Top Tips for Running a Successful Campground?¶
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If you love the outdoors and getting out and about in nature, then running your own campground can be an incredibly rewarding career – but it is not an easy job. While you might think it is all about welcoming holidaymakers, spending time outdoors, and getting to enjoy the benefits of camping, but in order to ensure your campground is successful, you need to ensure you are constantly setting yourself apart from your competitors for all of the right reasons.
In recent years, there has been a significant rise in the number of people looking to leave the hustle and bustle of modern life behind and embrace the joys of camping. Between 2014 and 2018, six million more households in North America discovered the pleasures of the great outdoors, while the number of people who camp at least three times a year increased by an incredible 64%!
With such an increase in demand, campground competition has also amplified, meaning it has never been more important to stand out from the crowd. However, knowing how to run a popular and fruitful campsite can be a challenge, so to help you, we have put together our top tips for running a successful campground.
Prepare your Business¶
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This is a crucial first step to anyone looking to establish their own campground, but it is also a useful checklist for established grounds. Staying up to date with the latest news and understanding the current industry trends will enable you to plan your campground accordingly, ensuring you are always able to provide your consumers with all of their requirements.
Spending some time visiting other campsites will allow you to see what your competitors are currently doing, helping you to see the areas they are excelling in and the areas where you can improve. To ensure your guests are always receiving the very best service possible, you should also look to take some basic courses in electricity and plumbing to help you fix any minor problems they might face.
Above everything else, though, you should invest in the right campground management software. As your business grows, staying on top of your current reservations, activities, and guest management requirements can become incredibly challenging if you’re still trying to organize through excel or paper records.
Cater to the Younger Generation¶
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Although camping might have once had a stigma of being the vacation trip for the elderly, the truth is far from that. In 2020, the younger generation a core demographic of campgrounds across the country, with Millennials and Generation X making up three-quarters of all bookings, and Millennials alone accounting for 40%!
This means that in order to succeed in the current climate, you need to ensure your campground is appealing to the digitally savvy younger generations. To do this, you need to be impressing them from the moment they come across your property, which means having the very best website possible.
In the digital age, we are never more than an arm’s reach from our mobile smartphones, so it is vital that your website is mobile compatible. Alongside that, you need to ensure that it is fast to load and easy to navigate; otherwise, a site that is out of date or takes more than two seconds to load will see them leaving to seek the services of a competitor. Equally, millennials will expect a fully digital booking solution, so to maximize your sales, you will want to provide them with the chance to book their stay entirely online.
It is not just your website you should focus on, though. Having an active social media presence is a fantastic marketing tool and can help you attract these younger campers and allows you to quickly and efficiently showcase all of the benefits that your campground offers.
Of course, when it comes to the millennial and Generation X customers, the experience does not end once they have booked their stay. You will also need to ensure that your actual premises meet their expectations, which means providing a strong Wi-Fi signal as well as offering unique experiences while they are on-site.
Invest in your Campground¶
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash
If you are serious about ensuring that you are able to stand out from the crowd, then investing in your property is a crucial step for anyone looking to run a successful campground. While getting back to basics is part of the joy of camping, your customers will still expect a certain level of amenities, so providing them with potable water, efficient sewage systems, uninterrupted power supplies, and clear refuse areas will give them the five-star experience they expect.
However, many of the most popular campgrounds are those that provide their guests with a host of wider activities. Investing in things such as swimming pools, water parks, mountain bike hire, etc. can help ensure your guests are always kept entertained.
In addition to that, you could also look at hosting regular events and activities to attract more customers throughout the year. Whether that’s hosting a Fear Factor week, arranging an annual Halloween celebration, or holding a mini summer festival with local bands, you should be constantly striving to give your guests more entertainment than they could find at one of your competitors.
Consider Glamping¶
Photo by Frances Yeung on Unsplash
With this fast rise in popularity, camping is reaching more people than ever before. However, while for many people, it is the lure of getting back to basics that makes it so attractive, for most, they are seeking a little slice of luxury when they go camping.
Glamping, as it is referred to, has become big business. From glamourous yurts to tipis, the modern camper is looking to be able to turn up and enjoy a pre-pitched and high-quality accommodation offering. Estimates suggest that by 2024, the glamping market is set to reach an annual revenue of over $1 billion, so investing today can see you reaping the rewards in just a few years time.
How PitchCamp Can Help You¶
Here at PitchCamp, we know how challenging the current campground industry is. There are hundreds of providers out there, so ensuring your ground stands out from the crowd and gives your guests the very best experience possible is vital.
That is why we have launched an innovative new campground management software that is designed to empower owners like you, taking away all of the time-consuming duties so you can focus on providing your guests with a five-star service.
Our mission is to reduce the time you spend on operational challenges, without detracting from the overall end-user experience. Our simple software solution will help you to easily manage all of your campground booking inquiries in one easy to use reservation system. With a host of other features set to be announced shortly, PitchCamp is set to transform the way you manage your campground, ensuring you can always stand out from the crowd!
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