Six Flags – 5,000 SMS Subscribers in 90 Days

The Power of Targeting

First up, Six Flags made it the mobile messaging initiative’s main mission to target the amusement park’s highest performing demographic – teenagers. At this point you might be wondering why a brand would focus on the audience members mostly likely to pay a visit to the park. The answer lies directly with surprisingly low summer turnouts from this group. To help get things back in gear, Six Flags decided to return to its roots and use the power of targeting via text messages in order reconnect with these younger park goers during the hot summer months.

Great Content Builds Great Results

Aside from focusing in on this specific group, they also knew that teens wouldn’t just jump at any mobile offer. To really connect with this group, Six Flags offered text-to-win contests, as well as mobile alerts regarding park information and weather updates. Even VIP ticket offers made the cut, ensuring that this younger, active audience had all the encouragement they needed to pay a visit during major events, like the park’s 4th of July festival, as well as all the regular sunny summer days.

Getting the Message to the Masses

As part of the push, Six Flags went all out on sign-ups and referrals to expand its contact list. At the base of the push was traditional avenues for opt-ins, like in-park customer service stations and signage. From here, radio spots and promotional content helped create more buzz about the interactive text program. Of course, when it comes to connecting with today’s teens, the smartest thing Six Flags did was to turn its social media accounts into the focal point of the campaign, providing this audience with everything they needed to sign-up directly on Facebook, Twitter, and all the other relevant social networks.

The Thrilling Results

So after all this hard work, what did Six Flags have to show for it? First off, during the three months of the program, participation within the brand’s existing text message system skyrocketed. In total, almost 5,000 subscribers decided to check out the offers on their mobile phones. That stat is great on its own, but the increased park attendance, as well as the admission, concession, and attraction revenue, this boost generated was even more impressive. As the summer text campaign came to a close, Six Flags hit all of these goals, as well as reinvigorated the demographic that mattered most. By reconnecting teen attendants, this campaign not only boosted sales in the short-term, but helped fortify the park’s long-term viability by creating a dedicated and interested text-based community.

Making Your Own Mobile Attraction

After reading all that, it’s clear to see that connecting with your audience via mobile marketing is a powerful tool in your outreach arsenal. Even if you’re not in the amusement industry, there’s still plenty we can pull from Six Flags’ example to help make your next campaign a major hit. First, know whom you need to target. Whether it’s teens or octogenarians, having the right audience members on tap is the best way to utilize your content.

Speaking of content, make these messages pack a punch. While simple coupons or discounts are definitely valuable, mixing in some great content or exclusive info definitely spices up the message and keeps your reader interested. If you can pull these two concepts off, as well as go all in on promoting your campaign across multiple channels, you’ll be well on your way to a thrilling marketing ride that ends with happy customers and a major boost to sales.