Marketing: Page 56

Commonsense Business Practices for an Improving Economy

For the first time in four years, we’re getting ourselves prepared for growth. In our little corner of the world, we’re not sure that things have gotten better, but they seem to have stopped getting worse — and we want to take advantage of opportunities that should present themselves soon. However, we’re not forgetting the hard lessons learned over the past few years.

With signs that the economy could be improving, it’s time to ensure employees don’t get lazy. (Photo by Andrew Cohen)

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Planning a Pool Enclosure? How to Cut Total Costs by 48%

Recreation Services Should Be Convenient for Customers

We work when other people play: That's our business. Rec services need to be convenient, and it should be convenient to do business with us.People don't want to drive very far to get where they are going. Location itself can be perceived as inconvenient, and if you factor in ludicrous gas prices, location can be perceived as super-inconvenient. If you serve a large town, consider offering duplicate programs at different times or in multiple locations, or bring your agency to your customer. In Bloomingdale, we offer aqua exercise classes at a local hotel's indoor pool, active adult programming in our senior living community's multipurpose room and daycare in a vacant store at our local mall during the holidays.Thursday can be the new Friday. If weekends are successful for certain services like birthday parties or other programs, try offering those things on Thursdays. Many parents will accept Thursday events, because they know they only have to push through one more day of the week on Friday to get to the weekend.Not all children go to bed at 8 p.m. Many people don't get home from work until 6 p.m. - therefore, they are not going to put their children in bed by 8. Offer programs later in the evening; you will be surprised by how successful they can be.Registration can always be more convenient. Set up drive-thru registration and drop-off/pickup services. Parents who don't have to get out of the car and drag their two-year-old inside will be very happy. In Bloomingdale, we set up a table on the pool deck to sign up for the next session of swim lessons on the day the prior session ends. Allowing people to sign up right away while they are in the moment is much more effective than waiting until next week, when they will have forgotten all about it.You have to get the word out. You have super-convenient hours, locations, programs. But can a total web neophyte easily find information about them on your site? Post this information repeatedly and in multiple places. Our office hours are posted on every page. Our services are promoted high in the web structure hierarchy - not buried on sub-sub-sub pages. Do you have an e-newsletter or Facebook page? Also, don't forget the real world - are hours, schedules and program information easy to find in your bricks-and-mortar building?Different lifestyles suggest scheduling alternatives. Many agencies don't program on Sundays. Guess what - with birthday parties and sports crowding Saturday schedules, Sunday is often the only day families don't have something to do. Don't be afraid to offer programs at nontraditional times and on nontraditional days. Many children of divorced parents are with mom or dad every other weekend, meaning some drop-in programs will do better if they don't take place every week.Transportation is an inhibitor to some groups' participation. Transportation should always be part of your focus on convenience. For your senior population, consider free rides or valet parking. For youths, consider bundling services. Two districts near us have shown sensitivity to these user groups' transportation issues. Supervisors at Streamwood Park District coordinate with senior centers to offer classes at their facilities, since it's clear that seniors are more likely to sign up when the program is offered where they live. Roselle Park District provides transportation to summer camp after swim lessons, so that kids can take part in two activities without their parents having to worry about how to get them from one program to the other.You can charge for it. It's true - people will pay more for services that are convenient. Open your fitness center at 5 a.m., or keep your after-school care open until 6:30 p.m. rather than 6, and people will happily pay for it.

Consider offering swim lesson registration on the same day the prior session ends. (Photo courtesy of Bloomingdale Park District)

Blog: Ageist Marketing Is Getting Old

Marketing aimed at those 55 years and older often doesn't resonate.

Selling Alcohol to Fight Alcohol Abuse

Oliver Luck says he wasn't particularly cognizant of the drinking culture surrounding West Virginia University football games 30 years ago when he quarterbacked the Mountaineers.

Social Environments Help Health Clubs with Member Retention

At the dawn of the modern health club era - the mid-1970s - Rick Caro became fascinated by a foursome of elderly women who gathered for a regular tennis match at one of the clubs Caro owned.

Research suggests that social connections within the health club setting positively influence member retention and exercise frequency.

Blog: Marketing to the Spring Break Crowd

College rec centers can market programs aimed towards getting fit for spring break to increase attendance.

Blog: David Barton Gym's Demise Is Simple Economics

The news that David Barton Gym has filed for bankruptcy protection was another kick in the teeth for our industry. It also should serve as a reminder to every health club owner that the next new thing is not necessarily the right thing.

Blog: Seeking Prospects? Remember to Invite Them

Holding an open house is a great way to expose your league to the public who may not know about it.

Blog: Four Tips for E-Marketing in 2011

Four tips for e-marketing for health clubs in 2011.

Blog: Sexists Fired, While Sex Continues to Sell

Female athletes are not marketed like their male counterparts.

Recession Forces Changes to Premium Spectator Seating

On March 10, 2009, the Dallas Cowboys unveiled the first completed luxury suite at the team's $1.15 billion home field, which opened three months later. A sumptuous 700 square feet, the 18-seat suite utilized materials such as Brazilian granite, Canadian marble, leather-clad walls and walnut trim.

Oklahoma City Arena, previously known as the Ford Center, was transformed through the addition of

Schools Have Struggled to Sell Bowl Tickets

In honor of its 14th consecutive bowl appearance, Georgia Tech offered $14 tickets to the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., but still only sold slightly more than half of its 10,000-ticket allotment.

Photo of Virginia Tech football fans amid a number of empty seats at the Orange Bowl

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