WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET YOU TO CLICK?
Creating content is easy, but creating engaging marketing content that generates clicks, likes, shares, and comments can be tricky.
Typically, you engage with content when it has to do with YOU and you ignore it when it’s irrelevant.
So, why doesn’t the content you produce for your camp get better engagement?
The answer is either:
- You are serving it up to the wrong people
- Your content is irrelevant to them
Let’s break it down.
WHO IS YOUR CONTENT FOR?
To create highly engaging content, it needs to connect with the audience you are sharing it with. Of course, from an internal perspective, the content can’t just serve to entertain the audience, it needs to serve a larger purpose — most likely sales.
Let’s back up and start at the beginning.
Your camp/program/campaign has a purpose. Likely that is to get people to sign up/buy/give. Sometimes that purpose is to educate. You measure the success of that with SMART goals.
To accomplish those goals, you need to know your audience well. You should be able to clearly articulate who your program is for. Sometimes that is defined by geography, job title, industry, or income level. Other times it is defined by personality characteristics, connections to others, or code of ethics.
Unless you know who you are communicating with, your messages will be too general and generic. If you want them to engage with your content, you need to speak directly to them.
HOW WE GET IT WRONG
If you are starting with what you offer and creating your content around that, you are doing it wrong. You must start with your audience and communicate what they need.
It’s a shift in thinking that can easily be overlooked because we want to assume that what we offer is exactly what they need. But think of it like this. If you are served the following two ads from the same camp, which are you more likely to connect with?
OPTION 1
OPTION 2
The first option might connect if the audience is super in tune with what they are looking for and has an accurate vision of what summer camp is.
However, IF you are talking to the right audience, the second option will connect much better. Parents want to know you create your programs by thinking about what their kids want.
CREATING ENGAGING MARKETING CONTENT
Answer the following questions when you sit down to write and design your online content:
- Who is my target audience? Remember - the more narrow the audience, the more likely the message will connect and be engaging.
- What problem do they have that we solve?
When you are answering the question, ‘What problem do they have that we solve?’ choose one, and only one thing. Sure - your camp programs solve lots of problems - care for kids, safety, fun, friendship, etc… BUT, you can only talk about one of those problems at a time. The more specific the content, the more likely it will connect and get them to engage.
Consider the following two pieces of content and ask yourself which you would more likely engage with:
OPTION 1
At our camp, your child will swim, hike, craft, learn about the outdoors, and have evening campfires. You’ll also eat healthy meals. Plus we are ACA-accredited, which means we are hyper-focused on safety!
OPTION 2
Evening campfires are a time and space set aside for your child to wind down from the day. During this time, we remember the fun of the day while capturing the joy of calmer, quiet times with our new friends and camp counselors.
Option one is true and covers it all, but doesn’t leave behind anything to think about or remember. It was, most likely, created this way to try to hit the widest audience possible to make sure each set of eyes has something they can connect with. When you dilute the problem you solve this much, it doesn’t connect with anyone and you end up looking just like every other camp out there.
Option two speaks to a specific camper's need (quiet time at the end of a fun day) and creates a picture in the mind’s eye of the parent. It will get better engagement and be more memorable.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
In Priya Parker’s book, The Art of Gathering, she says, “In a world of infinite choices, choosing one thing is the revolutionary act. Imposing that restriction is liberating.”
Of course, Parker is talking about choosing the purpose of an event or gathering of people. We are talking about your marketing message. But, the same truth holds. She says, “Specificity sharpens the gathering because people can see themselves in it.”
We are drawn to and remember the messages that are specific and narrow.
SUMMARY
Click below to download a simple template to create powerful online content.
Remember:
- Know your audience
- Recognize the problems they have that you solve
- Speak to one problem you solve at a time
If you are interested in learning more and boosting your camper registrations, summer staff applications, or retreat guest numbers through engaging and impactful marketing content, click below and schedule a FREE consultation.