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Promotion Ideas for Group Accommodation and Campsites

by Don MacDowall

Brochure Design

Every campsite needs a brochure* that is clear, concise and informative. But that doesn’t mean thousands of words - use a picture. It’s true, a picture can be worth a thousand words.
Even if you choose not to produce a full colour, glossy all-singing, all-dancing brochure, a single colour, well presented brochure is an excellent promotional tool.

* Surveys by the Camping Association of Victoria Inc. suggest that word of mouth, a brochure and the CAV directory are the three most significant ways for most campsites to promote themselves.

Doing the thinking
Importantly, you need to be clear about what you want to tell the public before you spend large amounts of money on a top line brochure. Regardless of which type of brochure, there are some fundamental questions to be asked and answered by you.

Who do I want to read it?
What do I want to tell them?

Ask yourself how it will be used, how it will be distributed, what will be next to it on a rack?
Does it post readily?

These are important factors in determining size, colour and style.

Get advice from design people before spending lots of money. A simple, but striking leaflet could last you for quite awhile and be very effective.

Make sure all details are correct. Check spelling (yes, accommodation does have two ‘m’s). Check and re-check your contact details including postcode, phone and fax numbers with prefixes and email address.

Colour
Colour now can be readily produced on computer for short run items.

For more significant amounts you need professional preparation which will often require colour separations to be made of any coloured photographs or pictures.

You can get good value from colour separations (needed to produce full colour pictures) by using the same ones on your brochure and on your ad. Sometimes, it's possible to get the artwork for your advertisement to become the artwork for your brochure and so get a significant saving.

Also, the advertisement that you run in a magazine can have run-ons done - you simply order a print of that page. Check with the printer or publisher.

‘Getting Your Message Across in Print’
by Leon Costermans (available from the CAV) explores in more detail the area of simple and effective methods of brochure and advertisement design and production.

Exaggeration, distortion and lies
Exaggeration and misleading advertising (however unintentional) can only create unpleasantness, complaints and even action through Consumer Affairs. Ensure your brochures are up to date and truly reflect the facilities and services you offer.

It is stupid (and illegal) to make false claims about your facilities, programs, staff or service. Likewise, comparisons with other campsites tend to reflect poorly on you.

Brochure Distribution

It's nice to have the new fancy brochure delivered by the printer that says just what you want it to say about your site. However, there's not much point in just you reading it - you've got to get it into the hands of the people who will make the decision to use your site.

Databases
Existing customers, phone enquiries - any person you deal with is a potential customer, get their address details and add them to your database. Contact them periodically (perhaps about the time they made the enquiry last year) and see if they need your information again. Send them your new brochure or a newsletter about the new building or programs.

State Booking Services
Some states associations have a centralised booking service. This service is a great opportunity to distribute your brochure to interested groups — people who at least are interested. You respond to the weekly bulletin with a standard page and fax , post or email it to the client or state association. It’s an excellent way to reach groups who are definitely interested in going away. Even if they cancel, they still may hold on to your brochure.

School direct mail
You can buy mailing labels for every school in your state (yes, every school). This means you can choose, primary or secondary or an area or a series of postcodes. As well you can have position name (not a person's name) put on the label. It would be possible to buy a swag of labels and send them out say twenty at a time and then follow up with a phone call. "Did you receive my brochure." "Can I give you any more information?" "Would you like me to visit you?"

Previous clients
Who better to receive a new brochure than your previous clients. You do keep their names and addresses in a methodical way don't you? Tell them about the changes at the site, new program ideas you tried, new attractions nearby or en route. Even tell them about the new animals that have been born or the tree planting you've done.

Local outlets
Swap with the local craft shop, the local tourist attraction. You give out their brochure, they give out yours. Keep tourist information centres well stocked and keep in touch with the type of groups and enquiries they get.

General advertising

• Encourage user groups to visit the site before their camp. If they have a long journey, offer overnight accommodation.

