The Siege Project New Ownership

[Cannonfodder]

For real, dude. I think if they were more active on socials they'd make quite the noise in the airsoft scene in Stoke. I think the only socials they're active on is on Facebook with them posting there once a month to promote that month's bookings. Yeah, it just sounds like they might need a social media manager to handle that side of things alongside someone that can brush up their website a bit.

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I'm not sure hiring a social media manager would be wise idea, salaries for them start at around £25k which would be a massive cost to the site and have to be passed on to players. I know I wouldn't be happy if my regular site hiked it's green fees just to pay someone to dick about on Facebook all day.
Cost aside I'd also question if hiring a social media manager would really have any real benefits. With airsoft being a relatively niche special interest those who are interested will already know about the place and attracting new players can be done with just a small number of posts across different groups and replying to feedback should be done by the site owners who can actually answer any questions or queries. Spamming groups with constant adverts and bullshit which is obviously just engagement farming by someone who isn't involved in the actual running of games is just as likely to drive potential customers away.

As for websites, I agree that theirs isn't great and could do with some improvements but it's not the worst I've seen. As I posted in the other thread the vast majority of site owners aren't web designers so will be stuck with using basic web design programmes. Yes site owners could pay for a professional to do it but this is another cost which would eat into already tight margins

 

[Colin Allen]

For real, dude. I think if they were more active on socials they'd make quite the noise in the airsoft scene in Stoke. I think the only socials they're active on is on Facebook with them posting there once a month to promote that month's bookings. Yeah, it just sounds like they might need a social media manager to handle that side of things alongside someone that can brush up their website a bit.

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How many people have been there when you have played? They appear to be open twice per week, charging £25 for a four hour session; based on the photos on FB, it looks like they get around 20 players, but let's be generous and call it 25. There is also a monthly night game

That comes to £72500 per year, assuming that they are open every week. By the time that costs have been deducted and the owner has taken their income, there is going to be very little left to pay a social media manager and/or a web manager.

Unfortunately, this is the reality of running an airsoft site, especially a small CQB site in an urban location, even in Stoke on Trent where commercial property rental costs are low.

I am copying @Weeble200 in as he might be interested in playing there.

 

[Punisher3990]

To be honest, I think it’s possible to achieve good reach without necessarily using a social media manager. I understand that a lot of people are understandably averse to AI, but you can create some genuinely good content for Facebook, etc. in a matter of minutes. To be fair, I imagine a lot of social media managers are probably using the same AI tools anyway.

AI can be a pain in the arse, but for small businesses it can be a huge asset when used correctly. I’d obviously avoid using AI-generated images as these tend to kick up a fuss and instead use it to help plan posts, come up with ideas and improve the content you’re already creating. You can even use it for game ideas and events; I have chucked a few prompts into AI and some of the games it comes up with sound amazing.

I also find that sometimes websites with all the flashy features can actually be worse than a simple, functional website. Personally, I’d rather see any extra money going back into the business and improving the actual service rather than being spent on making the website look impressive. A basic but well-designed and functional website is perfectly good enough, as long as the important information, booking details and rules are easy to find. That’s really all I need.

 

[Cannonfodder]

charging £25 for a four hour session;

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I missed that and tbh it sounds like a bit of a piss take. Once you take into account the time taken to get everyone through chrono, briefed, set up and packed up at the end of the day I'd be surprised if you get 2 hours of actual playing time

 

[Punisher3990]

I missed that and tbh it sounds like a bit of a piss take. Once you take into account the time taken to get everyone through chrono, briefed, set up and packed up at the end of the day I'd be surprised if you get 2 hours of actual playing time

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lol the BZ Battlezone places are £35 for 2 hrs, seems to be a common theme with some CQB places.

 

[Cannonfodder]

I know that overheads for CQB sites are higher so game fees are too so this gets passed onto customers but that's a fucking joke, especially as they add a booking fee on top.

Although from looking at their website I get the impression they're catering for kids birthday parties etc rather than regular players

 

[Galvatron]

Cannonfodder said it really well. You need someone who "gets it" with airsoft rather than just someone who posts on social media but effectively becomes a paid messenger when they have to ask "What are joule limits? What's an HPA refill? What's a sidearm? What's a minimum engagement distance? What does endex mean?"

Oddly enough, that person who gets it probably already works for the site and could do with some up of upskilling to maintain the website with fresh updates and make the occasional social media post for some wider engagement.

 

[Hoxy57]

Yeah, reading this back and you yall got some valid points. I just figured I'd throw my two cents about what I feel about what could done to make the place better.

 

[tside]

Cannonfodder said it really well. You need someone who "gets it" with airsoft rather than just someone who posts on social media but effectively becomes a paid messenger when they have to ask "What are joule limits? What's an HPA refill? What's a sidearm? What's a minimum engagement distance? What does endex mean?"

Oddly enough, that person who gets it probably already works for the site and could do with some up of upskilling to maintain the website with fresh updates and make the occasional social media post for some wider engagement.

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Ive got a useless journalism degree if there desperate to waste money on someone....