19 Ways Your Activity Center Business Can Increase Revenue

1. Get in the News! Participate in an event that gets positive publicity.  Search out local events that fit your business model OR provide news releases to local outlets and encourage/invite them to your location.  Publicity = visibility.  Visibility = more students!
2. Participate in a Charitable Event. How?  Create or participate in a fundraiser that gets publicity.  By seeing that your company is helping others, people will want to support your organization.
3. Donate to Local Charities via events. Is a local charity hosting an event where you could donate an item that would benefit the charity AND get your business recognized in the community?  Our High Five was a big hit.  Not only did the winner come to our business, he or she brought 5 FRIENDS!  This is a WIN-WIN!  Interested in learning more about our High Five Certificate?  CLICK HERE to receive a copy.
4. Seek out clubs that have potential customers (i.e. Mom’s Clubs, etc.) and advertise (normally free) on their group pages or contact the admins to provide information / promotional deals.
5. Seek out local sales that will bring in clients that relate to your business. Is your business related to Children’s Activities?  Search for Mom2Mom Sales and contact the organizer.  Offer to pay the price of booth rental (normally $10-$15 in my area) in exchange for handing out a flyer or giveaway item to everyone through the door.  They are normally thrilled to make the extra $.  You can even offer to advertise their event at your business.  Another WIN-WIN!
6. Participate in School Fundraisers with local PTOs – contact the head of your local PTO organizations to find out when the school is holding fun-fairs. Ask for a classroom during the event to promote your business.  We often did a miniature gymnastics obstacle course or a “medal-making” craft.  We also did printed item giveaways for carnival games.
7. Offer Field Trips at non-peak times – contact Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, School Clubs and provide a field trip flyer. Many organizations have fundraisers to do field trips.  Many Scout Troops have badges they can earn while doing an activity.  While they are visiting, provide them with registration information for classes and events at your location.
8. Get involved with other common organizations like local Parks & Recreation or other Youth Organizations and create a partnership for cross advertising.
9. Seek out at least 3 hot spots in your community that have foot traffic every day where you would like exposure. Meet with the owner / manager of that organization and set up a plan for cross advertising.  Perhaps you could leave flyers at their front desk and they could put a coupon in your weekly email.
10. Get more involved in Community Events. Does your community host a 5K?  Could your staff be the volunteers for the event?  Could you exchange sponsorship for an event for work at the event?  Could you provide a booth with an activity at an event?
11. Participate in all local parades. Create signs with information that is easily visible for the spectators and do something memorable so they look you up after the event.  Pass out flyers or coupons if allowed.
12. Offer a limited time only double referral for any current customers. Make sure a criteria is in place for payment of referral $. How long does the new student need to be enrolled for the customer to be eligible for the referral?
13. Print Trick or Treat Coupons that your current families can includes when passing out Halloween Candy. Leave a space for the family name and have a contest with a prize going to the family with the most enrollments.
14. Add events to on-line calendars. Search out any local on-line calendars that promote events related to your business.  Assign a staff member the regular task of adding events with a sign up link to these calendars.  If possible, set up a tracking method to determine which calendar is driving the most business.
15. The old-fashioned way – put flyers on community bulletin boards. Community Bulletin Boards are still out there.  Post your upcoming events on the boards that are popular around town like coffee shops, fitness centers, etc..
16. Contact another local company who may want to partner with your facility for a one-time clinic or event. If you are a gymnastics gym, could you offer a dance studio tumbling class or a cheer squad a clinic at your facility.  Perhaps that one clinic will turn into a custom class for their group because they will love the upgraded equipment and expert help from your staff!
17. Create an in-house competition team. More to come on this topic, but this was one of our biggest “new program” revenue generators.
18. Set up email marketing trades with a couple other companies with either general information, special event information or special promotions.
19. Seek out organizations with unallocated grant money that have participants who would benefit from a field trip to your location. Several local organizations scheduled annual field trips during summer camp time which was during non-peak class time so another WIN-WIN!

Try one or many of these ideas to generate additional revenue!  Good luck!