MarketingMinute
Year-Round Process Future camper enrollment depends on camps carrying out their marketing plans during the summer months
By Nancy Schenker
others? Look carefully at your entire appli- cation process too. Do you make enrolling easy for families? Is your process paper- intensive and cumbersome? If you are ready to make a change, consider enlisting the help of professionals in fine tuning your marketing.
W
e are now living in a world where people have access to informa- tion any time and everywhere.
The concept of “time off” no longer exists. That applies to camp marketing as well. Camp marketing is a 12-month
process. Here are 10 activities that every camp should seriously consider as they head into this summer and begin to plan for next summer.
1. Embark on a “brand makeover.” Are the words and graphics you use to describe your camp still compelling — and is your message consistent with what families are looking for these days. Take all your mate- rials and spread them out on a table, along with those of your competition. Look at your website as if you are a prospective camp family, considering your program for the first time. How do you stack up against
2. Ask the right questions. Have you done effective research among your camp fami- lies? Research can be as simple as polling your families on visiting day or you might consider a more extensive online survey. Consider offering an incentive for question- naire completion. When you get the results back, resist the urge to second guess or rationalize. Put the feedback into practice and let your families know that you are tak- ing action on their suggestions. This can go a long way in building loyalty and retention.
3. Brainstorm, brainstorm, brainstorm. Once you have the research results, assem- ble a small group of people who you trust and respect. Put together a short list of your most significant challenges (marketing or other) and enlist the help of the team in problem-solving. Involving people from outside the camp industry can also be help- ful. In the brainstorming process, no idea should be considered a bad one. Keep your mind open to innovative thinking.
4. Shake up the piggy bank. Many camps have been using the same types of market- ing techniques year after year. They may spend hundreds or even thousands of dol- lars on forms of marketing that are simply not delivering. Experiment with new tech- niques and new forms of media.
5. Get smart about social media. Facebook, Twitter, mom bloggers, online videos, mobile marketing and other new media forms are transforming the way businesses and people communicate. They are not simply a passing fad. Attend a workshop or teach yourself new skills.
6. Look at your off-season communica- tions with a new pair of eyes. Is your newsletter as compelling as it could be? Are you communicating frequently enough? Well-timed e-marketing can be a terrific way to stay in touch with camp families and build camper loyalty.
10 Canada Camps Spring 2010
Photo: Camp Mini-Yo-We
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