The Top 12 Escape Room Marketing Ideas for More Bookings

Are you looking for ways to book more escape room reservations? If so, you're in luck.

In this blog post, we will share the top 12 escape room marketing ideas that you can use to attract new customers and fill up your bookings.

So, whether you are just starting out or you have been in business for a while, these marketing tips will help you boost your bottom line with some new ideas for your escape room marketing campaigns.

We'll even include some examples of when we have done these tactics ourselves for the escape rooms we work with.

In no specific order, let's talk about the top 12 escape room marketing ideas that can generate more revenue for your escape room business!

1. Google Business

If you're looking for a way to get your escape room business found online, Google Business (formerly Google My Business) is a great solution. When potential customers search for "escape room" on Google, your business will show up on the map along with your business name, address, and hours.

Google Business also allows you to add photos, videos, and other information about your escape room, which can help you attract more customers as prospective customers are trying to decide which escape room to book.

Customers can leave reviews on your Google Business page, which can help build trust and credibility.

Overall, Google Business is an effective marketing tactic for escape room businesses because it helps you get found online and provides potential customers with information about your business.

2. Google Ads (Display Network & Search Ads)

When it comes to marketing an escape room, Google Ads is a powerful tool that can help you reach the people in the target markets for an escape room. Through the Google Ads Display Network, your ads can be seen by people who are interested in escape rooms and other related topics.

With Google Search Ads, you can target people who are actively searching for escape rooms in your area.

Additionally, Google Ads allows you to track your results so you can see how effective your marketing campaign is.

Here are some recent Google Ad results from our team of escape room marketing experts:

With its vast reach and ability to track results, Google Ads is an essential tool for marketing an escape room business.

3. Facebook & Instagram Ads

Paid social media is a great marketing tactic for escape rooms because it allows you to feature your business on Instagram and Facebook platforms in a way that is highly visible to potential customers.

When you use paid social media, you are able to choose how your ad appears on Instagram and Facebook feed pages. You can also include a link to your website in the ad so that customers can easily find your escape room business.

Paid social media is an effective way to reach potential customers who are already searching for businesses like yours on Instagram and Facebook. In addition, using paid social media is a great way to improve your search engine optimization (SEO) because it can help you get more website clicks from Instagram and Facebook users who see your ad.

Paid social media is an effective marketing tactic for businesses of all sizes, but it can be especially beneficial for small businesses like escape rooms that are trying to reach a large audience with a limited marketing budget.

Here are some results from our conversion-focused Facebook and Instagram ads:

4. Retargeting Ads

Imagine this: You're searching for a new escape room to try out with some friends and you come across an ad for one that looks promising. You click on it, take a look around the website, but don't end up booking a room.

A few days later, you're scrolling through Facebook when you see an ad for the same escape room. It's a reminder that you were interested in trying it out and maybe this time you'll go ahead and book a room.

This is called retargeting, and it's a powerful marketing tactic that can be used to increase conversion rates.

Display Network and Google Ads platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Google allow businesses to create targeted ads that will be shown to users who have previously visited their website or taken some sort of desired action.

By targeting users who are already interested in your product or service, you're more likely to convert them into paying customers.

Here is an audience we retarget our escape rooms to. We are using Google Analytics 4 to create a specific audience that has viewed an escape room page, but did not convert. We're able to show the escape room's branding to roughly 3,800 people after they were on the website and did not book.

So if you're looking for a way to boost your marketing efforts, consider using retargeting. It could be just what you need to take your escape room to the next level!

5. Trip Advisor

When people are looking for a new business to try, they often turn to the internet for reviews. This is especially true for businesses like escape rooms, which are often local businesses with no national brand recognition.

One of the best ways to get your business listed in local search results is through TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor is one of the most popular review sites, and it has a dedicated section for escape rooms. In addition to appearing in local search results, TripAdvisor also provides an easy way for potential customers to read reviews and learn more about your business.

If you're not already using TripAdvisor, it's time to start. It's an essential marketing tool for any local business, and it can help you attract new customers and grow your escape room business.

6. Automated Review Requests

There are a number of reasons why using an automated review system like escapekit.co can be a good marketing tactic for escape rooms. For one thing, it can help to generate more reviews and testimonials from customers, which can be valuable social proof for potential customers.

Additionally, an automated review system can help to increase customer advocacy by making it easy for customers to leave great reviews.

An automated review system can save your employees time by automating the review-gathering process as well.

Generally, we recommend a system like Gatherup, but for escape room business we recommend using EscapeKit.co because of their escape room focus.

EscapeKit allows you to set up something called a "Debrief builder" which sends a text and email right after your customer's escape room experience. Included in that link is a dedicated review button that you can set.

