Welcome to part one of our FEC media series! You can find part two here.

In today’s digital world, pictures and media impact consumer decisions more than ever before. People are spending more time online and on social media prior to making purchase decisions. The same is true in the world of family entertainment centers (FEC). Studies show that 70-80% of people research a company online before visiting them. Additionally, 97% of consumers go to the internet to find a local business or service. Having relevant and impactful content on your social media and website is a key to drawing in new customers, boosting sales and differentiating from the competition.

In this blog, we will look at best practices of capturing pictures of your attractions and FEC. Pictures are powerful tools that can help bring more people into your FEC and boost your bottom line. This article will be the first in a series of media blogs aimed at leveraging pictures and video to increase your revenue and brand awareness. Furthermore, we have a thorough marketing and operations kit for clients that goes into more detail about the best ways to market and use your attraction.

Beware of Google Image Searches

Too many operators do a Google image search for pictures to put on their website or social accounts. For example, if an operator has a laser tag attraction and they do an image search for “laser tag”, this can lead to several problems.

First off, there can be legality issues with using copyrighted images. Additionally, it’s setting the wrong expectations for your customers. Stock images or Google images are misleading to customers because you are showing pictures that might look very different from your actual attractions. Plus, random internet images might be less impressive than your real attraction. If you have a Mercedes, don’t show a picture of a Hyundai.

Pictures are versatile ways to boost your business’ profile

The entertainment industry is a visual and experiential industry. Everything we do is about creating powerful emotions and memories. It’s important to SHOW, not just tell.

Effective pictures of your attractions can be a strong differentiator for your FEC compared to the competition. If the pictures are done well, they create excitement about your attractions and can be used as a “sneak preview” for guests before they visit your FEC.

Below, we have outlined a couple basic tips and examples for capturing pictures of your attractions. These tips don’t require fancy cameras or equipment. Most smartphones or basic cameras can capture great pictures. The example images we use below feature the Hologate Arena attraction.

Purpose
Every picture that you capture should have a purpose. There should be an emotion or reaction that you want every viewer to feel. If the purpose is to promote a new coming attraction, a picture of the attraction under construction would generate buzz. Or, if your purpose is to get people excited about playing an existing attraction, a picture of people smiling and laughing is more effective than that same attraction without people playing it. After all, we are in the business of FUN. Psychologically, showing pictures of people’s emotions will make viewers more engaged.

In Focus
It may seem obvious, but the subject should be the clear focus of the picture and the overall shot should be sharp and not blurry. Also, ensure the area is bright enough to highlight the details of your attraction.

Framing
Framing the picture a certain way will affect how people see it. Make sure the important part of the picture is the first thing they see. Also, make sure that nothing important is cut off in the picture. Use the rule of thirds to get the best framing.

Social Awareness

There is also a degree of social awareness that helps in capturing the best pictures. Make sure that employees are ready to take pictures when people are having fun. Don’t just book an hour in your schedule to walk around and take pictures because there might not be a lot of opportunities to take quality pictures during that time. Instead, make sure your employees are always on the lookout to capture pictures of people having a great time.

Also, it’s an added bonus if you can capture distinct aspects of your FEC in the pictures. That way, people can distinguish that it’s your specific FEC. Capturing branding such as signs, posters, logos or any element that is unique to your FEC goes a long way in raising brand awareness, even if it’s just in the background.

In this picture, taken during the Amusement 360 Event at Woodland Bowl, you can see a pirate ship mural on the back wall that is a distinct feature of this FEC.

Outsourcing

While the tips provided above are fairly straightforward, we understand that content creation is not for everyone; however, it’s still important to have this content, even if you did not capture it yourself.

Do not be afraid to outsource picture or video production. In fact, it is common in the industry to hire local photographers to capture and develop your media content.

Keeping Media Updated

FEC media is not a one and done situation. It’s important to continuously get new pictures and content for your center. This will allow your followers and guests to stay up to date with new events and attractions at your facility. Constantly uploading new pictures to your website and social media keeps the content fresh and informative.