Archive for the ‘Bowling Marketing’ Category

September 1st, Happy New Year!!

September 30, 2010

In my opinion, September 1st is a bigger day than January 1st when you’re in the business of bowling. September 1st represents a new start; leagues are forming, the weather is changing and bowling centers are ramping up for increased business. September provides a new outlook, increased pace and new business opportunities. Bowling Proprietors are the true definition of entrepreneurs and as entrepreneurs, they are anxious to capitalize on the benefits that come in September.

In October, we have the pleasure of meeting with hundreds of Bowling Proprietors at the West Coast Bowling Conference, East Coast Bowling Center Conference, Texas Idea Share and the Mid South Bowling Conference. We demonstrate and discuss how our MOM Approved programs help improve youth and birthday business.  Introduce exciting programs to update Cosmic, Extreme and Glow bowling.

We particularly enjoy getting together with our network of subscribers to discuss their successes and potential improvements to our services. Our success is achieved by creating services that enhance the experience of the bowling consumer while creating new profit opportunities for bowling center proprietors. We look forward to seeing you in October.

Are Your Customers Networking with Each Other?

May 6, 2010

I recently had the pleasure of meeting with Bowlopolis Brand Manager, Sandy Mozur at the BPAA  headquarters in Arlington Texas.  I have always been a raving fan of the Bowlopolis program. Bowlopolis, in my opinion, is the essence of what an association of independent operators can achieve. It’s an exceptional  branding program to promote youth bowling. Since its inception, the numbers have spoken for themselves, over 1000 participating centers and an impressive increase in youth participation in bowling.

During my discussions with Sandy, she outlined new Bowlopolis branded offerings. Most impressive is the new best practices web site for proprietors to benefit from other center’s successful utilization of the program.

There is a lesson here. How can we create a network amongst our customers to share best practices with our products and services? Is your product or service relevant enough to your customers to participate in an idea exchange? If the answer is no, you have a serious problem. If the answer is yes, you are probably sitting on the most effective loyalty program you can promote.

We have created a three stage program to create what we believe is an essential tool for getting the most out of our service. Over the next three months, we will be launching a series of interactive events. We look forward to working with our subscribers to provide effective training and networking opportunities to improve their business.

By the way, if you are a Bowlopolis center, the Bowling Music Network now offers you selection of video and audio promotional messages that can be automatically scheduled to promote your branded youth programs. Our goal is to be another Bowlopolis “best practice”.

Digital Out-of-Home Marketing… Opportunity?

April 10, 2010

Digital Out-of-Home Marketing is any screen you see in a place based setting. In store networks in grocery stores, taxi cabs, movie theatres, bars and health clubs. But what about Bowling Centers?

  • Private-equity firm Veronis Suhler Stevenson specialize in media, communications, information and business services. They valued the digital Out-of-Home sector in 2009 at 2.5 billion dollars.
  • According to the Out-of-Home Video Advertising Bureau, digital Out-of-Home is the second fastest growing ad supported media in the US.
  • An Arbitron study in 2009 revealed that 155 million Americans every month viewed digital placed networks.
  • Digital Out-of-Home Marketing is utilized by companies and organizations such as Coca Cola, Frito Lay, Jones Apparel and the state of Michigan to name a few.

Bowling centers were actually pioneers in Out-of-Home advertising. Remember advertising on the scoring sheets? Many centers still lease out the pin rakes and banner locations. So is there an opportunity for the business of bowling to capitalize on the 2.5 billion dollar Digital Out-of-Home industry?

Do you have video screens, video monitors, and predictable demographic flow?  Is your business an active life style environment?

We think the answers are yes, yes, and yes!

IN-Center Marketing That Sells!

March 31, 2009

We take pride in providing the bowling industry the most extensive library of “In Center” announcements and promotional videos. The exciting part, is that it’s provided at no additional charge to our subscribers. We continue to strive to increase the content to cover any profit center a bowling center decides to pursue. We are in the process of releasing a new and exciting themed promotional category. This series will be our best yet, featuring effective, fun animated videos with industry leading voice talent.

Effective IN-Center marketing must:

  • Be fun and entertaining
  • Be professionally produced
  • Be to the Point
  • Create a sense of urgency
  • Be demographically appropriate
  • Be targeted to the current customer

A wise business associate once told me that you shouldn’t try sell ice to an Eskimo. But, if you are going to try, it better be good ice.

