There is no debate; your camp is a uniquely exceptional paradise to spend summer. Your community could be second to none and your activities lively, but what does it take to get the right numbers in terms of attendance? When students get back home by the end of the season, all that they look forward to is that storytime with their friends as they narrate the good times they had at the camp. So, is it that easy to attract new campers while retaining the previous?
There is no denying that your summer camp needs the best marketing strategies if you are looking to maintain and increase attendance. Whether you operate a bible camp, an outdoor adventure camp, an athletic camp, or a coding camp, finding the most practical strategies that will grow the numbers is paramount.
Living in a society that is slowly and surely gravitating away from outdoor activities and finding solace in video games, social media, and technology in general, there is a need for summer camps to seek practical ways to recapture the attention of the Millenials. While there is a myriad of options you can go for on matters digital marketing, the following are nine basic and effective strategies you can put in place.
What you will learn in this article:
The earlier you wake up the reality that more and more youth are getting hooked to social media, the better for your marketing strategy and camp business. The revolution witnessed in the social media era has seen many brick-and-mortar businesses that fail to evolve get washed away by the tide. One of the most notable social media platforms that have made an impact in terms of popularity is Facebook. It is, therefore, important that you fully understand how to tap into the marketing opportunities offered by this platform.
However, it is also worth noting that Facebook has been making it more challenging for businesses to reach their audience organically. As such, you may need to go an extra mile of ‘boosting’ your posts or better still run a newsfeed ad. With this, Facebook can turn out to be a cost-effective marketing tool, thanks to its advanced targeting features. Other notable social media outlets that you can opt for include twitter and Instagram. Your goal, in this case, should be to invite users to take action. You can easily do this by including links to your other social media platforms and website in your posts. We have experienced team that can drive your social media marketing to the next level. Contact us today and discover how your can maximize social media marketing.
Influencer Marketing
The advent of social media and other online platforms has seen a rise in ‘online celebrities.’ They could be individuals, brands, or organizations. These are influencers that can potentially help drive your sales to your target audience through their engagements. The best strategy would be to look for influencers related to the summer camp industry. Otherwise, you may also opt for popular bloggers and online sensations with a massive following on social media, youtube, and other similar platforms. Through them, your summer camp may benefit from their reviews and mentions. Are you wondering where to start? We can hook you up with a marketing influencer that can help you promote your brand. Drop us a line today.
Video marketing
We understand how you may value written content and static photos. However, this model is slowly being overtaken by the power of videos. Video marketing has recently become a powerful tool that can easily go viral in a matter of hours. If done right, you can easily reach your target audience, both locally and internationally. The best way to go about this is to start a YouTube Account for your camp. You can then start posting valuable videos that meet the needs of your campers. Invite comments, subscriptions, and viewer ratings while at the same time responding to comments. You will be surprised at how this can work magic for your advertising campaign. Contact us today and we will help you create a professional YouTube Account that will help you do video marketing.
Email marketing
The good old email may in most cases taken for granted, but the fact remains it is still a force to reckon with in the marketing space. This perspective is especially so if you understand how to tap on its potential. One of the best ways to market your camp by email is to create a free subscription-based email list. This email will help you communicate with your followers and target audience much easier.
By signing up at your website, users get the chance to be added to the distribution list. The best way to do this is to make use of third party email services like SumoMe and Hello Bar on your website to activate pop-up or static invitations for email subscription sign-ups. Through email marketing, distribution of content on your social media pages and website becomes much easier. To communicate with your mail subscribers much efficiently, you can use popular service providers like Benchmark or MailChimp. These providers simplify your efforts to send out updates, news, and promotions to your target audience.
The best thing about email marketing is that you have the opportunity to tailor-make your content to fit specific target groups; now known as segments. Through segmenting you can easily send customized emails to adults, children, previous campers, future campers, and partners. Drop us a line and we will guide on the do’s and don’t of email marketing.
Responsive website and content marketing
When it comes to digital marketing, nothing works effectively as the power of a responsive website. Your website is the face of your business since this is the first place kids and parents will want to visit to learn about your programs. As such, you will need to have a catchy home page, comprehensive FAQs, photos, and videos that portray the best about your camp. Other notable features that will make your website responsive may include strategically placed registration and info request forms. Most of all, give your website a mobile-friendly design since most of your target campers will be browsing using their phones.
Apart from being a hub of information, your website should convert its visitors into committed campers. Always find time to post testimonials from previous attendees. Testimonial becomes a motivation to your would-be campers. You can also dedicate a page for social media where you can post comments, pictures, and other media from previous camp goers.
Search engine paid advertising
Search engine advertising has gained so much prominence in the recent past and becomes a basic tenet of digital marketing. Based on this, you can take advantage of its effect on marketing your summer camp. You can easily do this by creating catchy ads and putting them in search engine results. You will then be prompted to pay a little amount each time a user clicks on the ads. The best thing about search engine advertising is the fact that you can easily monitor the intention of your users and thus get updated in real-time when they are ready to get to the action and subscribe to your program. Done right, this is the fastest way to direct people to your website. Contact us today for more information on the best paid search engine advertising.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Bringing in new campers can sometimes be a hassle. As much as old school methods like referral may still matter, you must get to understand the current trends of your target audience. At this age, all a parent would do when looking for the best camp is to run a quick google search. In most cases, they will engage with the first couple of results that pop up.
So to make sure your website is part of these, you need to strategize on how to get to the top of Google rankings. You can conveniently do this by choosing the right keywords. Keywords will follow optimization of the same. After that, you can then build citations and links. These steps will ultimately take your website to the first page of Google.
Online camp directory marketing
The advent of the internet has seen parents shift to online directories to find camps. So as a marketer looking to get the attention of these parents, it makes much sense to advertise your camp in online camp directories such as world-camps.org. It is also worth noting that most online parent groups marshal local resources. As such, it would be a good move putting your efforts into connecting with these influencers.
Local search marketing (Google My Business)
In most cases, your search for camp enrolment would be targeting specific local locations. So what better way to do this than incorporating a Google My Business (GMB) listing? GMB is a revolutionary marketing tool from Google that helps you manage your online presence and has proven to offer excellent results for brands targeting local exposure.
The best thing about GMB is that it is free. However, this does not replace your business website. If anything, then it complements your camp website by giving it a public presence and identity. Are you wondering how you can make use this of this strategy? Our team of competent professionals will create catchy local search marketing for you. Schedule an appointment with us today.
Conclusion
As much as traditional advertising strategies may still be applicable at this age, it is only prudent that you realize the effectiveness of current trends. When considering digital marketing strategies for your summer camp, take your time to understand how each of these will work to your advantage. With online advertising taking root, you have limitless possibilities in terms of reach and results. Give your camp a new lease of life by increasing awareness and ultimately improving your camp attendance numbers through the power of the digital space.
Ready to increase your marketing power? Why don’t you drop as a line? We will be in touch with you to help you choose the best digital marketing tactic.
Social media marketing