related. Also, what major charity or corporate sponsor would want to be related to a bottom-feeding, spamming outfit? Least you think me being indignant and melodramatic, name one serious and respectable business entity that regards spammers as anything other than bottom-feeders.

            Now, as to whether or not spam works, well, of course it does. If you blast enough emails out about cheap Viagra (approx. 80% of spam is pharma related), a certain percentage of desperate guys who can't get it up will probably respond. That's a given. But the various antics to make the business practice work (and that term is used in the loosest sense possible) are pretty wooly, wet, and wild, to say the least. Very often spammers need to constantly crank out new email addresses, often indecipherable gibberish, as they get the old ones shut down and as the email filters filtering out the offending addresses and so on.

            Also, starting a successful haunt is based on fostering good will, and building a community spirit and mentality. That is a far cry from the hit-and-run, smash-and-grab techniques of spammers.

            So, sure, you might get a few more patrons, but I would not be able to in good faith recommend spamming as a way to build a positive web-presence. Not because of any personal convictions, tho I definitely do hold strong anti-spam convictions, but because I truly believe, from a business standpoint, that operating using bottom-feeder practices is no way to build a solid foundation for a long term business.

            Originally posted by mrfoos
            I understand some people are almost religiously against unsolicited bulk email. But it works. $300 for a direct line to an entire university of target audience is pure gold in marketing terms.
            Well, since you speak so favorably of spamming practices, can we assume that you use them in your day job or current business you own?

            As for the value of such a list, well, I really don't' know what you would do with it, apart from spamming a bunch of people. Perhaps if there were physical addresses, you could perhaps send out postcards offering a coupon and whatnot, but again I can't recommend spamming.

            Also, I'm not sure if you appreciate or know of the marketing principle of multiple impressions or exposures, but that discussion is for another time.

            C.

            Comment


            • #7
              Websites..

              Haunt websites, flyers, parades are coming up and cross marketing with other haunts.

              Peter T
              FS
              Fables Studios
              Your Home For Horror

              www.FablesStudios.com
              https://www.facebook.com/FablesStudios

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by mrfoos
                No.
                Yes, I figured as much.

                Originally posted by mrfoos
                You make a whole lot of assumptions
                If you mean as to your business practices, I merely made deductions, which apparently were true.

                Originally posted by mrfoos
                but there's no point in arguing with someone who already knows everything.
                Oh, I fully concur.

                Originally posted by mrfoos
                Blaze asked if there were any low budget options for marketing. I gave one. It works for me and lots of others... and I've made zero enemies using it. Sue me for contributing to the conversation.
                Well, I'm sure the Viagra folks would say the same thing. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.

                C.
                Last edited by BrotherMysterio; 05-10-2012, 12:26 AM.

                Comment


                • #9
                  I plan on being around for awhile so I am not going to ruin my reputation by being a spammer. There is a reason Walmart, Target, Best Buy etc... do not spam. What MrFoos is saying is that Walmart is wrong??? I guess if you don't give a shit about your reputation or are a fly by night crowd then spamming would probably work for the short term.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by mrfoos
                    And by the way, I get spam from almost every major store: Walmart, Best Buy, Target, JC Penny. And I have never signed up directly with those guys.
                    Baloney. Whatever you have received was the result of your signing up in one way or another with one of these "Reputable" companies.


                    Originally posted by mrfoos

                    I'm starting to understand why so many haunted houses fail.
                    :roll:

                    That is the mature business attitude I like to see in people.
                    Last edited by Skeered; 05-10-2012, 08:40 PM.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by mrfoos
                      I'm starting to understand why so many haunted houses fail.
                      :roll:

                      I have a college in my town with 10k students. I would rather take that $300 and have extra flyers printed than have a spam list. I have in the past given the flyers to all the dorm monitors and they each in turn passed them out to all the dorm residents. I have a relationship with the workers in the food court areas where I can put them right next to the registers. I can reach most of the campus students this way and do it in a much less invasive way. Not to mention they have a physical flyer in their hand versus a spam filter or del key. Gives the feeling of a much more local and personal touch too versus email.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Or Maybe?

