Welcome to part two of our media blog series! In this series, our goal is to help operators leverage media to bring in new customers, boost their brand awareness, and ultimately increase revenue. In part one of this series, we discussed why impactful media is so important to FEC operators. We also looked at some best practices for capturing pictures that have a purpose and leave an impact on the viewer.

In this blog, we will analyze the impact that different types of videos have on FEC marketing, and how they can help you differentiate your brand from the competition. As many of our examples show, these videos do not have to be complicated or professional; several of the videos below were shot with just a phone. The content of the video is more important than the production value.

Why Videos Matter

You might be wondering why it’s worth the time, effort and money to make FEC marketing videos.
Here are a couple of video marketing statistics that matter (source):

• 54% of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support.
• Videos are a consumer’s favorite type of content to see.
• 73% of consumers claim that they have been influenced by a brand’s social media presence when making a purchasing decision.
• 88% of video marketers are satisfied with the ROI of their video marketing efforts on social media.
• The average user spends 88% more time on a website with video.

The goal of video content is not just to entertain or make people laugh and smile. A video should be reflective of your brand and should be used to show what makes your FEC worth visiting.

Have a Goal or Purpose

Don’t make a video just to say that you’ve made a video. You should have a clear goal for every video, whether it’s a couple seconds or a couple minutes. Every video should have an emotion or reaction that you are trying to get a viewer to feel. Remember, just like with social media posts, a variety of videos is the key to grabbing customers’ attention. Most of your posts should not be salesy, but rather the majority should be fun and informational posts that set up an occasional sales or promotional post. Below are a few example goals for FEC marketing videos:

• • Build hype for your Grand Opening (example below from Doyle’s Outpost in Alexandria, VA)

• Get people in the door.
• Get people to buy a certain product or spend money on certain attractions.
• Promote an event, party, etc.
• Get repeat customers (promote a brand loyalty program).
• Get more of a specific demographic in your facility.

Types of Videos

Once you have a defined goal, it’s time to figure out what type of video would be best to accomplish your goal. Based on the goal, put yourself in your customers’ shoes and think about what would make them take action on that goal.

Here are a few more examples of connecting a goal with a video type:

If your FEC is brand new, or expanding and still under construction, consider making a video where you show the construction and discuss what is coming soon. This makes people aware of your facility and some of its features BEFORE you open. This connection between you and your followers will create more brand loyalty if your customers put a face to the name and they get to “meet you” before you open. Additionally, it’s important and extremely beneficial to promote your brand and create an online presence before your facility even opens.

Let’s say you want to promote a new attraction, such as virtual reality. Shoot some video of people playing the VR game from far away to show off the whole attraction. You can also record closeups of their faces smiling. When they’re done, capture their smiling and excited reaction while they take off the headset. Maybe even ask them to give you their immediate in-the-moment reaction and thoughts, like a testimonial. Then later, you can edit all of these video clips into one exciting promo video with music, action shots and their testimonials, ending with a call to action to come to your FEC. Example of an axe throwing live reaction video from Rev’d Up Fun in Detroit, MI:

If your goal is to get repeat customers or build brand loyalty, consider shooting a Facebook or Instagram live video. During this video, tell the story about your FEC. For example, discuss the meaning behind your facility’s name, or explain why you themed it a certain way. Throughout the video, walk around your FEC and show off its unique features or attractions. This will engage viewers in a more personal and raw way that makes them feel more connected to you. Perhaps end the video walking outside the front of your FEC and showing viewers the entrance, especially if you have unique or custom theming at your entrance.

If your goal is to get more of a certain demographic in your facility, think of ways to engage that demographic specifically. If you want to get more teenagers in your facility, maybe get one of your teenage workers to do fun Tik Tok or Snapchat videos. Or, if you want to promote more group outings or party sales, you could shoot a more polished promo video that highlights your group party accomodations and post it on Facebook and LinkedIn. The options for these types of videos are endless.

Resources and More Examples

There are a lot of resources available to FEC operators that want to maximize the quality of their videos. YouTube is always a great place to start, and there are seemingly endless YouTube videos with tips on shooting great videos from your phone.

More specifically, iPhoneographers is one of many great YouTube channels dedicated to helping you film impressive videos with your phone.

Even with the tips and resources discussed here, do not be afraid to look into outsourcing video production. There are lots of uses for this investment, including your website.

One example of outsourcing is a Google Maps virtual tour of your facility. It’s a great way to create an online presence. Lasertopia in Winnipeg did this. It cost them $600 to get the walkthrough video done, and it’s been viewed more than 350,000 times between the website and Google Maps. For the price of a flat-screen TV, you can create online buzz about your facility.

More examples of focused FEC marketing videos:

• • Rainbow’s End in Australia. This promotional video below did a great job of highlighting all of their attractions, and everyone is happy and smiling in the video.

Bowl High Five created a great video showing their birthday party capabilities. This is a great example of a video with a clear purpose.

 

• • Wild Island in Sparks, NV. This video below tells a short story about a family that visits this FEC. It shows that parents can have just as much fun as kids at FECs. It also highlights unique features of their facility through a variety of blacklight attractions that allows the family to wear fun facepaint and outfits.

 

Stay Focused On Providing Unique Value

WOW! We certainly covered a lot and your head might be spinning right now. If you don’t know where to start, ask yourself this: “How can I utilize videos to highlight the unique value of my FEC?”

Ultimately, pictures, videos and other types of media are aimed at communicating the value that your FEC offers compared to other entertainment facilities. Every entertainment center is unique for different reasons. The best way to gain brand loyalty from your customers, draw new customers in, and boost revenue, is to hone in on the aspects of your FEC that customers find valuable.