Interesting Marketing Data

[Raycliff Manor]

I finally took the time to review the market data captured from the survey set up for us by ClickNPrint Tickets (a.k.a. Extremetix). This is based on the information caprured only from the individuals purchasing tickets online...

In response to the survey question "How did you hear about us?", the following is the response percentage break-down:

Myspace - 48%
Online Search - 22%
Radio - 20%
Newspaper - 5%
TV - 3%
Magazine - 2%

I know the question is often asked regarding the effectiveness of the various marketing mediums so I thought I'd share our 2008 Online Ticket Survey results. Pretty interesting!

Kel

[rwrussom]

Good info thanks, but to help complete the picture - what percentage of tickets sold were through this method?

[Raycliff Manor]

Great question. The online tickets sold represented approximately 7% of our tickets sold, which is a good sampling.

Kel

[monsterwax]

This is very helpful information, but could you give details that would put it in better perspective? Like how many different radio stations weere you advertising on, and how often? (Also, how many different radio stations are there in your area?)

Same info for TV and magazine.

What is the size of your town?

How many times did you advertise in the paper (the local paper, or college paper?)

Was any of this free publicity like news stories/ interviews?

What sort of advertising budget were you working with?

Thanks for sharing!

Myspace - 48%
Online Search - 22%
Radio - 20%
Newspaper - 5%
TV - 3%
Magazine - 2%

[Terrorknight]

I do think this is good info, but it also is not surprising. Your online tickets would get and higher % of Myspace, online and radio, mostly do to the fact that you have a link from these outlets more directed to your online tickets. To maybe get a really good count of what is working the best for you put a promo code in all your advertising. Lets say the word Manor, place that in all your newspaper, mag's, Tv ad's, flyers what ever you do, but make each one different by putting a # after it , like the newspaper has Manor1, mag's Manor2 and so on. Then on your website and on your ticketing site have it set up that they get a small discount for using this code 1$ or 2$ tops but they don't need to know what it is till they put it in. If you don't normally do coupons on your website only make it printable if they put in the code . This way your website and ticket site will count each code and at the end of the year you will have given up a few bucks here and there, but you can also get a better idea across the broad on what is working and what is not. Also you can count the # of hits that each outlet gave you against how many of them really came to your event by counting the coupons each night. Like 300 people put in the code for the newspaper but only 125 people came with the coupons, gives more info to play with. Now you might already do this ,but if not try it and see what happens.

[Jim Warfield]

I have been trying to figure this stuff out for over 20 years!
I have spent very little money on ads of any kind but I do ask a great number of the people showing up at my door how they found out about this place?
Number one is "Word Of Mouth".
Number two would be on-line searching, like Hauntedilliniois.com
Number three would be some tv show or newspaper or radio show that interveiwed me.
Number four might be they were here in town for Great-Grandma's funeral and had nothing else to do.

[Haunter3]

I do think this is good info, but it also is not surprising. Your online tickets would get and higher % of Myspace, online and radio, mostly do to the fact that you have a link from these outlets more directed to your online tickets. To maybe get a really good count of what is working the best for you put a promo code in all your advertising. Lets say the word Manor, place that in all your newspaper, mag's, Tv ad's, flyers what ever you do, but make each one different by putting a # after it , like the newspaper has Manor1, mag's Manor2 and so on. Then on your website and on your ticketing site have it set up that they get a small discount for using this code 1$ or 2$ tops but they don't need to know what it is till they put it in. If you don't normally do coupons on your website only make it printable if they put in the code . This way your website and ticket site will count each code and at the end of the year you will have given up a few bucks here and there, but you can also get a better idea across the broad on what is working and what is not. Also you can count the # of hits that each outlet gave you against how many of them really came to your event by counting the coupons each night. Like 300 people put in the code for the newspaper but only 125 people came with the coupons, gives more info to play with. Now you might already do this ,but if not try it and see what happens.

That is exactly right. I did some marketing for the restaurant I worked at and when passing out coupons to different stores, we would put a different letter on each, and see which stores had the highest return rate. It is a very effective way, and surprisingly at least in the restaurant business a %1 return rate is pretty good, and yes thats not a typo, %1. Good Luck and very interesting statistics

[Jim Warfield]

Here is how it goes..

Week one: Spent $65 on an ad-I ask everyone who comes here for the next two weeks if they saw my ad?
Nobody did.
Next month:Spend $160.oo on an ad-I ask everyone who comes here for the next two weeks how they found my house? Nobody saw the ad.
A month later I spend $800.00 on bumper stickers-People see the bumper stickers when they are stuck to dorm doors, not bumpers. Not too bad....
15 people are standing at my door, all very enthusiastic needing to get in-5 of them have been here before and brought their friends back because they had alot of fun here. Some of those returning patrons have been here 3 times in the last 4 months.
I ask these people "Do you remember how you found out about my house the first time?"
"My Parents told me, they were here when they were dating."
"My friends brought me."
"I don't remember?"
Of all of the wonderfull exposure I have gotten over 21 years there is nothing that I have experienced so far that will be the "Be-All & End All" in advertising, that one HUGE ad or magazine story or of TV show exposure that will guarantee thousands appearing eagerly waiting at your door.
I have been extremely fortunate becoming the subject of numerous magazine and books (Mostly travel and Odd-Ball and Haunted Places types of publications)
Countless newspaper articles in newspapers of every size have mentioned or featured The Ravens Grin Inn.Television shows have been kind too bringing some people here but TV today has so many channels...who knows who is watching what?
A Very popular early morning radio show full of comedy and interesting stuff brought many people here from 65 miles away for many years which proved to me that radio can be a viable advertising media IF you find the right station and program. I gave them a few free tickets, my only expense.
I have never spent much money advertising because I never had much money.
A return of a measley 2% would not accomplish anything noticable for me.
I do "invest" alot of time with my customers , hoping to thereby make a fun, memorable experience they just may become obsessed over and fan a fire of needing to come back here again...this is what works for me.
Those first couple of years here were pretty lean until I gathered a customer base of fans to advertise for me.
There is a life-cycle to a fan and mere life will remove them for a few years as college, jobs,military service, marriage all distract them, but many will eventually return.
It does help maintaining the same location and the same name for 21 years too.
I have been open almost every night and many Sat. & Sun. afternoons for 20 years.
This winter the weather has been very cold and nasty so we have been closed some and yet people are still coming here.
I ask them to call ahead first, they usually call MY head!