One of the questions we get most at Tom’s Amusement is “what are all of these skill gaming places about?” What we have learned about many of our potential players is that they are very curious about the Georgia Coin Operated Amusement Machine (COAM) industry, but don’t know where to begin. That’s why it is key for establishments to work on attracting first-time players to their Georgia skill gaming locations.
The first thing to work on is the appearance of your skill gaming area in your location. With our experience in this industry, we have seen hundreds of different gaming areas across the country! The ambiance of these areas tends to be aimed at providing a relaxing yet entertaining spot to play. Décor ranges from minimalist to rustic to traditional, and is unique to every single location – which is definitely a good thing! Our goal is to help provide a more private, comfortable, and professional experience to your players.
Updating your COAM area isn’t the only suggestion we have, check out a few of these other tips to bring in different kinds of customers, veteran and first-time players alike:
Invest in some good coffee and grab and go breakfast options. It’s pretty much a given that people are always rushing to get to work in the morning (and if you’re not one of those people, please teach me your ways). Maybe there isn’t a convenient coffee place on their way to work, and your establishment happens to be open. Why not try to attract them to your location and make them feel welcome? Yes, they’ll just be stopping in to grab coffee, but this increases the chances that they’ll consider spending more time in your establishment on other occasions. You might find yourself a regular customer, who eventually turns in to a regular player.
To promote your coffee and breakfast options, consider altering your Google business, Facebook or Yelp listing to reflect these new early morning options!
Show off your establishment and cut down on new customer intimidation. You’ve probably put a lot of time and thought into the look and feel of your skill gaming location, so show it off! We’ve seen some really cool gaming areas, and we are still blown away by the creativity and dedication of some location owners. Take pictures of the space and post on social media and your website. Advertise on these platforms to a wide variety of demographics to grab the attention of potential customers who haven’t played COAMs yet. This will also have the benefit of cutting down on new customer or first-time player intimidation, as they may be more comfortable visiting for a first time if they know there is a lounge area in addition to skill gaming machines. That way, they can ease into trying out the Class B COAMs.
Host fun events, unrelated to skill gaming. There are a multitude of ideas to drive foot traffic to your skill gaming location. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Host a paint or plant night.
Host a weekly or monthly book club.
Consider doing a special tapping of local brews.
Bring in someone to do bingo or trivia weekly.
Working to attract first-time players shouldn’t shift your focus entirely away from your regulars. After all, first-time players may never become as valuable as those who visit you to play multiple times per week. However, it’s entirely possible to turn a first-time player into your next regular, so it’s worth putting in the effort to attract this audience! Next time you assess your marketing strategy for your Georgia COAM location, consider using some of these ideas to welcome first-time players in – they might just become some of your most loyal customers!
