What Kind of Message Are You Sending?

When guests are visiting your facilities, what kind of messages are they hearing over your sound system? All too often, it’s easy to just plug in the radio or a playlist, and not give it another thought. As long as the music sets the right mood, there’s nothing else to worry about, right?

Wrong — it’s not just the music that makes a difference in your guests’ experience, it’s the messages they hear, or don’t hear, as well. Advertising on traditional and digital channels costs money. But it doesn’t cost you anything to communicate with the guests already at your facilities. Think about the missed opportunity on a family picnic night in June if you failed to let everyone know about the upcoming Fourth of July fireworks celebration or weekly “Sunday afternoon with grandparents” events. And when you’re hosting an art fair for kids, you can also remind parents about signing those kids up for swimming lessons at your aquatics facilities.

On the flip side, there are also messages you don’t want your guests to hear. If you’re using traditional or satellite radio for your music, chances are your guests are going to hear whatever ads that station plays. Those ads may or may not be appropriate for the audience in attendance, and you have no way of controlling those ads. Some ads may even be for products or services that compete with your own. After all, media buyers know your facilities are a great place to reach target audiences.

It’s also important to make sure your own messages are targeted to the right audience. Promoting the teen dance party to the senior bridge club may not make the most sense.

So next time you’re tempted to just “plug and play,” ask yourself, “What kind of messages are my guests going to hear, and am I okay with that?”

Jim Moseley is the director of marketing at CMC Neptune. He can be reached at jim@neptunenow.com​ or visit ​neptunenow.com​.