Don't Be a Telemarketer
Text Messaging is Like Everything –– Good in Moderation

One of the unique aspects of working in this industry is that each owner and operator is also a consumer. While some may not indulge in alcoholic beverages, it is probably safe to say that each person who owns, operates or works in a nightclub, lounge, bar or restaurant at some point goes out to the competition to either eat or enjoy entertainment. In this month’s report, we found that operators should consider whether they would want the marketing messages they are sending.

What’s Your Target?
    Sixty-six percent of those polled responded “no” to the first question. Sixty-six percent claimed that coupons and text messages are of no interest to them. This is a big signal.
    Think about yourself as a consumer. Are you driven to read, digest and follow advice of something that interrupts what you are doing, has no color, sound or aesthetic beauty and advises you to participate in something that may be entirely out of your age bracket, peer demographic and/or 20 mile radius? Unless you are marketing to the proven-responsive demographics of say, 19- to 24-year-old heavy club-goers, maybe text messaging should be a backup means for reinforcing other mainstream advertising instead of your constant vehicle to the masses.

An Advertising Accomplice
    Question No. 2 just reiterates the findings of No. 1. Eleven percent prefer texting, while 22 percent prefer an operator’s Web site where they can log on of their own free volition. And a final 44 percent prefer for operators to leave electronic media out of the equation all together.
    Making your venue into the entertainment telemarketer who never stops calling sends the wrong message. Text messaging should be monitored, reviewed for its success rate with each specific venue type and used as a backup to standard advertising. It should reinforce a message as a friendly reminder of a great event.
    Looking at question No. 3, however, it is good to see some things will never change. If you must cause a person’s pocket to vibrate seven times a day, at least offering that person something for free seems to assuage the annoyance.
    Finally, 30 percent say they depend on text messaging every day, while 38 percent never use it. This is, most likely, divided by age. There are demographics, times, ages and event types served well when added electronic- and text-advertising methods are employed. Make sure text messaging is something you are conscious of for your venue, but make it work for you — not against you.