7 years ago

Mardi Gras Marketing

With Mardi Gras right around the corner, businesses in New Orleans should be stepping up their marketing efforts. In 2015, 1.2 million people traveled to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras. That’s 3 times the population of the city! Hotels alone rake in over $52 million just within those fun-filled 12 days! So what can your business do to make some extra cake (yes king cake pun intended) over Mardi Gras?

Below, we have listed 3 tactics that local businesses can do to amp up their sales.

Facebook Ad Targeting

Status updates on Facebook have undergone many changes over the years. From adding pictures, to tagging friends, to expressing your mood, one new feature is the travel updates. Often, people traveling update their status to, for example, “Traveling to New Orleans.” With Facebook ad targeting, businesses can advertise their services directly to those people who make their status “Traveling to New Orleans.” Advertising to tourists has never been so direct and cost effective.

Mardi Gras Marketing Specials

Promotions and deals are common strategies to increase sales. However, with tourists, the situation is a bit different. Most people who are traveling are not looking to empty their bank account. They often seek out Groupon deals, package specials and one time promotions to save a bit of money during their trip. Having a Mardi Gras Special and promoting it to tourists is certainly an effective way of advertising. Are you a restaurant? Try a dinner special that comes with a king cake dessert? Are you a hotel? Try offering a free Mardi Gras shuttle to the airport.

Social Media – Retweet, Repost, Share

With so many people in town for Mardi Gras, the tweets, instagrams and status updates about the party are going to be plentiful, without a doubt. If you are a business that is geared toward tourists, make sure you are on top of your social media game. Someone may tweet out “I’m hungry! Where can I get a slice of pizza near the parade route?” If you are a pizza place, or even another restaurant, you should reply with “Come try our pizza” or “While we don’t make pizza, we have a food and drink special for $15!!” Seize the opportunity while the tourists are in town! Additionally, if people are eating at your restaurant and sharing pictures of your food with compliments be sure to thank them on social media, even retweeting or reposting the best reviews to help show other tourists and locals how great your business is!