BookNow’s Marketing Guide for Small Businesses
Helping Smaller Venues Boost Results with simple, actionable strategies
This week, one of our customers – who doesn’t have any in-house marketing personnel – reached out to ask if we had suggestions for improving their marketing efforts.
At BookNow Software, we work with a wide range of customers—from single-location businesses like the one mentioned above to global enterprises such as Topgolf and Gravity. Over the years, we’ve seen countless successful marketing campaigns across the industry.
So, we put together a short article with a few proven tips that smaller businesses can use to get the most out of their marketing efforts.
Landing Page Tips
If you’re unsure of the terminology, a landing page is the web page you direct users to from a marketing campaign – this could be your homepage, the start of your BookNow booking journey, or a custom-built campaign page.
Key things to focus on:
📱 Mobile Optimization
Ensure your page loads quickly and looks great on mobile. Over 60% of web traffic comes from mobile devices, and that percentage is likely even higher for consumer-focused businesses.
✅ Clear Calls-to-Action (CTAs)
Place CTAs prominently in key areas:
- The header
- Within banners
- Embedded in the copy
- In the footer
🧲 Strong Headlines & Visuals
Use bold, benefit-driven headlines and eye-catching visuals—especially effective for venues offering kids’ activities like trampoline parks.
⭐ Social Proof
Showcase customer reviews or integrate a third-party review platform to build trust and credibility with potential visitors.
Promotional Ideas
There are countless promotional strategies, but here are a few tailored to Family Entertainment Centers (FECs):
💌 “We Miss You!” Campaign
Use BookNow’s reporting tools to identify customers who haven’t visited in the past two months. Send a personalized message with an offer to encourage their return.
☔ Wet Weekend/Weekday Campaign
Leverage weather forecasts to drive traffic. Manually monitor local weather or use our weather API (contact our CS team to get set up) to automate campaigns.
🎂 Birthday Package Promos
Use waiver data to identify upcoming child birthdays and send party package offers a few weeks in advance to encourage early bookings.
🔖 50% Tuesdays
Identify your slowest day using BookNow analytics, and offer a 50% discount to increase attendance and venue utilization.
Messaging
Even the best campaign can fail without the right message. Here are tips smaller businesses can use—no marketing team required:
🧠 Keep It Clear
Use short, benefit-focused headlines like “50% Off Tuesdays” or “Book a Birthday Party and Save.” Always include a direct CTA like “Book Now.”
📸 Use Visuals
Photos or short videos of happy families enjoying your venue grab attention and build trust—especially on social and email.
🎯 Personalize Where Possible
Use data from BookNow—like visit history or birthdays—to tailor your messaging. Phrases like “We miss you!” or “[Child’s Name]’s birthday is coming up…” increase engagement.
⏰ Time It Right
Send messages when customers are most likely to act—Fridays for weekend plans or mid-day for same-day bookings. Monitor open rates and adjust accordingly.
🧪 Test and Learn
A/B test different headlines, images, and send times. Small tweaks can lead to significant improvements in results.
Channels
Choosing the right channels helps ensure your message reaches the right audience:
✉️ Email
A reliable and cost-effective way to stay in touch with your audience. Use it for promotions, birthday offers, and reactivation campaigns like “We Miss You.” With BookNow, you can segment your list by visit history, birthday, or customer type. Keep emails visual, mobile-friendly, and include a strong CTA like “Book Now.”
📲 SMS
Great for time-sensitive offers like wet weather deals or same-day promotions. SMS messages are typically seen within minutes, making them ideal for urgent outreach.
Keep texts short, clear, and always include a link to book. BookNow allows you to set up SMS campaigns with ease.
📢 Social Media
Platforms like Facebook and Instagram help you build brand awareness and community. Share venue updates, post user-generated content, promote offers, and respond to comments.
Regular posts keep you top of mind, and even a modest ad budget can expand your local reach.
Search Engine Results Page (SERP) Visibility
Good SEO and positive Google reviews help ensure your venue shows up prominently in search engine results – whether someone’s searching for fun things to do in your area or looking up your business directly.
Additionally, we’d be remiss not to mention the growing influence of AI-driven search – especially through tools like ChatGPT.
Having a strong online presence also means you’re more likely to be recommended for queries like:
“What are some good activities in [LOCATION] to do with my two kids, aged 8 and 10?”
Bonus Tip: Use AI (Like ChatGPT)
While it’s important not to over-automate your messaging (tone and authenticity still matter!), AI tools are great for:
- Brainstorming campaign ideas
- Creating message templates
- Proofreading and editing
- Saving time on admin/content prep
For smaller businesses, tools like ChatGPT can be a creative and time-saving boost.