                        Grab the mic to the full dorm adress system and yell about your haunted house. Maybe a very creative, scary voice, sound defect or phony news bulletin first to get everyone's full attention?
                        Sure. This will work.
                        Shimer College used their full dorm address system to fill out their basketball team on game night:"Attention! Anybody know how to play basketball? Come on down here and try on a uniform!"
                        (And that is how they now hold the small -collegiate record for the most continious losses ever! I got to see some of those games! It was HYSTERICALLY ENTERTAINING and memorable!)
                        hauntedravensgrin.com

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Skeered View Post
                          Baloney. Whatever you have received was the result of your signing up in one way or another with one of these "Reputable" companies.
                          Or it could also be one of those "third party announcements" options that auto-populate whenever you sign up for new email addresses, social media and networking accounts, and so on. There are so many "legit" ways for major companies to engage in email marketing, that they don't need to do baldfaced, blatant spamming.

                          Originally posted by Skeered View Post
                          That is the mature business attitude I like to see in people.
                          Indeed.

                          Originally posted by mrfoos
                          I mean, when I was in college I would be PISSED if I got a campus approved email about a haunted house in my college mailbox.
                          Well, that confirmed my suspicions that you really don't understand this whole legit, white-hat marketing thing.

                          Obviously, if the college sent out a mass mailing about an event that was tied into the college's mission statement, that would be legit, like say for instance something that supported a campus charity or the alumni association, and the student body shouldn't be any more offended by that mailing that any other mailing, like for instance some announcement from the Student Union, or the Entertainment Committee promoting an event.

                          That truly would be gold, and at $300 a pop, a bargain.

                          If, however, you just spam everyone, then there is no tie-in to the school - nothing "approved" - and you are just like any other spammer. If so, you realistically only have one shot at sending out an email that could be seen as spam. People are either interested or they are not, but in any direct marketing campaign, you realistically only have a 4% success rate. That's the target. Anything more than that, and direct marketers are usually dancing in the street.

                          So, we are talking only a 4% response on any emails that actually get thru and aren't flagged by the spam filters. To get any more traction than that, you would need multiple impressions or contacts, and if that was the case, then we are not talking about a one-time mailing, but rather vexatious and aggressive spamming.

                          Also, the fact that you can buy the email list of the student body from the school probably isn't common knowledge. In this day and age of identity theft, most people are especially sensitive to such things and would be livid to know that their information was made so easily accessible by a trusted institution.

                          Either way, we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.

                          Originally posted by mrfoos
                          I'm starting to understand why so many haunted houses fail.
                          Indeed. Questionable, short-sighted, fly-by-night business practices, and all that . . .

                          Originally posted by Skeered View Post
                          I have a college in my town with 10k students. I would rather take that $300 and have extra flyers printed than have a spam list. I have in the past given the flyers to all the dorm monitors and they each in turn passed them out to all the dorm residents. I have a relationship with the workers in the food court areas where I can put them right next to the registers. I can reach most of the campus students this way and do it in a much less invasive way. Not to mention they have a physical flyer in their hand versus a spam filter or del key. Gives the feeling of a much more local and personal touch too versus email.
                          Having a local college nearby is a true goldmine, and doesn't require any spamming at all. Not only are these all excellent methods to reach people, but there are so many other marvelous ways to market to them thru-out the year, and build an awareness for your event or show.

                          Not only that, it is also very easy to build an opt-in email list, which is legit, and where the recipients actually look forward to receiving your emails, rather than anxiously looking to delete them.

                          C.

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                          • #14
                            http://www.spamlaws.com/spam-laws.html
                            Joshua
                            www.hauntedprints.com
                            info?hauntedprints.com

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by mrfoos
                              I just like to point out that it's not illegal to send an unsolicited email as long as you are clearly identifying yourself and your business as laid out in the Can Spam act. Having apparently stumbled into a snakes den of religious anti-spam zealots who resort to personal attacks, I resign... as I'm sure most contributors due under the unrelenting pressure of the Wikipedia moderator generation.

                              And BrotherMysterio, you remind me SO much of my older brother it's crazy. Can't wait to see the "quote=" and witty retort for each line.
                              Well, I thought you weren't going to argue with a "know-it-all", yet you do try unrelentingly to get the last word in (something that your older brother probably finds amusing), but, either way, since the general consensus is that most people here aren't keen on spamming, I think it only appropriate that we press on, sans spam suggestion.

                              C.
                              Last edited by BrotherMysterio; 05-10-2012, 11:37 PM.

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