# Advertising, insurance, and marketing advice, paying actors or not?



## Scarypumpkinpie (Feb 1, 2012)

Last year the advertising we did, with it being the first year, was basically word of mouth and fliers. We also had a lower price than any other local haunts, only 5.00 per person , to encourage people to check us out. This year we are going to need to double our price just to cover our expenses. At 10.00 per person in this area, it better be spectacular LOL. My questions are, how do you advertise? Which form of advertisement yields the best results? What are the costs? Also, what types of other marketing techniques do you use, if any? Do you sell T-shirts, do ticket give away contests? If so, does that noticeably help your ticket sales? I also wondered how many of you guys that do these haunts have ran into legal problems from someone being hurt or whatever. How did you handle it? I worry about being sued and the insurance not being enough. I certainly do not want to end up giving away our profits or worse to some idiot that ran into a tree. My last question involves your actors. We paid our help last year, $20.00 per night or if it was a poor night we paid them a percentage of the sales that night. However, that really killed us in making any profit at all. With such a low ticket price already, paying the actors was one reason we went in the hole so badly our first year. I have seen a lot of sites online that have actors that are volunteers. Do you pay your actors? If so, how much? Even paying our actors, I still had a hard time finding reliable help. I was forever struggling to replace help that didn't show up. I just felt like it would be really hard to find actors that are on a volunteer basis working for free and have them come back out every weekend.


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## aquariumreef (Sep 16, 2010)

Maybe give all the volunteer's pizza or something.


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

Did you buy insurance last year?


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

There's a thread worth reading through that discusses a number of topics relevant to your situation:

http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=23720

Actor thread:

http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=23108&highlight=actor

Liability issues:

http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=20614&highlight=haunt+insurance

A little bit about advertising:

http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=18444&highlight=advertising

If you have time to browse through the Haunt Tactics forum, you'll find a number of discussions about issues associated with putting together a haunt.


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## Frighteners Entertainment (Jan 24, 2006)

I would recommend hitting a seminar on operating a haunt. 
One thing I noticed was your pricing...perceived value. 
It must not be good if it's that low of a price.

curious if you did a business plan prior to opening a pro haunt?


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

To add to what the others have stated, your form and amount of advertising would depend upon your demographic and your area. Advertising in junk throw away papers doesn't do you much good if your intended market/demographic doesn't read that paper.
Is your haunt a one night event, on weekends, every night, etc.?
There is a perceived value in the guests eyes. Too cheap and they think it's not worth the money, too expensive and you can scare them off. Sometimes having coupons for something like "bring a friend, save a buck" or "bring three get in free" can do more for you than what you lose in revenue. High prices also bring high expectations, so you need to find the right balance.
As far as shirts goes, I find that haunts that don't do a theme or storyline tend to not get repeat guests, and it's usually the repeat guests that seem to buy shirts, hats, etc.
Having different artwork each year makes your shirts more of a collectible, and you may find that having shirts for your employees will help your sales too, especially if they get them and wear them for weeks prior to the actual haunt. Shirts have to be nice enough that people want to wear them regardless of whether they care about your haunt/event or not. I've seen way too many event shirts end up as rags for washing the car because after the event was passed, nobody wanted to be seen in the shirt.

Is your haunt for profit, a charity, or...?


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## Scarypumpkinpie (Feb 1, 2012)

No, I have never taken a seminar, and I don't know if there would even be any in my area within a reasonable driving distance. That was one reason I joined this forum, there is just not anything I found in my area to help anyone in this type of business/entertainment. As far as pricing goes, this area ( northeast corner of Tennessee ) is a poor community. After checking out the competition at other haunts last year, not counting myself, prices ranged for 6.00 per person to 15.00 per person. In this area, people cannot afford to pay more than 15.00 per person, and they simply won't. The one haunt that charges the 15.00 price has been in buisness since I was a kid, so they are well established here. I found the average price of admittance to the haunts here was between 8.00-10.00, with the better haunts /bigger haunts being on the upper end at 10.00, one or two were 12.00. Since all the other haunts were open Friday and Saturday only, we tried being open on weekdays and found that it was not worth it. So, we just opened Friday & Saturday nights like all the others did. Last year was the first year we had ever done anything like this. Knowing that we were inexperienced and that our haunt might not be the best quality, I charged such a low price so that more people would come. I was also taking into account that even if it sucked, you couldn't be too mad if all you spent was 5.00 LOL. I guess such a low price was evidence of my inexperience in this too. As far as the insurance, no, we did not carry insurance last year. I called our local court house to see what permits we might need to obtain. We only needed a burn permit since we were using fire. I asked about insurance then and was told that all you needed were signs posted basically saying enter at your own risk. I double checked with the local police departments too, they said the same thing. So that is what we did. In hind sight, it was a foolish thing. We were very lucky that no one was seriously hurt & sued our asses off. This year I will not open without insurance. As far as advertisement goes, I was thinking about placing ads on a couple of radio stations, and maybe one bill board in one of the heavier traffic areas near the Mall here. I will do fliers and things like that too, but I thought radio advertisement & bill boards might be the best way to reach the most people at the most reasonable cost. I jumped into this last year without any knowledge or business planning really. I mean, I had a budget to work with and that sort of thing, but I really have no help in doing this. I am flying solo, and blindly at that. There are only around 8 or 10 haunts in this area, and several of those are poor quality, done by families in the back yard or charities using teenagers. I don't expect this to ever be anything as big as some of the bigger pro haunts outside my area. I honestly don't know if I would want it to be at this point in my life. But, I do expect it to be popular enough to generate some profit. I would just be happy to put a couple thousand in our pocket by the end of it. I know that I sound ignorant in all of this, and honestly I am. With no expieriance, and no mentor to guide me, I am just learning what I need to know by trial and error. I have found more useful information using this forum than I ever could have anywhere here in my town. Our haunt is for profit, and for fun. I really love doing it. I also wanted to say that I really appreciate those of you that have taken the time to post comments to this.


