Proven Strategies to Grow Your Business http://campgroundsuccess.com/ Cathy asked … “Do you have more tips for making extra money in a campground? Or, what types of products sell best in stores?” http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Q&A_More_Ideas_for_Added_Profits.htm As individual business operators and the industry as a whole, I believe that the RV camping industry is limited by too narrow a view of the role of family camping. We have our trade associations and industry advocates that promote this fine outdoor pursuit, but I think that we are sometimes handicapped by a set of blinders that prevent us from seeing family camping as part of a much broader concept of outdoor recreation. Study outdoor recreation industry reports, associate the camping experience with other activities that are more popular with the youth market, and you will build your current customer base and be making a very sound long-term investment. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Pelland_Time_to_Look_at_the_BIG_Picture.htm As the summer of 2011 moves forward (as a summer lover, way too fast for me), there are some clear trends that have emerged and which will have a long life in the park business. Some things to keep in mind as you go through the summer season or as you prepare for your busy season during the winter. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Gorin_Some_Things_to_Keep_in_Mind_in_Todays_World.htm What could be better than having a fabulous, well-attended, popular event or series of events at your park? Having a fabulous, well-attended, popular event or series of events for a good cause. Let’s face it, everyone wants to make a positive difference. You have an ideal opportunity to help others, allow your guests to make a difference, and help your business at the same time by hosting a successful fundraiser. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Schmarder_Marketing_a_Successful_Fundraiser.htm There are several good reasons for campgrounds to consider planting community gardens. If camping is essentially a “back to nature” green experience, what could be better suited than a community garden space? Your campers will brought together to discover the joys of gardening while learning more about their personal relationship with the environment that we all share. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Pelland_Consider_Planting_A_Community_Garden.htm Too many campground owners think of online consumer reviews as threats. It is time to change that perspective and start thinking of reviews as free market research and learning opportunities. There are lessons to be learned from both positive and negative reviews, particularly reviews of your own park but also reviews of other parks. Of course, many reviews are unavoidable. These include people who complain about the weather or some other difficulty that is beyond your control. On the other hand, most reviews – like them or not – are based upon legitimate complaints. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Pelland_Use_Review_Sites_As_Learning_Tools.htm There’s almost no escaping the social media landscape these days … and especially Facebook. It’s in the news, it’s in the theaters, and it has altered the landscape in numerous industries – including ours. In this last Facebook Frontier installment, we’ll examine a few advanced tips and tricks to kick it up a notch. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Schmarder_Facebook_Advanced_Tips_Tricks.htm Working with both the Virginia Campground Association and Best Parks in America, I engage in frequent e-mail and telephone contacts with many parks. I thought I’d share with Campground Success readers two things that I’ve noticed that could use some attention. First, automatic e-mail responses. Second, staff members answering the phone but unprepared to take messages. When you are open for business, set a standard of responding to business inquiries by phone, fax, e-mail or mail, and adhere to that standard. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Gorin_Auto_E-Mail_Replies_Other_Things_Fine_Tuning.htm Frank asked … “I do not know if you have much AdWords experience, but if you do, I have a question. I have about 500,000 impressions a month and about 3,000 a month click-throughs. I am getting zero to five calls a today. I need more calls a day. Do you think the website should be changed?” http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Q&A_Getting_Conversions.htm Susan asked … “When you say, ‘Private placements offered to family, friends and investors are possible and often attractive if the business proposition is sound and a reasonably high rate of return is likely and offered.‘ What is the going rate of return? In other words, if I were to proposition a family member I want to know what a going rate would be for an investor. We are in an area that would thrive but we do not have the money. We are still working full time jobs to make ends meet in the winter. Our banker advised us to find an investor.” http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Q&A_Follow-up_Gorin_Financing_RV_Park_Campground_Investment.htm Most campgrounds are small, highly personalized, service-oriented businesses which should capitalize upon that positive perception. Consumer reviews and ratings consistently favor owner-operated campgrounds over comparable corporately managed properties. In other words, if all else remains equal, a park where management has both a face and a family name has a distinct competitive advantage. Make that advantage work for you! http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Pelland_Personality_Adds_Marketing_Appeal.htm For most every campground or RV Park in the United States, insurance is one of the five largest expenses. So when you are looking to trim expenses at your park, it is worth the time to look at your insurance policy and make sure you are getting the best coverage possible for the dollars you are spending. Because of the diverse nature of the camping industry, no two businesses have the same insurance policy and often have very different insurance needs. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Hartford_Saving_Money_on_Your_Insurance.htm About 7 out of 10 phone calls I get from folks looking for some consulting assistance are from people looking for money … money for expanding or improving their existing RV park or campground, money to buy a park, or money to build a new park. In today’s economic climate, I’m not telling most business people anything they didn’t know when I say that securing financing through traditional sources for business lending is extremely difficult. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Gorin_Financing_RV_Park_Campground_Investment.htm In our first Facebook Frontier installment we talked about the four main types of Facebook accounts you may create. While all are options in the social media landscape, if you are a business targeting consumers your aim should be a Facebook Page. With a bit of feeding and care, build it and they will come. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Schmarder_Facebook_Frontier_Build_Pages_Consumer_Biz.htm Every hotel, every live theater, every airline and yes, every campground and RV park has had to face the issue: How do we deal with cancellations and refunds? In other businesses, cancellation and refund policies are crystal clear. Over many years, most of the public has learned to live with what are in some cases very restrictive cancelation/refund policies. In most of these other businesses, though, there is a sharp separation between the consumer and the decision-making executives who run the business. The bottom line on cancellation and refund policies: Be fair. Be equitable. And then be firm. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Gorin_Dealing_with_Cancellations.htm What’s the first contact point between you and your guests? For most parks, one of the first, and sometimes the worst, is the telephone. Although many of you might provide great first impressions over the phone, I see a lot of room for improvement in many parks that I call. If your phone gets answered at all, the party on your end may likely project an unprofessional image for your park. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/MacKinnon_Managing_First_Impressions.htm It’s hard to say which situation is worse: Not receiving all of your intended e-mail, or having some of your e-mail not reach its intended recipients. Either way, when your correspondence is business-oriented, undeliverable e-mail can be an extremely costly proposition. In this second part of a two-part series, I will offer useful suggestions that will help to insure that your mail is delivered and that, once it is delivered, there will be a much higher likelihood that it will be read. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Pelland_E-Mail_More_Involved_Than_Meets_Eye_Part2.htm Bill asked … “It has been suggested to us that Facebook can be a good tool to help promote a resort. I know very little about it except it does require time (something a resort owner has little of), being able to post pics & updated info. Unfortunately, they also require a high speed connection. Unfortunately, it seems the only high speed ISP that we have available is HughesNet. It’s expensive & unreliable. Do you know of any other satellite connection available in the boonies of Missouri?” http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Q&A_Keeping_Connected.htm You don’t need to ask the Postal Service to understand the reasons behind the widespread popularity of e-mail in both personal and business communications these days. For a campground, most e-mail correspondence will be of a business-to-consumer nature. When properly executed, e-mail is immediate, extremely inexpensive, and highly deliverable. Done wrong, it can cost you dearly and do more harm than good. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Pelland_E-Mail_More_Involved_Than_Meets_Eye.htm What launched in 2004 as a social network intended to help Harvard students get to know one another better has become a necessity in today’s business world. With 400+ million users worldwide, having a Facebook presence is an important tool in your marketing toolbox. And just as it’s important to know what tools work best for the job at hand it’s equally important to understand the options available to you on this mega-network. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Schmarder_Facebook_Frontier_Understanding_Your_Options.htm For small hospitality businesses like RV parks and campgrounds, brochures are an important marketing tool. Brochures (and rack cards) can be used in many settings, as part of various marketing tactics, and brochures do a good job of describing the experience you are offering. Here are a few thoughts about how to create a powerful brochure, and how to use it. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Strait_Good_Brochure_Great_Marketing_Tool.htm At the recent Western Regional RV Park & Campground Convention in Reno, CA, I was pleased to join a group of very highly regarded and experienced park management executives on a panel to discuss various industry best practices in various aspects of campground management. I discussed some best practices that may be applied to the day to day operations of a park. Here’s a summary of those practices. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Gorin_Management_Best_Practices.htm For many campgrounds, site rentals – either transient or seasonal – pay the bills, but it’s the add-ons that generate the profits. Typical profit centers include stores, snack bars, laundries, boat rentals, and firewood sales. Let’s explore a few incentives that might get all of your campers to drop a few extra dollars. Sometimes it costs a little to profit a lot. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Pelland_Increase_Profit_Center_Revenues.htm Most campgrounds are continually seeking out new ideas for theme weekends and events that will both draw in reservations and broaden their markets. Campers are looking for something new, particularly if the new concepts tie in with positive lifestyle changes and healthy living. Time after time, social responsibility on the part of business has translated into positive impacts upon profits and unprecedented levels of consumer loyalty. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Pelland_Reach_Out_to_Niche_Markets.htm With the advent of so much new-fangled technology, relationships with our customers, vendors, and peers can be reinforced in as little as 140 characters. Once up and running, nothing could be easier than logging on to your Twitter or Facebook accounts and launching a little ditty about the topic of your choosing. You might want to share news about upgraded facilities, new activities, theme weekends, special site pricing, and more. But please, keep your political and religious views to yourself … we really don’t want to know. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Schmarder_Really_Do_Not_Want_to_Know.htm Many park owners understand the value of guest feedback to make better business decisions, manage employee performance, and resolve guest complaints, but only a few have begun to utilize this powerful opportunity to promote their park through online reviews. Today’s reality is that we live in an electronic age, and our camping guests now rely on the electronic format as their primary source of information. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/MacKinnon_Using_Online_Review_Technology_to_Market_Your_Park.htm Your Web address is essentially your second business name. Be sure to protect the online integrity of your business identity. Register any alternate versions of your domain name that are available and that may be presumed in the minds of visitors. Then check to be certain that you are listed as the “Registrant” and that you, in fact, own all of your domain names. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Pelland_Protect_the_Integrity_of_Your_Online_Identity_and_Trademark.htm What is this much mentioned thing - a blog? Blog is short for ‘web log’ – a written update or quick story that attracts and entertains website visitors – your current and prospective customers. According to online marketer HubSpot, companies that blog receive 55% more website visitors! A benefit for your business? You bet! What is it about a blog that delivers? Sticky web content. Here are instructions on how to create it. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Schmarder_What_Is_a_Blog_and_Why_Should_You_Care.htm One of the true pleasures in life is enjoying a wonderful meal out for a special occasion. We may choose a favorite dining establishment or perhaps we recently read a review about a new up-and-comer and asked around – hearing good things we decide to give it a try. If it meets or, better yet, exceeds our expectations chances are we’ll return and even tell others about it, right? Let’s take this familiar scenario and apply it to your marketing plan – specifically advertising and PR, new media, and onsite operations. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Schmarder_Marketing_Meal_Fit_King.htm If a real-time booking does nothing more than eliminate those pesky phone calls from prospective and even loyal guests, it is a compelling reason to consider how you manage the business environment of online bookings. Even more compelling is the convenience that it creates for your guests in making their trip plans. Not having to wait for you to respond to email but being able to generate inquiries and get instant answers without having to make a phone call is a tremendous advantage to your business. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Kohls_Doing_More_with_Less.htm Bradd commented … “I currently own a campground in VT and am considering purchasing a campground out of state. Please share your experiences in how best to manage the day to day operations of a park when it is not feasible to visit it on a regular basis. Thank you for your time.” http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Q&A_Handling_Absentee_Ownership.htm In the day to day hassle of running a business, it’s often tempting to set aside some of the things we may consider inconsequential or as I like to think of it, the “small stuff.” However, it’s usually attention to the small stuff that separates the “ok” from the “terrific”. A quality facility sweats the small stuff all the time. Taking care of the big stuff that instantly hits you and your guests in the face is easy. Taking care of the small stuff is the mark of excellence. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Gorin_Always_Sweat_the_Small_Stuff.htm Securing reservations for the current or upcoming season is a full-time endeavor. When you are unable to meet with – or speak with – a guest at any given time, ensure that your alternate means of communication are effective, professional, and conducive to a continuing dialogue. Your guests will recognize that you are a business owner who cares about meeting their needs, operating a campground where they will enjoy their stays. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Pelland_E-Mail_Voice-Mail_Tips.htm As we head into 2010 and the first decade of the 21st century winds down, and as the country appears to be coming out of the worst recession since the 1930s, it’s appropriate to assess the current environment, identify trends and directions and prepare the RV park and campground business for the coming decade. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Gorin_Trends_to_Watch_for_the_Next_Decade.htm A resort owner asked … “What do you think are the most important factors in presenting a resort for sale?” http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Q&A_Presenting_Resort_to_Sell.htm I have had several campground owners comment to me recently that they were experiencing a low sales conversion rate when new seasonal camping prospects were touring their park. After asking a few questions, it became apparent to me that some basic sales and presentation skills are sometimes what are lacking. A seasonal site rental represents a significant income component for most campgrounds (and a significant expenditure for the campers involved), typically arriving at least in part during the off-season, when cash flow is needed the most. Don’t carelessly throw these prospects away, essentially sending them down the road to the next campground! http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Pelland_Seasonal_Site_Sales.htm Dashboard applications offer Twitter users a great way to keep track of updates, trending topics, even Facebook/MySpace updates all in one place. They allow you to send tweets, offer a URL shortener (to help you save characters since you only get 140 total per tweet), can keep you up to the minute on trending topics, even allow you to watch hashtag terms. Dashboards are a great one stop tool for wringing the very most out of your Twitter account. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Schmarder_Twitter_Part3.htm The real measurement of your online marketing success is in measuring the income that was generated as a result of your strategies. In other words, how many reservations did you receive? In the general travel market, there is hardly a property in existence that is not participating in offering the real-time convenience of searching for availability and instant confirmations to the prospective online guest. Your business can realize tremendous cost savings by moving to the Internet to become part of your overall operational strategy. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Kohls_Efficiencies_Real-Time_Online_Booking.htm Generally, RV park and campground owners are creative in developing various site pricing plans for their parks. And park owners have a reputation, at least with me, as being pretty effective in developing ancillary income. Here are some thoughts, some new, some not, on RV park pricing. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Gorin_Thoughts_Park_Pricing.htm Nobody in business wants to pay for advertising. But they do want customers and advertising brings in new customers—at least good advertising does. Here are a couple of important “rules of thumb” which a business owner can apply to the process of buying and designing display ads in the annual campground directories and similar media. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Strait_Directory_Ad_Performance.htm Weather is a double-edged sword for any business which is based upon outdoor activities, a category of businesses which certainly includes family campgrounds. On one hand, a 20% chance of showers can scare some customers away, so why penalize yourself by being the messenger of such a “dismal” forecast? On the other hand, your prospective guests have a proven desire for information and will appreciate your willingness, through your company’s website, to provide them with everything they need to know. Setting up a weather module and embedding it on your website is a very simple process that will provide your website with a useful enhancement at no charge to either you or your site’s visitors. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Pelland_Weather_Module.htm You’ve been a good student…choosing a memorable, relevant Twitter screen name and signing up for an account. You’ve searched for others in your field and have been quietly observing the conversations they are having with their followers. Offline, you’ve been pondering exactly what you’d like to get out of this new-fangled media scene and have created a written plan. In this article we’ll delve a little deeper into the Twitter universe, discussing the finer points of creating relationships on Twitter. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Schmarder_Twitter_Part2.htm The general industry practice in past years was to charge less for a tent site than other sites. I think those days are over, and the costs of operating a park and making a reasonable return on investment and profit require that overnight fees for an RV site and a tent site be comparable. If you’re going to add tent sites, be sure to consider all of the costs associated with serving that market when setting prices. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Gorin_Tenting_Primitive_Camping.htm Most hospitality companies need a steady stream of new customers. Of course, repeat customers are important; but you can’t have a repeat customer until you get them in the door the first time. Advertising is about getting them the first time with attention-getting words that let you stand out in the eyes of your best prospects. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Strait_Attracting_Prospects_Key_Words.htm Unless you live under a rock you’ve heard the term “Twitter”. It’s all the rage at Fox News and CNN, Whole Foods, Zappos, State Visitor Bureaus, the National Park System, and more – many more. While you may have heard about Twitter, do you know what it is and how it can benefit your business? http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Schmarder_Twitter.htm Stacy asked ... “We are currently going through some management issues. It is difficult to find someone educated enough, capable enough, reliable enough, and willing to work enough to take on the position of Resort Manager. How do you find someone who has enough education, intelligence, and experience to run the park while at the same time be willing to work the long hours and short seasons?” http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Q&A_Finding_and_Retaining_Personnel.htm When you first look at web analytics reports, it will be tempting to measure everything and draw conclusions about everything you see. But not so fast … take a look at all the information in these reports! Identifying what you’d like to know and why you need to know it will help you zero in on key measurements that you should look at and track regularly. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Kohls_Measuring_Success_Through_Analytics.htm Use your new relationships with area businesses to enhance your concierge services, “packaging” the camping experience with value-added activities that will create a competitive advantage for your campground over other lodging-related businesses who will not make the effort. Increase reservations, generate profits, and create a greater sense of loyalty. Most people will appreciate a helpful attitude, will value your knowledge of the local area, and are more than happy to spend more when they are getting a perceived discount … a discount that isn’t necessarily coming out of your pocket. