The Marketing Attractions Podcast

Briana and her team won APGA's 2024 Marketing Excellence Award. She shares insights from this award-winning campaign: When the Wind Came Sweeping Down the Plain. Plus, we also discuss: Marketing a public garden with a minimal advertising budget Creating more visual impact on Instagram Running sponsorships on NPR radio Join us as we talk about marketing the Tulsa Garden Center. This podcast is produced by attend media. attend helps nonprofit attractions drive visitation through paid media. Download our free guide to media planning for nonprofit attractions at our site - attend.mediaInterested in being a guest on the show? Visit the podcast's website - MarketingAttractionsPodcast.com

Erin Ward from the Palm Beach Zoo joins us to talk marketing. We dive into...Palm Beach Zoo's most recent, conservation-focused marketing campaign - "Zoo More Good" How to use Birdeye to generate more positive Google reviews A text and email 'drip' strategy to upsell animal experiences, food and beverage, and increase repeat visitation How customer data is impacting their advertising strategy This is a great listen for any marketing director at a zoo, aquarium, garden, or museum. This podcast is produced by attend media. attend helps nonprofit attractions drive visitation through paid media. Download our free guide to media planning for nonprofit attractions at our site - attend.mediaInterested in being a guest on the show? Visit the podcast's website - MarketingAttractionsPodcast.com

Attraction veteran, David Rosenberg, shares his thoughts on seamless visitor experiences, networking, and, Gen Z. Here's what we talk about: Using technology to create a more 'seamless' visitor experience Some ways to grow your career in the attractions space How GenZers are different than previous generations Plus, David shares his journey from Monterey Bay Aquarium to SSA Ventures This podcast is produced by attend media. attend helps nonprofit attractions drive visitation through paid media. Download our free guide to media planning for nonprofit attractions at our site - attend.mediaInterested in being a guest on the show? Visit the podcast's website - MarketingAttractionsPodcast.com

Jenny considers influencer marketing a 'paid advertising' tactic, not just a PR play. She argues that we need to look at influencer marketing the same way as we look at billboards, radio, or any other form of advertising. Influencer marketing as paid advertising means...We need to determine a budget and develop a strategic plan like we would with radio, TV, or any other ad investment. We can proactively find influencers that align with the audiences we want to target. Secure usage rights to use the influencer's video content Run that content as paid ads on TikTok and Instagram Measure and report Get our Free Guide to Nano Influencers for Nonprofit Attractions here. This podcast is produced by attend media. attend helps nonprofit attractions drive visitation through paid media. Download our free guide to media planning for nonprofit attractions at our site - attend.mediaInterested in being a guest on the show? Visit the podcast's website - MarketingAttractionsPodcast.com

One of the pain points for marketing teams always seems to be their organization's ticketing system. They can't get the customer data and/or they can't attribute back online ticket sales to online advertising. We brought in Michelle Paul from BackOffice Thinking to get her thoughts on how marketing can get the most out of their ticketing system. We cover:A few good and not-so-good reasons to switch ticketing systems The common mistakes organizations make when looking for a new system Many ticketing systems can cover our 'marketing wishlist', but we need to know how to utilize itSign up for BackOffice Thinking's e-book on successfully changing technology here.This podcast is produced by attend media. attend helps nonprofit attractions drive visitation through paid media. Download our free guide to media planning for nonprofit attractions at our site - attend.mediaInterested in being a guest on the show? Visit the podcast's website - MarketingAttractionsPodcast.com

Scott McPherson takes a 'noses-in-roses' approach to selling tickets and weddings at Royal Botanical Garden. Scott joins us to talk about creating and marketing events to bring new, diverse audiences to the garden. We dive into how and why he uses influencer marketing in his advertising strategy.Scott shares...Tailoring Content to Audience Segments: Scott explains the importance of designing events for various demographics, from elderly visitors to young families, using seasonal and unique experiences to draw in different groups.Working with Micro-Influencers: Scott discusses the benefits of partnering with local micro-influencers who, despite having smaller followings, offer authentic content and effective local engagement at a lower cost compared to high-profile celebrities.Authenticity Over Polished Content: Emphasizing that influencers should share genuine experiences rather than adhering to scripted content, Scott highlights the value of authentic, relatable content in building trust with audiences.Navigating the Influencer Landscape: The episode covers the challenges of inconsistent pricing and professionalism among influencers. Scott shares how to use social listening tools and geographic insights to find the right local influencers.The Importance of Research: Scott advocates for investing in research to understand and attract new audiences, ensuring that programming aligns with visitor interests and maximizes marketing ROI.This podcast is produced by attend media. attend helps nonprofit attractions drive visitation through paid media. Download our free guide to media planning for nonprofit attractions at our site - attend.mediaInterested in being a guest on the show? Visit the podcast's website - MarketingAttractionsPodcast.com

