Marketing Strategies

Begin your marketing efforts in your print ads, say your Woodall's Campground Directory advertisement. Because you've done the upfront work of identifying your customer's needs and desires you know what to publicize. Add the "wi–fi" icon to your ad, mention super–sized sites, promote a full–time activities staff, play up your surroundings. Develop printed collateral – a brochure, postcard, newsletter or even a business card with a line for folks to record their license plate number for their wallet – touting your park's finer points and good time offerings. Distribute these to visitor centers, RV dealers and service centers – anywhere you feel you can reach your audience. The internet casts a huge net and can literally bring business home via an online reservation page. Take advantage of the unlimited space your website has by providing an amenities tab bringing lookers to a page promoting your property. Post a pdf version of your newsletter and activities schedule. Add a RSS feed to notify surfers when new information is available. And whatever you do, don't forget to add photos! Speaking of the visual and your website, consider the advice offered in the May 2008 Woodall's Marketing e–Toolbox feature story on Web 2.0. Post videos of your most popular activities, get testimonials from satisfied campers and post alongside a photo of them having a ball at your park, create a blog (you can add links, photos, videos, and more there), consider having a staff member (or a variety of happy folks around your park) record a podcast. Are you in a hot tourist spot? Link, link, link to popular attractions. And don't be afraid to ask for links back to your website. By the way, this is one method to increase your search engine results (goal: appear on the first page of results). However, when linking be sure to have the linked–to site open in another window rather than redirect away from your website. Back to email