🎯 Targeted Promotions by Audience
To wrap things up, we’ve compiled a list of proven, audience-specific campaigns that many BookNow Software customers successfully use. Feel free to bookmark or reference these ideas whenever you’re planning your next promotion.
👨👩👧👦 Families
- Family 4-Pack: Entry, food, and game credits bundled for four
- Kids Eat & Play Free: Free meal + game card with adult meal
- Parents’ Night Off: Drop-off program with games & food
🧑🎓 Students / Teens
- Teen Night Fridays: Discounted entry + DJ or movie night
- Report Card Rewards: A’s and B’s earn free credits or passes
👶 Toddlers / Young Kids
- Toddler Time: Soft play mornings during school hours
- Story & Play Time: Combine storytime or meet-and-greets with play
📆 Time-Based Promotions
- $10 Tuesdays / Wacky Wednesdays: Flat fee for games/attractions
- Unlimited Sundays: Wristband for all-you-can-play access
- Rainy Day Play Pass: Discounts triggered by weather
🧩 Gamified & Loyalty Promotions
- Punch Cards: 10 visits = 1 free
- Weekly Challenge Cards: Complete 3 activities for a prize
- VIP Memberships: Monthly play passes with exclusive perks
🎉 Events & Holidays
- Birthday Bash Bundles: Free party upgrades or bonus credits if booked this month.
- Back to School / End of School Bash: DJs, prizes, bounce-back offers.
- Holiday Packages: Halloween costume contest, Easter egg hunts, Santa photos.
💬 Referral & Social Engagement
- Bring a Friend Free: Limited-time free admission for friends
- Social Check-In Bonus: Rewards for tagging your venue
- Photo Booth Contest: Tag for a chance to win monthly prizes
💸 Partnerships & Community Deals
- School Fundraisers: Share proceeds with local schools/PTAs
- Youth Sports Nights: Team discounts with food packages
- Corporate Nights: Team-building at a discounted group rate
🔁 Revisitation Campaigns
🎟️ 1. Bounce-Back Offers
Encourage return visits with incentives at checkout or via follow-up.
- “Come back this week for 50% off!”
- Bonus Card Reload: Get $20 in arcade credits for $10 if you return within 7 days.
- Free mini golf or laser tag if returning in 10 days
- 💡 Pro Tip: Include expiration dates to create urgency.
🛍️ 2. Membership & Loyalty Programs
Encourage repeat visits through exclusive perks and rewards.
- Monthly Play Pass: $39.99/month includes unlimited off-peak play + member-only hours.
- Digital Loyalty App: Track visits, earn points for credits, food, or merch.
- VIP Card: Every 5th visit = bonus gift (credits, attraction, or free meal).
💡 Tip: Make rewards visible on receipts or in the app after every visit.
🎯 3. Milestone Challenges
Gamify repeat visits with rewards tied to visit counts or experiences.
- Play Passport: Collect a stamp for each attraction visited across multiple visits — fill it = prize.
- “3X in 30” Challenge: Visit 3 times in 30 days and get a $25 game card.
- Level-Up Leaderboard: Post a leaderboard of top repeat visitors (kids love seeing their name up there).
📬 4. Post-Visit Engagement
Stay top of mind after they leave your doors.
- Automated Thank You Emails with bounce-back or “What to Try Next” feature.
- Birthday Emails: Free play or birthday package discount sent a month in advance.
- “We Miss You!” Offers: Triggered after 30–45 days of inactivity.
📅 5. Event-Based Comebacks
Host regular themed nights to drive recurring interest.
- Monthly Theme Nights: Superhero Night, 80s Night, Pirate Adventure, etc.
- Members-Only Preview Nights: Sneak peek at new games or attractions.
- Seasonal Punch Cards: Collect stamps at holiday events (e.g., Summer Series).
📱 6. Mobile-First Revisitation Hooks
Mobile-based incentives to drive walk-ins and reminders.
- Text Message Blasts: “Flash Friday! Show this text and get 2-for-1 tonight only!”
- App Push Notifications: “You’re 1 visit away from your next prize — come in today!”
- Geofencing Offers: Trigger a notification when someone is nearby but hasn’t visited in weeks.
🍕 7. Food & Beverage Tie-Ins
Use your food and drink options as the hook for returns.
- Weekly Food Specials: “Taco Tuesdays” or “Pizza Play Nights.”
- Free Dessert/Drink with Return Visit: Bring in last week’s receipt = reward.
- Meal & Play Bundles: Limited-time bundles that change weekly.
If you have any questions, or would like any support from our Customer Success team on setting this up then just fill get in touch here.
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