Our goal is to assist our customers with enhancing their customer’s experience at the bowling center by introducing additional fun products and services. When it comes to fun, no one delivers like your local bowling center.

We have over 350 announcements in 18 different categories that can be scheduled to play when you want them to be played. Hundreds of bowling centers utilize these every day. Let’s put them to work for you too!

If you have an idea for a product or service to promote at a bowling center, I’d love to hear it. E-mail me: jim@bowlingmusic.com. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Version 5 Hits The Road!

September 15, 2008

Version 5 Hits The Road!

Please accept this as your personal invitation to experience the industry’s leading Music, Music-Video and Marketing Services at the Kansas Bowling Proprietors Meeting – Oct 7-8 (Overland Park, KS), Texas Bowling Centers Association Idea Share – Oct 7-8 (Dallas, TX), Bowling’s Fall Classic – Oct 12-15 (Reno, NV), and East Coast Bowling Centers Convention – Nov 2-5 (Atlantic City, NJ).

Experience how our new service features will assist you in creating new revenues from changing market opportunities. If your goal is to increase birthday business, create a corporate party program, strategize IN-Center marketing, or build second shift revenue; you need to see how the Bowling Music Network can help you achieve your business goals!

See you there!

Feature Focus: Bowling Music Scheduler

August 27, 2008

Last week, the new Bowling Music Player version 5.0 went live for all subscribers. We have been working on this update for quite a while and we were all excited to get it out. Amongst the many new features and updates which shipped as part of the new player was an all new version of the Bowling Music Scheduler and an update to our exclusive Smart Marketing Technology (“SMT”). For those of you not aware of just what exactly SMT is; all you have to know is that it’s an incredibly useful thing that helps you to sell more of what you want to sell. The Bowling Music Scheduler is the front-end to SMT which not only allows you to automate it, but also helps you to automate just about everything you use the Bowling Music Network for.

Bowling Music Scheduler v5.0

The new version of the Scheduler is dramatically easier to use and navigate. It works on a 7-day, time-slot based design which allows you to quickly find the time that you want to insert or change something. We’ve added the ability to schedule Custom Video Playlists and Custom Video Programs, as well as system Volume changes, and even pre-programmed video Marquees. Scheduling music or music-video programs to change is simple and only takes two clicks:

Music/Video Selector

Using the Scheduler to schedule “Content” is where it gets really exciting for bowling center managers and proprietors. With as few as three clicks, you can select from hundreds of preloaded audio and video promotions to help promote things like Food & Beverage, Leagues & Bowling Clubs, Special Events & Event Services, and much more.

Content Selector

There are also tons of other great things preloaded like Safety Messages, Pre-League & Shift Openers, Closing Announcements, and Novelty Dances that can be scheduled to play whenever you need them.

SMT Auto-Update

We know how difficult it is to find time for things like this. When we talk to bowling center staff and managers, everyone agrees that they *should* be using this stuff, but they just don’t have the time to deal with it. For this reason, we created SMT Auto-Update. An all new feature that allows us to create templates of scheduled items and then apply them to individual subscriber accounts or full groups of accounts for multi-location chains. These templates are designed with generic content that will work in any bowling center. The best part is that they will be automatically updated and assigned throughout the year. You no longer have to worry about updating your schedule; we’ll take care of it for you!

If you’d like a more in-depth walk through of the new Bowling Music Scheduler, we welcome you to give us a call at 1-866-684-8324. We would love the opportunity to show you how you can get more by doing less!

-Aaron Lewcock, Partner & Technical Director.

What do you do?

April 14, 2008

People often say to me: So, what is it that you actually do?

They find it difficult to understand when I say that we create positive, energetic reactions. I guess it would be easier to understand if I said we provide music and music-video services to bowling centers throughout North America. Maybe it would make more sense if I said: we develop a leading edge web based software that schedules music/video programming and promotional announcements for businesses.

The fact is, that’s how we do it. What we do; is make people jump, smile, dance, high five, eat, drink and be merry.

We always make it a point for every member of our team to understand that our customers do not subscribe to music programs, a web site, an interface, promotional announcements, the latest music video’s or industry leading customer service. They subscribe to their customer’s reaction to the delivery of all of the above. If the reaction is not making people jump, smile, dance, high five, eat, drink and be merry, we are not delivering value to our subscriber’s business.

Nobody delivers this value better than the Bowling Music Network. That is why we are the fastest growing service in the industry. It’s what we do!

What does your music service provider do?

-Jim Juniper, Partner & Sales Director.

