Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

Marketing A New Family Event

Posted by Anonymous on 8/2/2008 at 3:26 AM ET 250 Points
I am trying to market a new family event, called Royal Dance Party (www.royaldanceparty.com) to parents. It is a great family entertainment where not only the children, but parents can enjoy themselves. We offer massage, healthy food, make-up for them while their children have fun with bubbles, balloons and character entertainment. I have distributed flyers, submitted the event on mommy sites, started networking, but nothing works. Somehow my vision is not getting through. Any suggestions? Any out-of-the-box ideas? A catchy tagline? Website make-over? HELP! Thanks!
To continue reading this question and the solution, sign up ... it's free!
SUBSCRIBE
Or, SIGN IN

RESPONSES

  • Posted by Mikee on 8/2/2008 at 10:06 AM Accepted
    I think you will have to find a person that has lots of friends in the demographic you are looking for and organize a free party for them to invite your friends to. One of the conditions of the free party should be that you can hand out some advertising materials to the guest with perhaps a discount for their next event.

    The key is to have people experience your wonderful parties and that needs to get started some how. Word of mouth will be the best advertising for you. In your business, that could be an easy thing to accomplish as you have parties guest will say - "this is cool, we should do this".

    The key with the free event is to make sure that it is truly spectacular as to be memorable. You also need to make sure it is for the right person with extensive connections. I also think you will want to make sure that many parents attend so that they can catch the true vision of what you offer.

    I hope this helps,
    Mike
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 8/2/2008 at 10:23 AM Accepted
    (Asides: Add analytics to your website to determine if you're getting lots of traffice but poor signups or simply poor traffic.

    Your website's home page isn't as strong as your main page. I'd suggest that the ABC video should be more easily seen on the home page as well.)

    Since your demographic is children 1-8 (and parents), I'd focus on Mother's clubs, preschools, and (early) elementary schools:

    https://momsclubglendaleeast.blogspot.com/
    https://www.syncmode.net/momsclub/
    https://www.mothersclub.org/V1/
    https://hotmomsclub.com/?page=events/default&UID=&users=true&fmonth=8&fyear...

    But before you plaster these organizations with flyers and emails, first ask people for feedback about your parties at networking events. Why would or wouldn't they attend? What would they need to make it a "can't miss" event for them? Then feature those concepts/wording in your marketing materials.
  • Posted on 8/2/2008 at 5:50 PM Author
    Thanks for all the advice. I have tried many of them without any luck. I have tried to contact celebrities, but since I am not in show biz and do not know anybody all I got was their agents' address. I have sent them free tickets, but did not get any response. They might have been tossed out without being opened. How do I manage to get the celebrities real address? My last parties were filled with free guests from various mommy sites. One of them even wrote a nice post about her experience after the party, but it did not generate any traffic to my website. At least nobody who would buy tickets. So I have been trying to do all the right things. What is missing? I agree that something must be wrong with my website. My ticket purchase ratio is 1 out of 600! BAD! Plus this economy does not help either. As of having 'Royal' in the name. The party is for little princesses, princes and their families. They dress up like royalties. I thought it was a good twist on a family party. Do you think it is too much?
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 8/3/2008 at 9:40 AM Member
    If you've put the word out, and no one is buying, then you need to find out why. It might be clever, but your parties may be: too expensive, bad days/times, not enough testimonials, no one I know is there, it's too dated a concept, it's politically incorrect, etc. You don't know the reason until you ask. For example, the mom that posted: has she specifically recommended it to her friends? Why or why not?
  • Posted by CarolBlaha on 8/3/2008 at 10:20 AM Accepted
    What about marketing thru church and schooll groups?
    Take out booths in farmers markets and local fairs? I was just at one with a local kids theatre group.

    What local celebrity would tie themselves to your org? In Denver, there is a local broadcaster who goes to both private and public events just chatting about what is new in Denver. People like that are very accessible and their job is to promote the city they work for.

    Fusion market with other dance studios, and dance clothing shops.

    It takes more than one contact with these groups to make a home run. Its a good concept.

    Sell Well and Prosper tm
  • Posted on 8/4/2008 at 8:12 PM Accepted
    I think Jay brings up a very good point about finding out why you are not generating interest. Beyond talking to the mom who posted (which is a good idea), see if you can go to a Mom's club meeting, or gather a group together, and ask them what they think. In order for this type of basic market research to be effective, you have to be willing to be a good listener. That means really listening to what the consumer says, accepting what people say as representative of various segments of the market (in other words, not dismissing someone's comments because noone else has mentioned them before), and being welcoming of their input.

    Good luck!
  • Posted on 8/5/2008 at 3:21 AM Author
    I have asked many parents and so far the only fact that turns customers away is the price of the tickets. But this event offers so much and my expenses are so high ( even though most of the staff participates on a volunteer basis) that I would need to sell at least 100-120 tickets just to break even with these ticket prices. If I lower the price I would need to have full house (200 guests) every time just to break even. I took my kids to the OC Fair the other day and we have spent more than $100. Parking, entrance, rides, food, souvenir. And the place was packed. So obviously people spend money on their kids. I just need to get them to realize that my event is worth it. They do not need to spend a fortune and they get food, entertainment, and all the other fun stuff under one roof. How do I get this message across? I have decided to give my website a total make-over. Anything else I can do? The flyers do not work + I hate to annoy people with them. Any ideas how to get the schools involved? Just walk in and offer a huge discount? Or is there a protocol I need to follow? Any other ideas? Thanks!
  • Posted by CarolBlaha on 8/5/2008 at 11:00 AM Member
    Then its not the price, its what they see as value. As you say-- prove the event is worth it. Look for venues that you can do demonstrations. Or that could be a stall vs a real reason. There is some reason and you have to dig deep why they aren't coming back and referring their friends.

    Consider rewarding multiple visits and a referral program. Also look at every cost you have and see how you can deliver the same product, or more, with less expenses.
  • Posted on 8/10/2008 at 3:59 AM Author
    Thanks for everybody's advice. Unfortunately I have tried most of them already without success. I think I just need to give it a little more time. I have found another blog about our event written by a parent from our last party. :) So the word is spreading. It is just slower than I thought. We are in the middle of the first page on the Google search if you write royal dance party in the search. Not too visible, I have to admit. I have been working on positioning my website better. Hopefully I can be more successful with it. I am on Cafe Mom and 4 other mommy sites, checking them and participating daily. I have made some really good friends there, started playdates with them. They are really helpful.
    I have reached out to several media outlets. Only abc7 was interested (so far, I am not giving up) and the report is on my website. It is pretty short, but better than nothing. The gift token is a good idea. I have thought about it initially, but since money was and is tight I decided not to go with it. I think I might reconsider. I always try to bring unique gifts whenever I am invited to a birthday party. I am sure that other people think the same way. Instead of another toy or dress, a gift certificate from Royal Dance Party would be a good idea. So thanks for reassuring me that I need it. Anybody else has any other ideas?
  • Posted on 8/10/2008 at 11:50 AM Author
    Thanks everyone again.
    Best Wishes,
    rdp
BACK TO TOP

Post a Comment

Related Discussions

Community Info

Top 25 Experts
(Advertising/PR)