As marketing pros who have been in the biz for decades, the same mistakes seem to pop up time and time again by camp owners and leaders. Here’s a few of the top mistakes to avoid and ways to maximize your marketing budget this season:
1. Don’t wait to build a list. Don’t wait ‘til you need a database list to get one together. Email lists take time to gather and grow. For every name on your list, that’s less marketing dollars you need to spend on attracting prospects.
Pro tip: Make sure that your website is an email-capturing machine. Give people at least three reasons, and three ways to provide you with their email address
2. Don’t stop marketing too soon. This is by far the biggest marketing mistake made by camp directors. They run one ad in a magazine, do one week of FaceBook ads or one round of postcards – then stop because it didn’t produce any leads. Remember, marketing tactics take time to work. Stopping too soon only makes your bank account lighter and contributes to the ‘black hole’ of marketing.
Pro tip: No matter if your budget is tight – or you have an unlimited budget – market to the smallest audience possible. And do it as frequently as possible. Marketing tactics become far more effective after they have been seen seven times.
3. Don’t outsource your voice. Many camp owners are nervous about social media due to their discomfort with the platform. So they hand it over to someone else – usually an intern or someone who texts a lot. Having opposable thumbs does not make someone skilled at social media marketing. Your camp voice is unique and a crucial part of your brand. Guard it carefully; don’t hand it over to just anyone. Many social media mishaps happen when an inexperienced ‘driver’ takes the wheel, which can result in dissapprovals, and even the loss of camper families.
Pro tip: Social media needs to be done with conscious intent. Craft a great story and stick with it. Posting just to – is not a good idea.
4. Don’t sell to everybody. The truth is, camps don’t have a large enough budget to market to everyone they want to reach. Even McDonald’s has a budget. The secret to managing your marketing dollars is to reach out only to your ideal customer profile – and forget about the rest. When you try to speak to everyone, the message becomes general and watered down. When you speak directly to your target audience, the message is clearer and more relevant to your ideal audience.
Pro tip: Think about how the last 100 kids signed up for camp. Who called or emailed with questions? Who came to see your open houses? Who was the one who paid? This is your target audience – figure out what makes them tick.
5. Don’t steal a tactic that doesn’t fit you. Heard the story of the camp colleague that was ‘killing it’ with social media marketing? So another camp decides to try that same approach too. But they don’t kill it – they get sunk instead. This is a common occurrence, as many camp leaders are uncertain about which marketing tactics to focus on, so they borrow an idea from a colleague, thinking that it will automatically work for them too. Unfortunately, what works for one camp doesn’t always work for another.
Pro tip: The best way to maximize your ROI is to develop a plan and stick to it. Then at the end of each year, take time to measure your successes using analytics tools.