Let’s face it – designing the perfect escape room takes a lot of time and effort. Not only is there the theme and structure to think about, but there’s also the overarching story, the narration and the clues involved to crack the case.
In other words, by the time it’s finally ready, you want to make sure all your effort has been worth it. Nobody will be able to appreciate a work of art without actually seeing it in action, after all, so it’s up to you to show it to the world.
But, how can you go about doing this? What can you do to ensure your escape room is a success?
Well, it all comes down to one key word: marketing.
Put simply, an effective marketing strategy can make or break how well your escape room comes across to consumers. Without one, your escape room either won’t be found by anyone, or it will take a long, long, long time to garner interest.
Therefore, to avoid this from happening to you, we have compiled a useful list of hints, tips and ideas to market your escape room successfully, highlighting what you need to do to get it seen by the masses.
Make it virtual
Ok, so this one might not appear entirely marketing-specific, but bear with me.
With millions upon millions of people currently stuck at home under lockdown restrictions, being able to physically attend escape rooms is a bit of a no-no right now. So, if you haven’t done so already, why not use a bit of creative thinking to transform your escape room into a virtual version of itself?
Using the same story, structure and format, try to think about how you could share clues via online resources. Alternatively, create a pack of different clues or items to send out to people individually. Then, working together, they can use these to find a way to escape.
This, in turn, will provide your escape with a unique selling point and, since it’ll be based online, will be much easier to share both during the pandemic and when it’s finally over.
Use print materials
Sometimes the oldest methods are the most effective so it’s important not to forget about good ol’ print media.
Whether it be an advertorial in a magazine, a poster in a shop window or a flyer through the letterbox, when utilised in the right way, print media can be a highly lucrative way of increasing your business’ profitability.
You could even think about adding a QR code to these materials to direct people to your website – or escape room – more quickly, utilising the best of digital and print marketing at the same time.
Utilise social media
Social media can – and should be – your best friend when it comes to marketing your escape room.
Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and even TikTok can be highly effective means of showcasing your escape room to the world.
These tools not only enable you to communicate and engage with existing consumers but they also provide you with an opportunity to target new followers through a range of social media advertising techniques.
Here are a few social media-focused marketing ideas to think about implementing:
- Explainer videos
- Photos/screenshots of successful escapees
- Questions/polls
- News & updates
- Regular blogs
- Events
Source reviews
Word of mouth can make a big difference in terms of getting either new or repeat business. So, to ensure people are talking positively about your escape room, share any glowing reviews or testimonials you receive from your customers.
The more positive reviews you can share through your social media, website or Google My Business profile, the better-trusted you will come across by consumers.
This, in turn, could not only help improve your domain authority but, through the magic of search engine optimisation (SEO), could also potentially boost your rankings as well.
Final thoughts…
While there are a number of more technical marketing techniques available, the ones listed here should help your escape room be seen by a lot more people.
Fundamentally, the more you can do to attract and stay in the mind of your target audience, the more likely it’ll be that’ll they’ll want to engage with your business and actually use your escape room.
The key thing to remember is that patience is key. If one marketing technique doesn’t work for you, don’t give up – try a different one and keep track of how consumers responded to it.It’ll be no reflection of how good or bad your escape room is. Marketing is simply a fine art that takes some time to perfect. But when you do – wow, are the results worth it.
