How to Boost Summer Camp Registration with a Digital Marketing Strategy

Engagement Strategy Series

This month we’re continuing our Engagement Strategy Series with a session on how to maximize your marketing efforts to boost summer camp registration. With demand for summer camp and childcare at an all-time high (registration for both are up 59.2% in January compared to 2020, it’s the perfect time to capitalize on that need and kick your marketing into high gear.

In this month’s webinar, we sat down with Kinnick McDonald, Executive Director of Daxko’s Digital Agency, to learn the basics of digital marketing and how you can take advantage of various digital marketing tools to boost summer camp registration in your organization.

To learn more, check out the webinar recording and review our summary of the discussion below.

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Diversify Your Tools and Tactics

A robust digital marketing strategy includes multiple tactics that all work in tandem to help you reach your goal. A strong engagement strategy makes use of each of the following tools to reach your targeted audience.

• Pay-per-click advertising
• Search engine optimization
• Directory listings
• Reputation management
• Content marketing
• Social media
• Email

Nonprofits in particular can take advantage of free opportunities for digital marketing help. For example, making a Google Grants Account gives you access to $10,000 per month in advertising spend. Similarly, the YouTube Nonprofit Program gives nonprofits access to dedicated resources, tools, and platform enhancements for advertising.

Base Your Strategy on the Buyer’s Journey

When creating a digital marketing campaign, the buyer’s journey should be central to your strategy. The prospects you’re trying to reach will all be at different stages of the buying journey when they encounter your messaging, so it’s important to speak to their unique perspectives. Below are the three stages of the buyer’s journey and a few tips for how to approach each:

1. Awareness Stage

At this stage, prospects know they have a problem or need, they just don’t yet know that you’re the solution. In the case of summer camp, a parent might be looking for a way to give their child more outdoor time. It’s your job to use pay-per-click ads, SEO, social media, and directory listings to educate these parents about why summer camp is the answer to giving their child the outdoor activity they’re seeking.

2. Consideration Stage

In the consideration stage, buyers are aware of what they’re looking for and are evaluating their options in order to decide on one. Use a combination of content marketing, reputation management, and email marketing to show prospects why your summer camp is the right fit for their needs.

3. Decision Stage

In the decision stage, prospects are finally ready to pull out their wallets. It’s your job to seal the deal with an effective website or landing page that gets them to take the action you’re hoping to drive. A marketing automation tool like Conversica also can be of help.

Identify Your Audience

The second thing to consider in your digital marketing strategy is your audience. In other words, who are you trying to get to hear your message? In general, your prospects will fall into one of three groups: new prospects, past members, and current members. If you want your audience to take the action you seek, in this case registering a child for summer camp, your messaging should speak to the specific pain points or challenges they face based on the audience group they belong to.

Embrace a Transitional Year

While the start of a new year hasn’t necessarily meant an end to all the madness of 2020, it does represent a turning point. Compared to last summer when most organizations were forced to cancel camp, things are looking up for this season. Take advantage of 2021 as a transitional year during which you can test and refine new digital marketing strategies. It’s the ideal time to set a solid foundation for success, so you can own the summer camp market when 2022 rolls around. By combining data from previous years with new research on emerging market trends, you can take your digital marketing engagement strategy to new heights.

Get Expert Help

If you’re ready to take your digital marketing to new heights, consider enlisting the help of Daxko’s Digital Marketing Agency. With our digital marketing expertise, clients have increased their conversions by up to 600%. Our agency offers paid advertising campaign management, reputation management, website design, and full access to our comprehensive directory listing. Connect with a client executive to see how you can amplify your messaging and accelerate your mission with the help of our digital marketing agency.