Want to reach your campers with a targeted message on social media? Instagram is the place to be! Over 1 billion people actively use Instagram each month, and 500 million use Instagram stories every day. Here are some quick tips to get active on Instagram. 1. Set up your account - Go to Instagram.com and set up your camp's account. Find a few camps to start following and see what types of photos are getting good engagement. Post to your other...
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As visiting day approaches and camp starts winding down, I get asked one question A LOT by my clients. "Now that summer is over, can I take a break from advertising?" Is it really worth spending money on ads through the the fall? The answer is (obviously) a resounding yes, but I wanted to explain why we think it is so important. Don't Lose Momentum Summer is the most important marketing time of the year. You create daily content for social media,...
Read MoreToday Instagram announced a brand new app for watching long-form video on Instagram called IGTV. Videos posted to Instagram have long been limited to only 60-seconds, which means that most users still rely on YouTube for long-form video. Now you will be able to upload hour long videos to IGTV. Things that make this app unique are: Videos are full screen and vertical. Most people prefer watching content the same way they hold their phone, so this is a nice addition...
Read MoreWhen creating Facebook ads it can be very tempting to only include a few different photos or text variations. However, testing different creative is the key to a successful ad campaign, which is why it is so exciting that Facebook has launched dynamic creative. According to Facebook: "Dynamic creative accepts the basic components of a Facebook ad and automatically explores a series of ad variants based on these components. The system converges on creative components that deliver the most efficient results...
Read MoreLast November, Instagram launched Stories, a feature that closely resembled the photo and video sharing application Snapchat. Since then, Snapchat has experienced a decline in daily users and engagement. This has led many to believe that the relatively new Instagram feature encouraged users to stay on the application instead of using Snapchat for their temporary video and photo postings. What might have caused this shift from Snapchat to Instagram Stories? First, Instagram users are much easier to locate than Snapchat users. If...
Read MoreThe weather is warming up, school is letting out and you can just feel that summer is in the air! This year the American Camp Association reports that more than 14 million children will attend camp in the U.S. at one of the more than 14,000 day and resident camps. While many things about the unique summer camp industry remain the same, there are a few interesting changes this summer. Camp tuition prices are rising, making the potential customer base for...
Read MoreMany camps stop advertising during the summer. I've written in detail before about why you shouldn't do that, but if you camp decides to try out during summer advertising below is a great plan to follow: Promote your best content to friends of fans With daily posting during the summer you should have a lot of new content coming out! Use this content and promote it to your friends of current fans in target zip codes. We want potential customers...
Read MorePhone follow up is absolutely crucial for summer camps reaching out to prospective families. We have included some of our favorite follow up tips below. Phone Call Follow Up Quick Tips: Avoid the opening statement blunder: “I was calling to follow up on your info request.” “I am calling to see if you had any questions.’ “I just wanted to make sure you got my e-mail.” “The reason for my follow up was to see if you had come to a...
Read MoreEver since I started Social Summer Camp, I’ve been baffled at how summer camps focus on marketing and recruiting all winter and spring long, only to completely stop marketing when summer starts. This isn’t just bad business, this is a crucial mistake! Summer is THE most important marketing time of the year. During this time, we have an amazing opportunity to amplify your message to the friends and family of your campers and significantly grow word of mouth. What we do...
Read MoreIf you have ever felt like you might be over-posting on Instagram, this update will be very helpful for you! According to Instagram: "Starting today, you can share multiple photos and videos in one post on Instagram. With this update, you no longer have to choose the single best photo or video from an experience you want to remember. Now, you can combine up to 10 photos and videos in one post and swipe through to see them all." When you upload a...
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