Google wants to give every non-profit attraction $10,000/month in free advertising. But, some zoos, aquariums, museums, and gardens don't maximize this program...or...don't utilize it all. Jenny and the team cover these 10 questions about the Google Ad Grants for Nonprofits program:What is a Google Ad GrantsWhat’s the catch?Can I use it to sell tickets?What are the rules to ensure I have a compliant campaign? What is the strategy to maximize the grant?Can this grant replace my paid advertising with Google? What should I do if we’re not spending the $10k?What happens if I get canceled?What about Bing?What’s this going to cost me?  Get our free Checklist for Google Ad Grants here. This podcast is produced by attend media. attend helps nonprofit attractions drive visitation through paid media. Download our free guide to media planning for nonprofit attractions at our site - attend.mediaInterested in being a guest on the show? Visit the podcast's website - MarketingAttractionsPodcast.com

Recently one of Jenny's marketing clients - a large botanical garden - invested in creating an online map. So, we asked Anna Busby from Engage by Cell to help us understand the pros and cons of creating an online map for non-profit attractions. We discuss...Costs - time and financial - for developing an online map Ideas on getting your visitors to use your maps Customizing maps for your special events This podcast is produced by attend media. attend helps nonprofit attractions drive visitation through paid media. Download our free guide to media planning for nonprofit attractions at our site - attend.mediaInterested in being a guest on the show? Visit the podcast's website - MarketingAttractionsPodcast.com

Tim Morrow shares his perspective on how ticket revenue can help spread the mission for non-profit attractions. He aims to make San Antonio Zoo not just the top zoo in Texas but the top attraction in the state. He spent 18+ years with SeaWorld and talks what he's brought from the for-profit side to the non-profit side.  We talk about...How zoos can learn from how theme parks are marketing and selling tickets and guest experiencesThe power of 'repeatability' and creating a year-long calendar of events Different pricing packages to enhance the guest experience and increase revenue This podcast is produced by attend media. attend helps nonprofit attractions drive visitation through paid media. Download our free guide to media planning for nonprofit attractions at our site - attend.mediaInterested in being a guest on the show? Visit the podcast's website - MarketingAttractionsPodcast.com

We talk with Alyssa Fagien from ATL Bucket List to learn some best practices on how influencers want to work with nonprofit attractions. We talk about what makes a good brief for a creator, sharing your attraction's 'hidden gems,' and whitelisting creator content for ads.  This podcast is produced by attend media. attend helps nonprofit attractions drive visitation through paid media. Download our free guide to media planning for nonprofit attractions at our site - attend.mediaInterested in being a guest on the show? Visit the podcast's website - MarketingAttractionsPodcast.com

Jack Stevenson from Cedar Fair Entertainment Company produces 50+ events at theme parks. He shares his ideas on how non-profit attractions can increase attendance by focusing on events. We discuss...What goes into creating an event from scratchUsing variable pricing to generate value for events Selling memberships (or, season passes as they call it) This podcast is produced by attend media. attend helps nonprofit attractions drive visitation through paid media. Download our free guide to media planning for nonprofit attractions at our site - attend.mediaInterested in being a guest on the show? Visit the podcast's website - MarketingAttractionsPodcast.com

Jenny shares strategies and ideas to help zoos, aquariums, gardens and museums plan their advertising for their 2024 holiday events. Political ads will flood the media market which will drive up ad costs.  And, many attractions are looking to increase attendance after record-setting years further. We discuss...Buying non-preemptable ad inventory on TV and radio Using programmatic out-of-home to drive ticket sales on 'off nights'How Pinterest can drive ticket sales in early November Using Influencer Marketing to set guest expectations when your attraction is at capacity This podcast is produced by attend media. attend helps nonprofit attractions drive visitation through paid media. Download our free guide to media planning for nonprofit attractions at our site - attend.mediaInterested in being a guest on the show? Visit the podcast's website - MarketingAttractionsPodcast.com

Jim Bartoo from the Nashville Zoo joins the show to talk marketing. We discuss...The value of relationships with local TV, radio and newspaper outlets His approach to getting earned mediaA plan to spend ad dollars outside the Nashville market This podcast is produced by attend media. attend helps nonprofit attractions drive visitation through paid media. Download our free guide to media planning for nonprofit attractions at our site - attend.mediaInterested in being a guest on the show? Visit the podcast's website - MarketingAttractionsPodcast.com