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Pelland_Profit_from_Local_Business_Relationships.htm Links are a critical component of every website. In fact, roughly two-thirds of the traffic reaching the typical website arrives through a link, either from a search engine or a referring site. The importance of those incoming links from referring sites is obvious, both because of the direct traffic that they generate and due to their positive impact upon your search engine ranking. Anything that can be done to increase the number of incoming links to your site from other important and relevant websites will pay double dividends because it will also increase your volume of search engine traffic. To improve your site’s link status, sometimes you simply need to take matters into your own hands. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Pelland_Correct_Perceptions_Get_Links.htm With the advent of the world wide web and the explosion of social networking channels chances are your business is being talked about…somewhere by someone. Would you be interested in knowing what’s being said? What about keeping tabs on your competition, staying up-to-date on your top suppliers’ news or track incoming links to your website or blog? Google Alerts is a free online media monitoring service that allows you to set search terms – just like using Google’s search engine – and sends you email alerts when search terms that you request are mentioned online. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Schmarder_Google_Alerts_Business_Tool.htm In many parts of the country, RV park and campground guests change like the seasons. How do you change a campground to meet the changing clientele? This may not be as difficult as it sounds. There’s no hard and fast rule that says a park can only cater to a single primary market. With a little creative ingenuity, parks can be adapted to multiple audiences as time and season may require. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Gorin_Adapting_RV_Park_Campground_Guest_Needs.htm Did you catch the double negative in that title? If two negatives make a positive, the clear suggestion is to say “Yes!” If a positive, “can do” attitude is contagious, negativity is a cancer, and the last people who want to hear the word “no” are your guests or prospective guests. In fact, no prospective guest is ever likely to evolve into an actual guest under those circumstances. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Pelland_Dont_Say_No.htm What are some of your website goals? Attract prospects? Provide information? Encourage visitors to book a stay with you? Build repeat business? Online video – both on your website and on YouTube – is one way to help you reach your website (and business) goals. Video is “sticky content” – it “sticks” in your viewers’ minds, engages them, inspires them to take action, and can create an emotional connection by mentally placing them “in” the picture – in our business think family bonding, outdoor recreation, old-fashioned fun, getting away from it all. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Schmarder_Making_a_Video_for_YouTube_and_Your_Website.htm The buzz word in marketing these days is “social media”. Everyone’s telling us that we have to tune in and turn on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other Internet based social media sites that let us connect with a larger world outside our own immediate circle of daily contacts. Great idea … no doubt about it. These sites are an extension of the powerful word of mouth marketing that savvy businesspeople have known about for years. However, while you work these new media outlets, we need never to forget or let down our guard on the importance of building and nurturing relationships in our own backyard – with park guests, employees and vendors. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Gorin_Relationship_Marketing.htm Here are five suggestions for marketing programs that attract attention, help fill empty sites and allow the park to maintain its price integrity: Gas Card Promotion, Cash Back, Bounce Back, Summer Program, & Extension Program. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Gorin_Five_Marketing_Programs_That_Work.htm Did you know that some of the best market research can be conducted on your own website? The Web reports (provided by your Web hosting company) can help you gain valuable insights about your prospective guests. These insights have the potential to save you marketing dollars and even open up new sales channels for your business. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Kohls_Web_Analytics.htm Whenever you visit a doctor’s office, you know that the nurse will immediately record your “vital signs” – your heartbeat, body temperature and blood pressure. They do this because appearances can be deceiving. In many cases, you can’t tell if someone is healthy merely by looking at them. We face the same challenge with RV Parks and Campgrounds. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/MacKinnon_Vital_Signs.htm There are two time-related rules regarding visitors to your website. One deals with ease of navigation, and the other relates to quality and quantity of content. Until a visitor has been converted into a buyer, essentially nothing has happened but a potentially lost opportunity. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Pelland_Quality_Web_Content_Creates_Sales_Conversions.htm What do Queen Elizabeth, head of the British Monarchy, Pope Benedict XVI, the Vatican pontiff, and Tony Hsieh, CEO of the immensely successful web store Zappos.com have in common? Yes, they are all “personalities” in their own worlds but there’s more. All three of them have taken advantage of web 2.0 – otherwise known as social media – to broadcast their messages to a local and global audience. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Schmarder_The_Social_Media_Revolution.htm Campgrounds and other outdoor hospitality services need advertising to bring in new customers. But the cost of advertising is high enough to make managers question the value of each ad. So naturally we want to track the source of customers to see if advertising works. http://campgroundsuccess.com/sessions/Strait_Tracking_Advertising.htm Campground Success is pleased to present a new series of online mini-seminars, covering both traditional and cutting-edge marketing strategies that specifically relate to the needs of family campground owners. http://campgroundsuccess.com/newsletter/2009-06-09.html