There are many different aspects to surf camp marketing. And to be successful, it’s important to understand all of them and use the correct strategies.
In this article, I’ll discuss the five pillars of surf camp marketing: social media, newsletters, blog articles, email marketing and landing pages. Each one of these areas can help you reach your target market and grow your surf camp business!
What is surf camp marketing?
Simply put, surf camp marketing is a term that’s used to describe the various promotional activities surf camps use to attract new customers and grow their business.
There are a number of different channels that surf camps can use to market themselves. The most common ones, however, are social media, newsletters, blog articles, email marketing and landing pages.
Each of these channels has its own set of strengths and weaknesses. For this reason, it’s important to choose the right mix of channels in order to maximise your chances of success.
Can I market my own surf camp?
If you’re wondering whether it’s possible to market your own surf camp, all you need to do is look around. Heaps of business owners take control of their own marketing and do a great job at it.
Of course, running a surf camp is a big commitment and takes up a lot of time, so if you’re not confident in your ability to handle the marketing side of things, it might be worth hiring someone to help you out.
Writing and editing might not be your strengths either, which means blog posts and newsletters could be better off left to someone who’s passionate about surf camp marketing and knows how to get your message across.
Ultimately though, it’s possible to market your own surf camp, surf school or surf house. My personal advice is to make sure you’re well organised, be consistent and know what good marketing looks like before taking the plunge.
At its core, surf camp marketing is about promoting your surf camp to generate interest and bookings. It’s important to remember that marketing is a process, not a one-time event.
What are the benefits of surf camp marketing?
If we take surf camp marketing as a general umbrella term, there are loads of different advantages to promoting your surf camp. Some of these are obvious while others may be more surprising. Overall, surf camp marketing:
- Generates interest in your surf camp
- Builds a community around your surf camp
- Allows you to connect with potential customers
- Educates potential customers about your surf camp
- Gives you an opportunity to show off what makes your surf camp unique
Marketing also helps you create goals and objectives for your surf camp business. By thinking about what you want to achieve, you can make better decisions about which marketing strategies will work best for you.
Discover more about how to increase traffic to your surf blog through marketing here.
The 5 pillars of surf camp marketing
If you’re feeling lost about which marketing channels to utilise or you’re just starting out as a surf camp owner, it can be hard knowing where to begin. To help you on your way, we’ve put together a list of the five pillars of surf camp marketing.
1. Social media
The first pillar I want to talk about is social media.
Why?
Because when it comes to surf camps, with their stunning locations, dreamy weather and perfect waves, social media is one of the most powerful marketing tools available. If you’re not utilising social media to its full potential, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to reach your target market.
There are a number of ways to make the most of social media for your surf camp business. Firstly, ensure that all of your surf camp’s social media accounts are up-to-date and active.
Post regularly and share high-quality images that will capture the attention of your audience (this shouldn’t be too hard for most surf camps). Use hashtags wisely and consider running targeted social media ads to reach even more people who might be interested in your surf camp.
Also, don’t neglect using specific features such as Instagram stories. Instagram stories are a great way to give your followers a behind-the-scenes look at your surf camp and what goes into running it.
Lastly, don’t forget to interact with your followers! Respond to comments and questions, and create a community around your surf camp brand.
2. Newsletters
There’s no denying that social media is a game-changer for surf camps worldwide. But one criticism of Instagram and Facebook is that you’re always competing for your audience’s attention amidst a sea of content.
This is where a good old fashioned newsletter can come in handy (learn how to right one here).
By having a list of email subscribers, you can send them timely updates about your surf camp without worrying about a finicky social media algorithm.
Plus, newsletters (so long as their sent with regularity) allow you to talk directly to your reader. This is an incredibly valuable way to connect with both past and potential guests.
Finally, newsletters give you complete control over what your surf camp’s message is. You’re not at the mercy of a social media platform that could disappear tomorrow. Nor do you need to conform to anyone else’s standards. You can simply write what you want in an engaging manner (so that it’s palatable in the era of short attention spans) and voila!
For these reasons and more, surf camp newsletters should be a key part of your marketing strategy.
If you don’t have one already, start today. The sooner you get a newsletter going, the sooner you’ll start reaping the rewards.
3. Blog articles
Right, so it’s no surprise that blog articles are on this list. I’m a massive fan of their ability to grow a business in a sustainable and authentic way.
With regular blog articles, you can position yourself as an expert in your area. You can also build trust with your audience and create valuable content that will help your business to be found online.
What’s more, blog articles are fantastic for supporting your SEO goals given that they are full of keywords and phrases that your potential customers are searching for. For example, if you run a surf camp in Bali, you could do a series of articles about surf tips from locals or the best surf spots in Bali.
Not only will this help your business to be found online, but it will also give your customers some valuable information that they can use. And we all know that happy customers are more likely to come back for more.
Of course, blog articles take more time to generate than some of the other items on this list. But in my opinion, they are well worth the investment given the long-term benefits that they provide.
Oh… and one more thing. With blog writing packages you can literally set and forget your surf camp marketing. This means you can purchase article blocks and have them drip-fed to your site over a period of time, which is fantastic for keeping your blog active and fresh without having to lift a finger.
If you’re not already using blog articles to support your small tourism business, then I highly recommend that you start.
Trust me, it will be worth it in the long run.
4. Email marketing
Tell me, and be honest, do you know what’s involved when it comes to email marketing? Because when I bring this up with clients, they give me a deer-in-headlights kind of look.
But that’s okay because most likely, you’ve never been taught the ropes of email marketing and how it can help grow your surf camp business.
Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to connect with your target market and build relationships. It’s a tool that allows you to stay in touch with your customers. It also lets you cultivate a community of surfers who are interested in what you have to say.
Think about it this way: when someone subscribes to your email list, they’re giving you permission to stay in touch with them. They’re saying, “I want to hear from you.” And that’s a pretty powerful thing.
Just bear in mind that newsletters and email marketing are two very different things. While newsletters can be more personal with lots of images and an element of storytelling, direct email marketing should be focused on delivering a specific message to a specific person.
5. Landing pages
Last but certainly not least, we have one of the more underrated forms of digital marketing – landing pages.
A lot of small businesses make the mistake of thinking that their website’s home page is good enough to be a landing page. This simply isn’t the case. A well-designed landing page can be the difference between a customer bouncing off your site or sticking around long enough to convert into a sale.
If you’re not familiar with landing pages, they are essentially standalone web pages designed for one specific purpose – to capture leads or sell a product/service.
They typically have a very clear and concise message. They also have a strong call-to-action (CTA) that encourages visitors to take the desired action. Landing pages are also separate from your website. This means they can be optimised for conversion without affecting the rest of your site.
My favourite reason for utilising landing pages is that they provide a great way to track and measure results from your digital marketing efforts.
Unlike your website’s home page, which is designed to be general and informative, a landing page is focused on converting visitors into leads or customers. This means you can A/B test different elements of your landing page (such as headlines, images, copy, etc.) to see what works best and make changes accordingly.
So there they are – the 5 pillars of surf camp marketing. By focusing on these key areas, you will be well on your way to growing your surf camp business.
In saying that, I understand that you might not have the time to focus on all of these areas. If that’s the case, just pick one or two and give them a go. After all, even the smallest steps in the right direction can make a big difference.