We bring in attraction industry veterans Matt Heller and Josh Liebman to discuss the intersection of guest experience, employee retention, and marketing. About our guests... Matt Heller - PerformanceOptimist.comAfter 20+ years in hospitality leadership and human resources, Matt Heller founded Performance Optimist Consulting in 2011 with one simple goal: Help Leaders Lead.Matt does this through training workshops, coaching programs and ongoing development initiatives. He is fortunate to work with individuals and organizations large and small to help them improve leadership competencies, customer service, employee motivation and teamwork.Matt has written two books: The Myth of Employee Burnout and ALL CLEAR! A Practical Guide for First Time Leaders and the People Who Support Them.Josh Liebman - LiebmanLeisure.comJosh Liebman specializes in guest experience within attractions, tourism, and hospitality, including service standards, complaint resolution, and driving guest loyalty. Josh is a serial entrepreneur, consultant, and speaker.AttracionPros Podcast - AttractionPros.comAttractionPros brings you into the room with the top leaders, executives, and influencers in the attractions industry, to gain the widest possible perspective of all areas of the industry.This podcast is produced by attend media. attend helps nonprofit attractions drive visitation through paid media. Download our free guide to media planning for nonprofit attractions at our site - attend.mediaInterested in being a guest on the show? Visit the podcast's website - MarketingAttractionsPodcast.com

Crafting a media plan is a little like building a house. The architect is like the media planner. Their job is to create plans that are clear, detailed and easy to follow. Just like an architect can't say "build a roof" a media planner can't just say "run ads on connected TV." More detail is required. In this episode, Jenny shares practical tips on what buying guidelines should be included in your media plan so that the person - whether in-house, at an agency or a vendor - can properly invest your attraction's advertising dollars.  This podcast is produced by attend media. attend helps nonprofit attractions drive visitation through paid media. Download our free guide to media planning for nonprofit attractions at our site - attend.mediaInterested in being a guest on the show? Visit the podcast's website - MarketingAttractionsPodcast.com

Jenny dives into her: "Media Planning Guide for Nonprofit Attractions." It outlines 4 rules to help marketers plan their annual paid media budgets. The rules are: 1. The Bucket Rule - all media channels (TV, radio, social, etc.) should be bucketed into either Opportunistic or Impactful. 2. The 60-40 Rule - spend 60% of your budget on Impactful channels and 40% of your budget on Opportunistic channels. 3. The 5% Rule - only invest in a channel if you can allocate at least 5% of your budget to that channel. IE - don't spread yourself too thin. 4. The Social Rule - zoos, aquariums, gardens and museums should be spending at least 10% of their marketing budget on paid social. Read the full guide here - https://attend.media/ This podcast is produced by attend media. attend helps nonprofit attractions drive visitation through paid media. Download our free guide to media planning for nonprofit attractions at our site - attend.mediaInterested in being a guest on the show? Visit the podcast's website - MarketingAttractionsPodcast.com

Jenny gives examples and ideas on when and why zoos, aquariums, museums and gardens run ads on social media platforms other than Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. We talk about...Pinterest = wedding planning, holidays, fashion and art Reddit = really niche audiences like sneakerheads LinkedIn = corporate audiences for meetings and events, donationsSnapchat = not worth it unless you have a large social budget X = stay awayThreads = not there yetThis podcast is produced by attend media. attend helps nonprofit attractions drive visitation through paid media. Download our free guide to media planning for nonprofit attractions at our site - attend.mediaInterested in being a guest on the show? Visit the podcast's website - MarketingAttractionsPodcast.com

We talk with a DSP rep to get the most up-to-date approaches on how to use a DSP to plan your next programmatic ad campaign. We discuss...What media channels attractions can really buy programmatically in 2024. A few tactics to buying streaming TV and radio on a local level. What you can't buy with a DSP (Meta, YouTube) Why it's important to communicate with your DSP rep and/or campaign manager as you begin to plan your digital media budgets, strategies and tactics. This podcast is produced by attend media. attend helps nonprofit attractions drive visitation through paid media. Download our free guide to media planning for nonprofit attractions at our site - attend.mediaInterested in being a guest on the show? Visit the podcast's website - MarketingAttractionsPodcast.com

Most nonprofit attractions aren't allocating enough of their marketing budget to paid social. Paid social now rivals television in terms of reach and impact. Yet, we see TV budgets increase while paid social budgets stay flat. We discuss...How paid social can be used to both achieve your Impactful and Opportunistic goals. (See our Media Planning Guide for Nonprofit Attractions for more.)When zoos, museums, and public gardens should consider adding TikTok to their paid media strategy. Some pitfalls attractions get caught in when running paid social media campaigns. This podcast is produced by attend media. attend helps nonprofit attractions drive visitation through paid media. Download our free guide to media planning for nonprofit attractions at our site - attend.mediaInterested in being a guest on the show? Visit the podcast's website - MarketingAttractionsPodcast.com

Jenny shares her 5 steps to launch - or double-down on an existing - social media influencer campaign. Most nonprofit attractions are doing some sort of influencer marketing now.  We suggest doing more. Our plan uses 'nano influencers' to quickly build a library of user-generated content...without breaking the bank. We discuss why TikTok is the best place platform to find, pay, and promote 'nano influencers.'   This podcast is produced by attend media. attend helps nonprofit attractions drive visitation through paid media. Download our free guide to media planning for nonprofit attractions at our site - attend.mediaInterested in being a guest on the show? Visit the podcast's website - MarketingAttractionsPodcast.com