Marketing the Dance Barn for Events
Step One:
Develop a section on the website for event marketing using this content as a guide.
- Collect professional quality photographs. People having fun. Scenic farm shots. Include attractions that may be available during events. Staged food shots (discuss).
- Draft META content: Why choose us? Types of events welcomed. (See list on working document)
- Determine times of availability. Day/night. Months. Holidays.
- Define location. Mini map. Distance from airport. Public transportation available. Parking.
- Choose a category – one or more: (some boards group event sites by category) Examples are — banquet/event hall, nightclub, hotel/resort lodge, conference/meeting, religious, cabin/campground, bowling/fun zone, zoo/aquarium, ballroom, estate/mansion, community center, etc.
- List catering options: Self-service alcohol? Venue hosted alcohol permitted? Food options.
- Technology or equipment available: WiFi, television, washer/dryer, projector screen, PA and microphone, tables/chairs, ice machine, etc.
- Capacity: (number of guests possible — range of low to high)
- Fee range: Exact? Or range of low to high?
Develop Planning Tools for download:
Places to stay locally. Possible vendors. Photographers. Floor plan of the barn showing lighting, electrical, water, seating options, restrooms and other amenities. Farm attractions map. Other info for event organization. Contracts. Reservation forms.
Step Two:
Choose marketing board venues and develop board advertisements. The following are suggestions.
Eventective.com
Sign up and build a mini-website on their portal. They advertise one million visitors per month. They have a “free” profile or “courtesy plan” and several levels of subscriber plans — Enhanced, Premium, or Platinum. Pricing based on location and business type. Example: Event Venue in Hondo, TX would be $80/month for Enhanced, $150/month Premium, and $300/month Platinum. You can start with the free plan and work up from there. Pricing info is at this link.
VenueReport.com
This (referred to as TVR) appears to promote a more upscale venue. This is their page for Camp Lucy in Dripping Springs — a good reference for the types of information that should be on the Graff 7A Ranch website and on any event portal that you might choose to advertise with. Their fees appear to be quite reasonable and comparable to the site above.
Yelp
Searching ‘family event venues near Hondo Texas’ brings up an interesting list (with Devine Acres in the #2 spot and we can’t have that!). We should definitely make sure that you have a (free) business listing on Yelp (immediately). Additionally, there are options to reach more potential customers with Yelp Ads. Their site offers info on pricing strategies, but you cannot see the details without having an active business listing.
Note: Doing a search for ‘family event venue near Hondo TX’ brings up several portal sites, such as PunchBowl.com, WeddingWire.com, etc. Additionally, Facebook pages with “event venue” descriptions show up in the searches. In all searches, Eventective is first in the list. Discuss a starter position with Eventective and/or VenueReport, plus Yelp — and modify your Facebook page with effective search terms.
Step Three:
Complete the website section (as defined above) and publish it. Complete any social media platform modifications required. Discuss options for collecting deposits online (ticketing platform, PayPal, etc).
Step Four:
Sign up for the marketing board venues that are chosen. Develop the page(s) of information and photography on their portal. Link these to the Graff 7A Ranch website and social media.