When should I start my social media efforts?

I get asked every single day by camp directors about the right timing for starting their social media efforts. The answer to this really depends on the camp and situation, but my answer always is “the longer you wait, the more you will miss out on.” What I mean by that is:

• You will be missing many opportunities to promote your camp by not having a social media strategy in place
• You won’t sign up new campers using these innovative channels that we know help sign up new campers
• You won’t be reaching new moms and growing your word of mouth referrals
• You won’t have interesting marketing content on your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram profiles
• You risk not maximizing the potential of other marketing activities because your social strategy is all over the place

Maybe for your camp it makes sense to wait until your website is complete, or you hire an associate director with marketing experience, or you finish preparing for summer. OR maybe it makes sense to just start now.