Beat the Weather Apps When Marketing Your Attraction

One of the big topics this season has been the way weather apps summarise the week's weather. These apps can be misleading as they tend to display the worst case scenario for the day.

For example, during the Easter holidays this year, the headline forecast for Plymouth on the Sunday was rain. But if you clicked to see the day in detail, rain was only forecast for the evening. The rest of the day was set for glorious sunshine and dry conditions! 

In a world where the consumer is increasingly time conscious, and our weather conditions more extreme, a quick glance at a 'worst case' summary can prompt a day at the shops or at home instead of a great time at an outdoor attraction. This is costing the industry thousands per day in lost potential income.

Proactive Steps to Overcome the Apps 
We can't influence the weather, and we can't change how these platforms summarise the forecast, but we can change how we market ourselves.

Here are some tips to maximise your offerings to the weather-conscious consumer.

Be sure to include these in your digital or printed marketing campaign!

1. Ensure you highlight your 'good for all weathers' message. Think about what you might be competing with in good and bad weather, and get your audience excited about their visit with great imagery and a few points about what they can enjoy - whatever the weather: do you have ice-creams and shaded areas to relax under on hot, sunny days? Are there indoor activities, good coffee/hot chocolate and a gift shop for wet days?

2. Offer discounts or offers for pre-booked tickets - this will get your audience to commit to coming, regardless of what single icon is showing on the weather app on the day! If you don't want to offer a monetary discount, can you offer a free hot drink or free parking, or a discount on meals?

3. Give them confidence to book - if you offer a poor weather return offer (or other type of free return offer), include this in your marketing message. It gives people confidence that their entry fee won't be wasted should the weather turn bad.

4. Make it easy for them to decide - what's going through your potential customer's head when they are deciding on where to spend their free time and money? If you're targeting families, for example, chances are that a parent or grandparent wants maximum fun for the kids but minimum fuss for them, especially if they're not sure what the weather will do.

Do you have convenient parking? Can you offer VIP packages to skip the queues (saving them time and possibly grizzly children if it's too warm or a bit rainy)? Is it easy to get round your attraction with a buggy or pram or wheelchair?

5. Stay fresh with seasonal activities - with a QR card it's easy to be agile and market your weekly activities according to the weather. If we're in for a heatwave or a wet spell, what can you put on to entice people away from other options? Link the QR code to your 'What's On' page and get locals and visitors excited to book their visit!

Here's how to communicate this to your audience
The summer holidays might just be around the corner, but there's still time to communicate your weather-proof message. We would recommend our digital products Visitor+ and our network of digital posters.

You can also reach the local market with a targeted leaflet campaign or door drop.

Email Dom dominic@glidemedia.co.uk or give him a call on 01242 801344 to have a chat about your needs.