Free Lunch

by Ed Meyer

posted on March 22, 2011 in General Discussion | 1 Comment >>

LunchNo, I am not spending my time outside of Applebees begging just yet. Yet….. I met a friend for lunch, and he asked me some questions about how he can better use his website to drive traffic and be more productive. I ordered, and away we went.

First – I said how about using your site to allow fans to educate themselves. Have a library of video files, and they can peruse them to educate. Just like the poker craze, they can do this at home, the office, and anywhere they choose. Fan education can build traffic to a site as they are comfortable, and it is free!

Second – Have “mythical wagering” for new fans to try their luck. For playing every day for a week, you could reward them with a food and beverage voucher. This will bring new players to the track, and they will be more prepared. Nothing better….

Third – You must have them sign up for Facebook or Twitter. You can shoot them hot horses to look for in the paddock, and send out offers via FB and keep players joining. The social network could be a an excellent avenue to grow new faces.

Fourth – You MUST cater to older players. Not meaning 103 yr-old folks. But the tried and true. We are driven to build new numbers, but we do not have enough ways to say thank you. It is ten times easier to retain a current fan than create a new one…..

Fifth – Give them ease of motion. Allow them to get special deals from advertisers about racing info and see how it goes. By clicking on a banner ad, you are in the drawing for two tickets to paradise, or another track for a special day.

Sixth – Offer a free selection or two for the races. Nothing gets you coming back more than something for free. Plus, any added value is good to have.

I hope it was worth the tab, as he feels like he can make some things work. That is the best part. It is not wasted time to serve all demos and plan for the future, and recognize the past.