Reaper’s Revenge Haunted Hayride and Attractions are once again leading the way in both critical acclaim and operations, with a safety plan that is respected across the industry. Reaper’s Revenge has grown exponentially over its relatively short history and is one of the most popular amusement destinations in the country! One of the main factors that have contributed to the exponential success of Reaper’s Revenge is its quality, first-class, and engaging social media and marketing content. Reaper’s Revenge relies heavily on a talented social media and marketing team, which works closely with ownership, media companies, and professional partners to create content that keeps fans engaged, and yearning for more each season. In this edition of the Reaper’s Revenge Blog, we feature one of the social media and marketing team’s leaders, Social Media Manager Amy Black!

Reaper’s Revenge Blog (RR Blog):  What is your experience with Reaper’s Revenge? Can you elaborate on your history with the attraction?

Amy Black (Black): I started with Reaper’s Revenge in 2013, I had returned to school to get my BA in theatre and always had an interest in costuming.  I was always a fan of Reaper’s Revenge and when I saw they were hiring, I attended an SFX make-up event and then applied as a costume assistant. No one at Reaper’s Revenge does just one job, and since my costume assistant duties started early and ended very late, Travis asked if I’d like to fill another role for the hours in between.  So, I worked the queue line, I took tickets, loaded the wagon lines, loaded the wagons, gave the sendoff speech, and kept the records of wagon loads.  The next year, they were opening a new attraction – Sector 13 and asked if I’d like to train to supervise it.  I gave it a shot but didn’t really enjoy that aspect of the work.  The following year there was an opening for an attraction supervisor in Pitch Black and I was placed as the supervisor in that attraction.  I did that for two years, and then my school work and full-time work responsibilities became too much, I also took a position in a second business the operators were opening and became the General Manager at PA Escape Rooms.  My work there included managing their Social Media sites and when they were looking for someone to manage the Reaper’s social media, they came to me- So here I am.

RR Blog: How many seasons have you served in your current position? What are the “secrets” of planning effective marketing and social media campaigns?  

Black: This is my 3rd season as Social Media Manager.  As to how to plan successful campaigns, it’s a fine balance offering the public enough information to keep them excited and informed, without giving away too many surprises.  We have a great team of media creators who provide me with all of the content, we have meetings with the rest of the marketing team and brainstorm how and when we’ll release information. We review what’s worked in the past, and adjust future campaigns accordingly. It’s a super weird time because we are reacting to issues we never saw coming but, the owners and managers always remain flexible and able to respond to situations that do arise and we adapt and adjust and the show goes on.

RR Blog: What are the greatest challenges associated with your position?

Black: The greatest challenges of my job are the public expectation of immediate response and correction.  There’s still a lot of customer service involved in managing social media sites. Consumers have gotten used to posting whatever praise or grievances immediately – in the heat of the moment.  It’s tempting to give in and respond at that same “knee-jerk” reaction but you have to temper your responses, and craft an appropriate response – if necessary.  Sometimes, folks don’t do a lot of checking into information- it’s easier to post a comment or send a question through messenger than to go to a website and look at FAQ, sometimes, the customer doesn’t want to do the research. We have to decide what rises to the level of a direct answer from us, or what we have to let the public sort out for itself.  If a major, overreaching issue comes up that we need to address, we do it absolutely.  But I can’t answer every comment asking what time we open when our hours are posted across every medium.   The most rewarding aspect is obviously hearing our fans tell us that they appreciate what we’re doing and how we’re doing it.  The owners, production managers, supervisors, and actors really are doing a great job- and I love to share with them that their hard work is being noticed and appreciated.

Blog Bonus: A Brief Visit with “Freddy Krueger!”

Reaper’s Revenge’s “Haunted Hayride” attraction is the “heart” of the entire journey into one’s realm of nightmares. One of the star characters this season is the iconic Freddy Krueger who has some strong words for his adoring fans….

 


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