12 Stories That Tell About Your Camp
Camp leaders need to master the art of storytelling. Not just the campfire version—the marketing kind. Without stories, you can’t get good, consistent, local media coverage, which is vital to keeping a camp in the public eye and topmost in the mind of families.
Optimism And A Bit Of Hope
In March, the Buckeye Leadership Workshop (BLW) reconvened for its first real-world, in-person gathering at the Recreation Unlimited facility in Ashley, Ohio. Like many organizations, BLW has had to pivot and adapt its annual program to the ever-evolving requirements of a global pandemic.
Social-Media Marketing
Historically, camp owners have difficulty promoting all of their facilities’ features and benefits. While advertising in publications invariably pays off, not all camps can afford it; in some cases, there aren’t any publications in a geographic area that would benefit them.
What's In Store
Wouldn't you like to put any worries that you might have about next season's camp enrollment in your rearview mirror? Making your camp "the" place where campers want to be can be easily achieved if you
Holistic Branding & Technology
Holistic branding… It's more than just a New Age term. It's a big picture view of your camp's marketing, a way of making sure that all the parts of your marketing work together.
Making Memories Last … and Spread
When summer is over, some of your campers will ask their parents to sign them up again for next year’s session. And some of them won’t. What’s the difference? Some parents tell all of the friends about your
The Three Knows: Part Two
Last issue, we talked about the Three Knows for Marketing, and how these three elements are important to developing compelling and effective materials for your camp. We also discussed the concept of Holistic
The Three “Knows” of Marketing
From the outside, marketing can look complicated and confusing. And, done incorrectly, it can be. But, if you think about marketing correctly, if you examine the process (and marketing is a multi-faceted process)
Doesn’t Everyone Love Camp?
When it comes to raising children, controversy abounds. Should toddlers watch TV? Is it better to spank or use time-out? Public school or private? Day camp or residential?
The Elevator Speech
You meet a parent in line at the grocery store, and you’re wearing a camp shirt. You’re at a friend’s house for dinner, and a couple you’ve just met says, “So I hear you run a camp!” You overhear your part-time
The Affirmation Postcard
The affirmation postcard is the single greatest idea I’ve ever had to build camper retention, communicate effectively with parents, and build a camper’s sense of self-worth. Like all good
A Shrinking Window
Last May, a camp director called me in a panic. “We’re way behind in registrations, and I’ve tried everything! I don’t know what to do!” While we talked, I pulled up his Web site. I asked,
Ready, Aim, Fire!
In the past, I have discussed marketing tools, the ideas behind them, and the reasons to enlist them in marketing campaigns. From branding to technology, I have covered a lot of ground in
Selling For Social And Emotional Success
Admiring a photograph of an expert climber flashing a frosty smile and waving a tiny flag on the summit of Mount Everest is radically different from actual Himalayan mountaineering.
Selling “The Brand”
Merchandising can be a vital part of the marketing landscape of a camp, and imprinted merchandise helps get a camp’s name out to the public. You want to do all you can to promote
Riding Out The Winter
While campers are busy with school in the winter, you probably look at an under-used campground and say, “How can I bring in more business?” or “How can I use my facilities in the off-season?”
Face to Face(book)
In these articles, I try to show you the realities of building and conducting effective marketing campaigns. From Web sites to brochures and videos, I have featured about every kind of marketing material out there.
Postcard Marketing
While I spend a lot of time in these articles discussing high-tech solutions for marketing your summer camp, I’d like to turn the clock back a little to discuss one of the standards of direct marketing--postcards.
Keep The Conversation Going
The Web is split between two separate but equally important sectors--traditional Web sites and the new 2.0 applications that make a Web presence more interactive.
Repeat Retreats
Having worked with weekend and off-season guests for more than 11 years, I have successfully unlocked some of the secrets to outstanding return rates.