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## Johnmonster (Sep 4, 2009)

The pro haunt with which I volunteer has run for four years. Over that time, a core group of haunt-heads has emerged that is enthusiastic and reliable. We can depend on these eight or so people to be there and make it great. We fill out the ranks with another 12 or so people, whose reliability is hit and miss.

Everyone who participates consistently gets a stipend on the last night. Everyone is fed every night, with the last night usually being pizza as a break from all the soup and chili on the other nights.

We learned a lesson about advertising this past year. The owner made up a bunch of posters and a large sign to place in a busy traffic area. The problem was that the sign had the name of the haunt and some graphics, but with drivers only getting to glance at it in passing, it wasn't clear what the sign was advertising. I recommended to the owner that she get her next batch of signs printed out to say "Haunted House" in the largest font with the business name, hours and address slightly smaller. That way people know what it is at a glance, and can investigate further. It made a difference.

Budgeting is a big consideration. You can nickel and dime yourself to death and not even know it. Figure out a budget for all considerations and try to stick to it.

Good luck this season. You've already gotten some great advice and are sure to get more from the talented and thoughtful folks here.


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

Rather than just putting ads on your local radio station, how about inviting the key news people and DJ's to come tour the haunt? Letting them play up the haunt and maybe broadcasting from there, can get you better coverage and attention than you would ever get from just plain ads or spots. The same for your local rags/newspapers.
If you are going to do shirts, give a bunch to the radio station to give away as prizes, again, the enthusiastic DJ's will do better than a pre-recorded message. But you need to do your invitations to them early, at least a month or two ahead of time. Those shirts help advertise your haunt, and also build up the desire by others to buy what they couldn't or didn't win from the radio station.


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## Scarypumpkinpie (Feb 1, 2012)

I do like the idea of inviting the TV stations and the local radio stations out to our haunt! I could also give them some free tickets to give away to help promote us. I didn't think about that! Yep, I already made the mistake with the signs this past year. After driving by it myself I realized you didn't even see what it was actually advertising! A good thought to keep in my head though when having them made up. I like the idea of the stipend at the end of it. Trying to pay a staff of around 20 people that much per night was killing us. I think coming up with a percentage of the profits to be divided up and payed out at the end will work best. I also think with better planning, we can definitely scale back on the help this year. We did feed our actors most nights, since we sold hot dogs and drinks, coffee & Apple Cider, we made extra for the actors. We also had a big cook out with hamburgers at the end. I have a couple of actors who I think will return this season. I have been keeping in touch with them through Face book. If I could get a core group like John Monster was talking about, that would be great.


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

a rule of thumb is an inch in height for every mile per hour the traffic flows by. High contrast between the lettering and the background is crucial, and the text HAS TO BE READABLE/LEGIBLE. Get your text proofread by at least two other people before you go to print or to post the artwork. It's amazing how many times things are misspelled, names, dates, times, and prices are wrong, or completely forgotten. Posters, fliers, etc., are basically a resume for you and your haunt, if you don't show that you took the care on the simple stuff, people will think you didn't take it on the important stuff either. And most people won't look any further if they didn't get the info and message on the first pass.

For advertising, think in term of percentages, if you get a 10% return on your fliers, you are doing really well, more realistic numbers would be 5-6% of the people who get a flier or read a poster coming to your haunt, so don't do a hundred fliers and think you will get a hundred people coming to your haunt. As time goes on, and you have years of haunts behind you you will have some guests that come back because of memories of past haunts, but you have to plan on a new crowd every year. So do tons of well thought out and good quality fliers and spread the word far and wide.


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## Scarypumpkinpie (Feb 1, 2012)

fontgeek that is a good rule of thumb to use with the inches and the traffic flow. Thanks for sharing that! At least now I have something to use as a sort of measurement tool. With the fliers, I seemed to get the best results by placing them in areas where they would be seen by a variety of people, like at the local Halloween costume shops. I also printed off a stack and left them at businesses that attract the age group I wanted to target.


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## BioHazardCustoms (Aug 5, 2009)

Having worked both as a paid actor and a volunteer, I can tell you that paid actors will be more consistent, unless you are doing your haunt for a charity, like a church or school group. I've worked for not-for-profit haunts(NFP's) and paid professional haunts, and generally the NFP's have less of a turnout actor wise than pro haunts. If people are volunteering, they don't generally feel like they're depended on to show up. But if they have to clock in and work an entire shift like a regular job in order to get paid, they're more likely to show up. Strangely, though, volunteers will generally work harder while they are there.


