Marketing Your Attraction

This show is all about Instagram! Facebook's image driven social site may be a little young, but there's no doubting their power or intent to capture more of the social market. We'll talk tips, stats, guidelines and a little theory to give you a crash course.

Tyler is back! This week Philip goes through his class from West Coast Haunters Convention on the role that social plays in your marketing and Tyler puts on the 'Haunt Owner' hat to ask questions. This week is a little dense, but you can get the notes by texting "HAUNTER" to 33444.

Sean Norman from Wells Township Haunted House shares his marketing experiences for the 2015 haunt season and Philip recaps news on Google Ad changes, the Google Accelerated Mobile Project, and reads another of Austin Smoot's article "Social Media Marketing: Everything You Need to Know."

In this bonus episode, Philip reads "Haunt Marketing 101: Three Questions every haunter should be asking" by Austin Smoot; this article is from the March edition of The Haunt Journal. You can read the full article in the March edition of The Haunt Journal. To get your free digital copy of the journal, check out our new app for tablets, or order a physical copy of the haunt journal go to: http://hauntjournal.com/

Philip sits down with Zach from Sir Henry's Haunted Trail to discuss what marketing Zach used to triple his attendance in 2015. Philip also discusses a great contest example from DVD.com. This episode is sponsored by Haunt Nation (join 32,000 Halloween & Horror Addicts as they share everything from reviews to how-to's) and The Haunt Journal (The only free monthly haunt industry magazine). Get on The Marketing Monday email list by texting MARKETINGMONDAY to 33444 or by visiting http://www.hauntedattractionspodcast.com/marketingmondays/

This episode finishes out our two-episode subject: reflections on haunt marketing experiences from our hosts. This week Tyler discusses his past marketing trials as Creative Director for Scream Park in Lexington.Get on The Marketing Monday email list by texting MARKETINGMONDAY to 33444 or by visiting http://www.hauntedattractionspodcast.com/marketingmondays/

In this short bonus episode, Philip reads "The 3 Myths of Social Media Marketing" by Austin Smoot of Specter Media. This article appeared in the January Issue of The Haunt Journal.Get on The Marketing Monday email list by texting MARKETINGMONDAY to 33444 or by visiting http://www.hauntedattractionspodcast.com/marketingmondays/

Tyler and Philip are back for 2016! This episode has several raves and a rant at the beginning, and then goes into a two-episode subject: reflections on haunt marketing experiences from our hosts. This week Philip discusses his past marketing trials, and next week Tyler will dive into his.Get on The Marketing Monday email list by texting MARKETINGMONDAY to 33444 or by visiting http://www.hauntedattractionspodcast.com/marketingmondays/

Tyler and Philip return to the most important (and difficult) concept for haunters and all businesses- Positioning. This one is very dense, but crucial to make sure that your marketing dollars are not completely wasted. Specific industry examples are discussed, along with theories from the book "Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind" by Ries & Trout. Among these are: understanding that positioning deals with the mind of the prospect, consumer reference points are reality, an oversimplified message is key to cutting through the noise, and choosing your ladder wisely.Reminder that 2016 applications to be included in the Haunted Attraction Network are only open for the next month: http://hauntedapplication.com/Get on The Marketing Monday email list by texting MARKETINGMONDAY to 33444 or by visiting http://www.hauntedattractionspodcast.com/marketingmondays/

Tyler and Philip discuss different methods for determining your marketing budget, share some real haunt examples, and discuss agency costs. Reminder that 2016 applications to be included in the Haunted Attraction Network are only open for the next month: http://hauntedapplication.com/Get on The Marketing Monday email list by texting MARKETINGMONDAY to 33444 or by visiting http://www.hauntedattractionspodcast.com/marketingmondays/

Philip raves about 'HorrorNaments,' Tyler rants about escape rooms, and the hosts discuss how and why to craft positioning statements for your haunt. Reminder that 2016 applications to be included in the Haunted Attraction Network are only open for the next month: http://hauntedapplication.com/Get on The Marketing Monday email list by texting MARKETINGMONDAY to 33444 or by visiting http://www.hauntedattractionspodcast.com/marketingmondays/

Tyler & Philip share a few raves and discuss how to define your haunt based on benefits versus features. Philip suggests a T-Chart method you can used based off your SWOT analysis from last week. Get on The Marketing Monday email list by texting MARKETINGMONDAY to 33444 or by visiting http://www.hauntedattractionspodcast.com/marketingmondays/

Tyler & Philip try a new format: introductions, a few raves on haunted attraction marketing elements, and why a SWOT Analysis needs to guide your Marketing Plan. Get on The Marketing Monday email list by texting MARKETINGMONDAY to 33444 or by visiting http://www.hauntedattractionspodcast.com/marketingmondays/

Tyler & Philip discuss 5 characteristics that help to define your target markets: Size, Geographic, Demographic, Psychographic, and Behavioral. The hosts also recap surveying, emphasize that 'marketing is not selling,' and outline the marketing process.Get on The Marketing Monday email list by texting MARKETINGMONDAY to 33444 or by visiting http://www.hauntedattractionspodcast.com/marketingmondays/

Tyler & Philip discuss how and why to run a survey right away. Several different types of questions (Operational, Demographic, Pricing, and Habitual) are discussed, and why you would use each different type (at a max of 5). Methods of collecting responses (Google Docs vs Surveymonkey) and survey incentives were also discussed, before closing with methods of survey distribution.Get on The Marketing Monday email list by texting MARKETINGMONDAY to 33444 or by visiting http://www.hauntedattractionspodcast.com/marketingmondays/

Tyler & Philip discuss the 5 most important elements to have in place before Halloween: making sure your web presence has the key elements in place, having a way for guests to contact you immediately, optimizing your website to go cross platform, reaching out to locals that can make a difference, and not letting your social die.Get on The Marketing Monday email list by texting MARKETINGMONDAY to 33444 or by visiting http://www.hauntedattractionspodcast.com/marketingmondays/

Tyler & Philip discuss the difficulty of haunts accurately explaining what they offer, a rave about McCall's Haunted Farm (http://www.mccallshauntedfarm.com/), how to respond to guest criticism socially, and a rant about The Keep (https://www.facebook.com/thekeepinhuntley/).Get on The Marketing Monday email list by texting MARKETINGMONDAY to 33444 or by visiting http://www.hauntedattractionspodcast.com/marketingmondays/

Tyler & Philip discuss the scare-actor mace prank, The Washington Post's decision to broadcast exclusively on Facebook, and a brief foray into content marketing for haunts.Get on The Marketing Monday email list by texting MARKETINGMONDAY to 33444 or by visiting http://www.hauntedattractionspodcast.com/marketingmondays/

Tyler & Philip discuss what your marketing content schedule should look like for October, how to optimize Facebook posts, tailoring experiences for your guests, and specific examples a haunt can use. Get on The Marketing Monday email list by texting MARKETINGMONDAY to 33444 or by visiting http://www.hauntedattractionspodcast.com/marketingmondays/

Tyler & Philip discuss: the misguided appeal of "Top Haunted Attractions" lists, the vulnerability of social, price degradation versus adding value in ticketing, and guerrilla marketing tactics for your haunt. Get on The Marketing Monday email list by texting MARKETINGMONDAY to 33444 or by visiting http://www.hauntedattractionspodcast.com/marketingmondays/