We recommend setting it for TripAdvisor or any other local listing that needs a good review boost at the moment.

Here are some images showing how easy it is to configure an automated review request system:

Overall, using an automated review system like escapekit.co can be a valuable marketing tactic for escape rooms.

7. Weekly Email Marketing

A weekly email marketing campaign is a great way to keep your escape room business top of mind for potential customers. By sending out a weekly email, you can remind people of your escape room and what you have to offer.

This can be a great way to encourage people to come and try out your escape room, as well as promote any specials or discounts you may be running. Email marketing is also a great way to build relationships with your customers and keep them updated on what is happening with your escape room (like new rooms or events!)

You don't even need to give away the house in terms of offers and discounts to be effective! Here are some great top of mind emails we have sent out for escape rooms:

By sending out weekly emails, you can create a sense of community around your escape room and make it more likely that people will continue to use your services.

8. Abandon Cart Email Campaign

An abandon cart email is a type of automated email that is sent to a customer who has added items to their cart but has not completed the purchase. Many businesses use this type of email as a way to recover lost sales and boost their bottom line.

For escape rooms, using an abandon cart email can be an especially effective marketing tactic. Best of all - it's built right into Bookeo and Resova.

Click HERE for instructions on setting up an abandon cart email for Resova.

Click HERE for instructions on setting up an abandon cart email for Bookeo.

There are a few reasons why an abandon cart email may be particularly effective for escape rooms.

Research shows that sending an abandon cart email can increase conversion rates by as much as 20%.

If you're looking for a way to boost your online sales, using an abandon cart email automation through Resova is a great option. Not only is it an effective marketing tactic, but it's also easy to set up and manage.

9. Offer Specials

Promotions can be a great marketing tactic for escape rooms, as they can help to bring in new customers and generate interest in your business. Special offers and discounts can encourage people to try out your escape room, and word-of-mouth can then help to spread the word about your business.

In addition, running promotions can help to create a sense of urgency and excitement around your escape room, making it more likely that people will visit.

Promotions can also be a great way to show appreciation for your existing customers and build loyalty. Try offering your customers a coupon code to come back another time after their first experience!

Overall, running promotions is a great way to increase interest in your business and attract new customers.

10. Social Media

Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are a great way to market your escape room business. By creating a business profile on social media platforms, you can reach a large number of potential customers with very little effort.

Plus, you can use social media to generate word-of-mouth advertising by encouraging customers to leave reviews and share their experiences with their friends.

TikTok is another great platform for marketing escape rooms. With its short, engaging videos, Tik Tok is perfect for showcasing your escape room in a fun and exciting way. And best of all, using social media to market your escape room is very cost-effective - so why not give it a try?

If you are really scrapped for budget or time, EscapeKit.co offers a feature to automatically upload pictures to Facebook when sending off the review request. There is really no reason not to be posting to social media as an escape room owner.

11. Seasonal Themes

One way to make your escape room website more visually appealing is to adjust the colors to reflect the seasons.

First, It helps to keep your website looking fresh and up-to-date.

Second, it can help you attract new customers who are searching for seasonal activities.

And finally, it can help to boost your search engine optimization (SEO) by making your website more relevant to seasonal keywords.

So if you're looking for a way to give your website a fresh look, consider adjusting the colors to reflect the seasons. It's a simple change that can have a big impact.

12. Website Email Captures

If you’re not utilizing email captures on your escape room website, you’re missing out on a big opportunity to grow your escape room and make it more valuable for resale.

Email captures are an easy way to collect contact information from potential customers, which can then be used for marketing purposes.

Email captures are used to create a mailing list of escape room enthusiasts and prospective customers, which can be used to promote special events or discounts.

Optinmonster is a great tool for creating email captures, and it’s easily integrated with most escape room websites. Utilizing email captures is a simple and effective way to grow your escape room business.

Bonus 13. Online Leaderboards

Online leaderboards are a great way to add competition and excitement to an escape room website.

Players can compete against each other to see who can complete the tasks the fastest and post their times on the leaderboard.

This can help to generate interest in the site and encourage people to come back and play again.

Most importantly, online leaderboards can also be used as a marketing tool. By offering prizes for the top-scoring players, escape room businesses can attract new customers and promote their service.

Therefore, utilizing online leaderboards is a great way to improve the marketing of an escape room business.

Conclusion

The success of your escape room depends on the marketing strategy you choose and commit to.

If you want your escape room to stand out from competitors, it is important that you adopt a new perspective and always keep trying new strategies to grow.

We have put together this list of marketing ideas from our own experience working with escape rooms across the country. We hope it helps!

If you feel like you could be doing more for your escape room marketing, we would love to connect with you!

Growing escape rooms is not only our passion - but our expertise!