At IAAPA Expo 2023, Spotio’s very own Tim Samson sat on an education panel; The Ultimate Guide to Driving ROI Through Marketing Automation alongside the expertise of Tyler Jacobs, Director of Guest Engagement at Morey's Piers, and TJ Christensen, CEO of BlueGator.
Tim Samson, who spent twenty years at Morey’s Piers as the head of marketing and guest experience before joining Spotlio, guided by his insights led the discussion and walked step by step through Morey's Piers' successful implementation of a more automated marketing strategy. This exploration showcased Morey’s pioneering strategies for maximizing return on investment through marketing automation. It revealed how they harnessed their innovation to streamline group sales, optimize third-party ticket sales, and master the art of accounting reconciliation.
How can Parks and Attractions elevate their return on investment (ROI) through strategic marketing automation implementation?
Ultimately, the right approach empowers parks and attractions of all sizes to drive heightened marketing ROI through the seamless integration of personalization and automation, all with less effort than the previous year.
ROI is crucial, but equally important is focusing on enhancing the guest experience and improving operational efficiency to reduce costs. Together, these elements play a vital role in driving overall revenue growth for an organization.
7 Key Takeaways
Let's unravel the 7 aspirational and achievable key takeaways that illuminate the pathway to success in the dynamic world of marketing automation.
Marketing Automation Made Achievable: Start Small, Plan Big, and See Results Sooner
The first takeaway emphasized the importance of planning, thoughtful execution, and time investment in marketing automation. While there's no magic or easy button, the session highlighted that anyone can embark on this journey with the right resources. Starting slow, gaining buy-in, and progressing steadily can yield results faster than anticipated.
Data Quality First: Building a Single Source of Truth for Marketing Automation Success
The session underscored the pivotal role of clean, easily accessible data as the starting point for successful marketing automation. Emphasizing accuracy and accessibility, the key takeaway here is that your data quality sets the stage for effective marketing strategies.
You collect different data sets in different locations or systems. So you will have a mix of data coming from different methods in different formats which can be overwhelming. The key is to identify only the data that is important to your organization and what data is needed to enhance the guest experience. The rest of the data can be ignored till it is needed.
Take the important data, and create a single source of truth in one system, your customer relationship management system (CRM). You will want to be able to view all of the necessary data in one system, in a consistent format.
Riding The Wave Of Innovation
Despite the excitement surrounding marketing automation, the session cautioned against moving too quickly. Trusting the process and scaling your efforts accordingly is crucial. Rushing may lead to resource wastage and a loss of momentum, underscoring the importance of strategic scaling.
- System Integrations - The lift - The long anticipation
- Automation - The thrill - I can't believe I'm doing this
- Experience Design - The momentum - sit back and enjoy the ride
Leverage the engagement methodology - Recency, Frequency, Duration, Spend.
An essential session component focused on the engagement methodology, emphasizing the significance of recency, frequency, duration, and spending in your automation planning. These elements serve as the building blocks for crafting a personalized and effective marketing strategy.
Personalization Everywhere
The more personalized an experience is, the higher the conversion rate will be and the better the experience is for the guest. Personalization deepens the bond between the guest and the park or resort; the guest knows you understand them as a person, you understand their wants and needs, and can service them in a special way.
Designing The Guest Experience
The final takeaway encouraged attendees to step into their guests' shoes. By considering what guests want, need, and think at each stage of their visit, businesses can design a more impactful and personalized experience. This customer-centric approach is a fundamental aspect of successful marketing automation.
You have an agenda
Put yourself in your guest's shoes
Connect the dots for the guest
Before - What do you wish the guest knew about the visit? Pre-arrival messages can set the stage for the rest of the guest's experience. Deliver an email with helpful and relevant information such as hours of operation, where to park, and any extra experiences they can purchase (get your guest to do one more thing).
During - Send SMS messages during the visit based on slow wait times for rides they have favorited, specials at a nearby restaurant or food stations based on geo-fencing, or new attractions based on whether the guest is looking for more family-friendly options or thrill-seeking options.
After - Once the guest has left the park, encourage them to leave positive reviews, upload photos captured from their day, or help spread the news on their social media accounts with promotions.
Engagement Checklist
- What type of methodologies are we using?
- When do we need to engage?
- What do we need to know to engage?
- What systems need to “talk” to engage the guest?
- Is this data available and accessible today?
- Do we have the ability to take action in a timely fashion?
This will help you build a roadmap to create these personalized, segmented, and automated messages, to your guests.
Recipe for Innovation
- Right Tools
- Ticketing
- CRM
- Marketing automation
- Right Focus
- Revenue
- Guest experience
- Efficiency
- Right Partners
- Industry expertise
- Proven methodology
As we unravel the insights gained from our IAAPA session, The Ultimate Guide to Driving ROI Through Marketing Automation, it becomes clear that a strategic, patient, and customer-centric approach is the key to success. When it comes to any potential fear of adopting automation or testing at your park or attractions, “You have to forget about the way it was before,” says Tim Samson of Spotlio, “Nothing is immovable if it’s going to improve your business, as long as it doesn’t negatively impact the guest experience. The same old thinking nets the same old results.”
From the foundational role of clean data to the intricacies of engagement methodology, these takeaways provide a roadmap for businesses aiming to navigate the exciting and rewarding landscape of marketing automation.
Spotlio is a trailblazing force in destination digital technology, offering tailor-made solutions — from apps to e-commerce, and almost everything in between — that redefine how travelers interact with resorts, parks, and attractions. With a decade-long legacy of excellence, Spotlio empowers clients with innovative white-label digital solutions and pricing services, fostering connections and enhancing experiences on a global scale. Schedule a demo to learn more.