I ordered a pub lunch with my brother in-law this week at The Manly Wharf Hotel and was given one of those electronic pagers that bleep and buzz at you to tell your order is ready at the counter. I tend to spend the first five minutes trying to get laughs out of my friends by pretending this device is a ‘Star Trek’ scanning device or an 80s mobile phone right out of the movie ‘Wall Street’, but this time I was totally distracted by the fact there was a small promotion on the front asking me to join their Facebook Fan Page so I could get regular updates on their happy hours and other pub promotions. It was rather crude in its presentation but it was a fantastic example of how a small business took a dull moment of my dining experience (waiting for my food) to inform me of their exclusive online ‘pub community’ full of special offers.
I started to think of potential ‘quiet’ moments we have to grab the attention of our audience when they go and see a show. How many of us clutch our ticket stubs and stare it with excitement as we wait to go inside or the time we flick restlessly through our Playbill or programme waiting for the performance to begin, even when we are waiting in the interval to be served at the bar? Why not promote a social media link to see a ‘behind-the-scenes’ interview or an online ‘refer-a-friend’ ticket offer on the back of your ticket stub, or on a beer mat at the bar, or at the bottom of the understudy slip that goes inside your Playbill. These are all opportunities to remind the audience the experience doesn’t have to end here. They’re in the moment, receptive and hopefully loving every minute of it!
Once the audience leaves the venue, we have few chances left to remind them where to find us online and rely on their self-motivation. It’s the perfect calling card subconsciously implanted at the opportune moment and it doesn’t have to be flashy or hard-sell either. As with the pub, I now know where to find out if they’re doing an offer on their oven-crust pizzas next week, without having to turn up and hope for the best. It’s all about making it easy for our consumers and reminding them the ticket purchase doesn’t have to be the only time you have to go online to experience a brand.
Where do you try and extend the brand experience after the event and do you use social media to do this? Why not tell me on Facebook or Twitter, I’d love to hear from you.
