Your Customers Are Looking For Up-To-Date Info
The phrase “Knowledge is Power” dates back hundreds of years, but it’s never been as relevant as right now, even for the camping industry. Whether you run a dealership that’s been in business for years or a family-owned campground that has provided happy memories for decades, it’s never been more critical to ensure that people have timely and accurate information.
From a campground operator’s perspective, it’s imperative to know not only the latest health standards and guidelines for your city, county and state, but standards for the campground industry as a whole. That information must be transmitted to your current and potential guests. Information updates are necessary but can also provide a marketing opportunity. Below are a few ways to deliver updated content while also giving campers a reason to stay with or buy from you.
Updating your website – By now, most businesses have put the latest COVID-19 updates on the home page of their websites. This includes local regulations and safety measures, which are critical to your customers so they understand the situation in your area. Additionally, it’s also important to highlight any park updates. Don’t forget to emphasize elements such as a revised check-in process, updated schedule of events (if any), etc. Of course, reiterate that YES, you are Open! For months, the top question from potential campground customers has been, “Are you still open?” You’d be surprised at how many RVers incorrectly assume a particular place isn’t open because of what they saw on the news. Don’t give them a reason to look elsewhere for their camping experience.
Blogging – You may think that blogging is just another form of updating your website — and it is! But, it can be a lot more than that. In addition to providing news to current and potential customers on all the great improvements happening at your park, you can provide timely updated information concerning COVID-19. The situation changes weekly, if not daily, and your campground operations will be changing along with it. This is a great space to generate an ongoing conversation with visitors to your website.
Additionally, your blog is a great space for updates about your community. For most campgrounds, area events and attractions are what bring RVers to town, and community updates can be just as important as campground updates. Whether you’re located a tourist-heavy area like Branson, Mo. (https://www.abc-branson.com/blog/), or doing business in outdoor-oriented California (https://www.robertsresorts.com/blog/captivating-adventures-california), every part of the country is affected by COVID-19, and people need to know what they can do when they visit you.
On the back end, links to these area events and attractions are good for your website. Not only are you supporting another business in town, but you’re also directing traffic to their website. Added traffic is a great foot-in-the-door to that business perhaps providing a reciprocal link to your website under an accommodations-type tab.
Printed material and handouts – Numerous campgrounds, and businesses in general, are trying to handle check-ins with as little in-person interaction as possible. And while an entirely e-commerce transaction may seem practical, many campgrounds have chosen to hand out or deliver some form of printed material at check-in. These items, such as park maps or guidelines, are updated due to COVID-19, and are critical to any campground’s operation. If you have a dated map, you should reach out to your provider now, to ensure timely information is available.
Taking it a step further, if you offer guest guides sponsored by local businesses, it’s likely there will be updates to offerings and services from those businesses. For example, if you promote certain restaurants in town, do they currently advertise that they do take-out or curbside service, or even delivery to your site? Or, perhaps that dog groomer you support has a mobile service now, instead of the brick-and-mortar address that’s on the business card you hand out. Reach out to your guest guide provider now so you can work together, update your literature and give your customers accurate information.
If you’ve made it this far, you should sense the importance of up-to-date information, whether it’s in print or web form. Remember, your website will be the first thing potential customers see when Googling RV parks in your area. And, your site map or guidelines may be the first thing they read when they arrive.
Plus, these aren’t changes that will be done and over with by the end of summer. The necessary modifications from COVID-19 will be with us for a long time. The sooner and more frequently we update our customers – the better!