The Trade Shows are Coming, the Trade Shows are Coming!

April 7, 2008

The business of bowling is great! I challenge you to find a better group of business people to deal with. Our favourite part of the year is what we call the “Trade Show Tour”. The Tour gives us a chance to introduce our services to prospective proprietors, as well as the opportunity to get together with our valuable subscribers.

Our goal is to create an interactive experience with our products, services and people. 2008 will be no exception. Our creative team is finalizing the plans for an even bigger, brighter and more interactive experience at the Bowling Music Network booth.  If you currently utilize music videos at your bowling center, or are thinking about adding it to your entertainment package; you have to stop by our booth for the Got Video? Experience. New products, new services and the best customer support team in the business. We’ll soon be loading the truck and heading out on Tour!

See you there!

-Jim Juniper, Partner & Sales Director.

Summer Success Starts in February!

February 7, 2008

Whether you’re a 96 lane center or a 6 lane center; the trend is usually a slow-down in the summer. For some, it’s a small change in attendance. For others, closing shop for the summer is the ideal and most cost-effective way to survive. Don’t get beat by the heat, start promoting now!

The summer is a great time to host a plethora of short programs, fun leagues, themed bowling nights, kid’s camps, etc… The key to successfully running any promotion is customer awareness. Traditionally your best sellers are your staff and regular customers. What if we could add another element to your sales force? What if within your four walls, at strategic times, we could create opportunities to cross-sell, up-sell and promote the day to day and upcoming activities within your center?

The answer lies in Bowling Music Network’s Smart Marketing Technology. With a stock library of over 300 promotional announcements we can start promoting your spring/summer programs now! In today’s hyper-competitive market, people need to be informed. People need to be aware or they will not invest their time and money within your business. Let’s make sure that they do.

As part of the business development team at the Bowling Music Network, we’re ready to review and setup the entire month with promotional announcements so that we’re promoting the right programs to the right people. Let your ladies league know about the summer camp they can enrol their kids in this summer. Promote your new exciting themed bowling nights, and benefit from eighteen themed music or thirteen music-video formats to create the right atmosphere. Inform your junior bowlers about the Coaching program you have to help them hone their skills over the summer for next year’s school bowling team. Any students involved in scholarship programs? If so, let the kids and their parents know about them as well. It could be as simple as making your Friday night bowlers aware of your Tuesday night Quartermania promotion with a simple 20 second announcement.

To add more fuel to the fire… Let’s make sure that we’re scheduling the best music to keep the energy as high as possible in your center. With the choice of multiple themed music and music-video options, Family Friendly SAFE-ZONE formats, Live programs with Requests and Dedications including a Live Dedicated Kids party program; you can be sure that the right music is playing at the right time without having to manage a thing.

Whatever the program, whatever the function, let’s promote it in a professional and strategic way in February so that we can keep the door swinging in the summer!

-Adam Melrose, Sales & Business Development

Experience Marketing

February 6, 2008

Are you selling, educating/entertaining, or all of the above? None of us like commercials (except of course for Super Bowl Sunday’s entertaining ones), however if it weren’t for commercials, I wouldn’t know about the many products and services that improve my life on a regular basis. These, I refer to as “educating” commercials (which are most effective when entertaining). The rest are just plain and boring “selling” commercials. Luckily, at home with my PVR I can skip right through the selling commercials, but life isn’t always pre-recorded.

The lesson for me in this is: if you’re not educating and entertaining, you’re not selling. Let’s face it; if the consumer is not enjoying the message for the product or service, what is the chance of them enjoying the actual product and sustaining their business?

So are you randomly playing announcements and stuffing flyers into the face of your customers? How is promoting the local dentist, service station, or national video rental chain enhancing your customer’s experience? In my opinion, hearing about a delicious nacho platter with two loaded hot peppers, cheese, sour cream and an ice cold bud light would do a better job to improve my experience, particularly, if you bring it right to my lane! Added to that, the more fun you make it look and sound, the better the chances are to get me to take action (place the order). Call me shallow or perhaps call me thirsty and hungry just like the majority of every one of your customers. The fact is, if it doesn’t sound or look fun, I’m not going to do it.

Your challenge is to identify the points of the experience that have the most impact on your customers (food, beverage, arcade, karaoke, easy check out etc..) and make sure they know this is something they have to try. Our challenge at the Bowling Music Network is creating a compelling message that is part of your entertainment experience.

We’re ready when you are!

-Jim Juniper, Partner & Sales Director.


Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.