• Word of mouth is the cheapest and best advertising. (The corollary to this might also be true. The worst and most damaging form of advertising is word of mouth.)

• When advertising, tailor your advertisement to the market you have in mind e.g. a school picture is probably not appropriate in a magazine aimed at corporate groups.

• Be realistic about response to advertising. General advertising is not likely to produce an immediate response, some directories are kept for years before they're used. Newspaper ads should be very specific - for a holiday period such as the summer holidays, group accommodation for snow weekends, etc.

• Emphasise what makes your site special - it might be its location, the reasonable cost, its proximity to Melbourne, and the availability of program assistance or activity equipment. Different groups will have different needs. Keep this in mind when placing your ad or doing your mailout. Try and anticipate what they'll be looking for.

• Invite user groups to a special day at your campsite. It might be an open day or it might have a special theme - resources, games day. etc

• Use every chance for free advertising e.g. get a group’s picture in the paper with the name of your camp in the article.

• Advertising is like a sponge and will soak up any amount of money without necessarily giving a return. Paid advertising needs to be thoughtfully selected. Just because a marketing company rings you doesn’t mean you should go into their publication. Be tough.

• Choose the advertising means that are most appropriate to your site and to your client group. Ask yourself, where will teachers, tennis clubs, church groups, Scouts and corporate groups look for information? Many will have magazines they'll automatically turn to, others will try the camping association or the local council.

• Direct mail is more effective if it can be followed up with a phone call or a visit.

• Print a leaflet that is snappy and emphasises the benefits of your site and send it to twenty schools, preferably addressed by name (not just title) to the camping co-ordinator. Even ring the school first to get the name of the co-ordinator. Follow it up with a phone call to those schools.

• You could try the same for a day-only program and run some getting-to-know-you Project Adventure games. Package it as a orientation day program for schools within an hour of the site. Mail and follow up in the same way as above.

• Yellow Pages, especially the capital city edition is worth considering if you’re in with several other campsite listings. This will be at an additional cost to your normal free local listing.

Electronic

Web pages are probably the coming thing. It’s very useful to have one and it’s possible to start with a simple one and build on it. Make sure you can alter it at little or no expense to you.

In fact, if you’ve got an email address you probably also have an entitlement to some free web space in which you can place your web page. Talk to your Internet Service Provider (e.g. Telstra, ozemail, etc. about this possibility.

Get advice about design - it’s not just a matter of putting your brochure on the screen. Like a brochure, good design can make a simple web page effective and a useful marketing tool. Often you can get it as an adjunct to someone else’s web page (e.g. the CAV or ACA).

Also you can have your page linked to many others so that you can be found from several different starting points - schools, tourism bodies, camping, special interest groups, etc.

Keeping Clients

• Clients that come, enjoy themselves and want to come again don't need to be reached by advertising. A satisfied customer will probably come again and will certainly tell others about you.

• Listen to the user groups and see what they think could be done at your site or offered by your site. They will perhaps be better informed than you.

• Have you slept in your bunkroom, used your showers or tried to find the light switch on a dark night? Listen to the comments of the users groups about details (e.g. leaking taps, squeaky doors, second helpings, endless tea, coffee, cordial, the little things positives and negatives) that you need to know but may not notice.

• Send Christmas cards or a newsletter to your users. Let them know they are special to you. Tell them about the changes, additions to facilities, the new animals, and the funny things that have happened.

• Provide a resource guide for teachers and users, help them to plan their program and get the most out of your site. It could include activity guidelines, equipment lists, brochures about nearby resources and attractions, places to visit en route to your site, participation certificates for schools to use as part of their program (display the camp name prominently).

• Have the name of coach companies, program and service organisations on hand so you can help user groups get good information and attractive services.

• Maintain a record and information about particularly successful activities special to your site. Offer these ideas to other user groups.

• Ensure your facilities are clean and well-maintained and that you meet (or even exceed) the needs and expectations of the group. This, good food, hot water and above all a pleasant atmosphere will bring them back again and again.