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## Haunted Spider (Sep 6, 2010)

There are some good points and suggestions here. I would strongly suggest you read Roxie's threads she posted. That will give you some insight into the haunt world. You may also want to find a seminar to take on running a haunt. You got away with it last year and hopefully it was good enough to get people back this year. 

I think you are shooting yourself in the foot if you double the price. You may increase it it 8 or so but I would not double it. You are asking for word of mouth to say it wasn't that great last year, I am not paying twice as much this year. 

Insurance is a must for any pro haunt, which you now are. A million dollar policy is the minimum and that is not going to be cheap. Luckily you only have to have it for one month. Still it will cost you a pretty penny

For actors, you really need to pay them to keep them. Think about it, if you went to work this morning on volunteer basis vs a paycheck, would you show up on time, or stay the whole time, or come at all? Paying your actors keeps them coming back. It also shows you appreciate them doing all the hard work of scaring the patrons and they will not resent you keeping the money for yourself. 

Another thought to help you with your haunt is to sponsor a charity. Sponsor a food bank or a make a wish type. Give a dollar off for a food item brought for the charity or donate 10 percent to make a wish. You can then use their logo on your flyers, they may help with advertising as radios will give you a break, and you are helping a good cause. 

Just a few thoughts to help you out. Just remember, if you charge almost double this year and it is not twice as good than last year, or at least on par with the other haunts, it will be your last year open as word of mouth with beat your advertising anyday of the week.


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

If you are going to pay your actors, set up a contract for them to sign and date.
Make sure that it is understood that payment is contingent on them showing up on time and being ready to go, and that they need to work their full scheduled shift to get paid.
Behavior/conduct standards must be set and enforced, and there must be a pre devised plan for problems or complaints. Having all of that stuff known, understood, and agreed to ahead of time can save you tons of headaches, hair loss, and wasted money. It takes the gray area out of the equation and gives both you and your actors an understanding of what's to be expected. Having "Classes" for your creatures, zombies, etc. well ahead of time also helps ensure that you will get what you want come haunt time. It can also help get you more actors if the classes are enjoyable and maybe include lunch or something. You can also do classes on prop building, security, etc. The better trained your staff is the less likely you are to have problems or questions later on.


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## Scarypumpkinpie (Feb 1, 2012)

As far as doubling the price goes, I am in a position that I really have to. I plan on making the haunt much better, and certainly worth doubling the price. But from my end, we went in the hole so badly last year that we have to come up significantly on the price to afford paying our actors and to cover our costs of operation. Buying insurance alone is going to run us about 600.00, which is hard to make when you are charging only 5.00 per person AND paying actors.
Fontgeek has a good point, a contract is important. Also, regular practices a few times a week at least a month before hand is a must.


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## erik1 (Mar 24, 2012)

*Hours?*

How many hours did the actors work on a given night for the $20.00? Curious?


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## Scarypumpkinpie (Feb 1, 2012)

erik1 said:


> How many hours did the actors work on a given night for the $20.00? Curious?


About 4 to 5, depending on what time they got there and how late they stayed. Well below minimum wage LOL. But, they knew the pay rate before they signed up, so they were happy with that. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it adds up fast when you have 15-20 actors per night.


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## Darkmaster (May 9, 2009)

In the past, we didn't pay our help. Last year was the first time we offered any monetary reward. Along with that, volunteers are hard to come by. I would love to have a number of people to count on.

What we did for the help last year year was we had (5) $50.00 gift cards that we were used in a drawing with the helpers names put in a drawing. Everyone had a chance to win one.

As for insurance, definitely purchase it. You can get a hold of Ken Donat at [email protected]. He will give you any help you need in choosing options.

As for advertising, use the web. You will gain so much coverage with it. We asked numerous people last year, how they heard about our haunt, and they said "We found it on the web."

Good luck this year.


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## Scarypumpkinpie (Feb 1, 2012)

I have talked to a few insurance companies, it seems like about 600.00 and up is the average cost on insurance for basic liability. Does anyone else get it any cheaper?


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## Darkmaster (May 9, 2009)

jessjaja said:


> I have talked to a few insurance companies, it seems like about 600.00 and up is the average cost on insurance for basic liability. Does anyone else get it any cheaper?


Ours was less then that. It depends on the amount of coverage and length of time. We covered the whole month of October.


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## Scarypumpkinpie (Feb 1, 2012)

I only need it on the weekends in October. Thanks Darkmaster, I am going to shop around some more


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## Screaming Demons (Jul 12, 2009)

Spiderclimber said:


> haunt world


.com

That's where the professional haunters hang out and answer questions like these every day.


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## BioHazardCustoms (Aug 5, 2009)

Screaming Demons said:


> .com
> 
> That's where the professional haunters hang out and answer questions like these every day.


They are used to answering those questions, yes. But seeing as build season has just gotten going, they're probably not thinking about checking the forums everyday. Get help where you can find help, ya know?


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