The summer season is over, tourists have returned to their winter routine and booking requests can now be counted on the fingers of one hand. The time has come for Camping Village managers to indulge in some well-deserved relaxation. But be careful: social content must continue to work for the structure!
Social promotion in autumn and winter
During autumn and winter, many Camping Villages are closed, others experience a reduction in the influx of customers due to colder temperatures and limited school holidays. However, this does not mean that promotional marketing activity should slow down or stop. On the contrary, it is the ideal time to exploit the potential of social media to promote camping in a strategic way.
Obviously this is not the case for open air structures that operate in the winter season and those open all year round, which generally tend to invest in promotional activities even in winter.
Social media promotion for a campsite or tourist village is a fundamental aspect. It is important to resist the temptation to stop promotional activities and maintain a long-term vision. Activity on social media must be kept constant throughout the year, including the autumn and winter periods. We explain in detail why in the next lines.
First of all, we always suggest adopting a prudent strategy by modulating the budgets of social campaigns in proportion to the demand of the moment, so as not to waste resources, but at the same time maintain a constant presence, optimize the results and “sow” to reap the fruits in the next season.
Why not pull the plug on social campaigns
There are several reasons why this strategy can be effective:
Maintaining algorithm knowledge: The concept of “training the algorithm” of social media should not be underestimated, keeping campaigns always active, even with a small budget. It is a common practice in digital marketing. Social media continually learns from data and user interaction with advertising campaigns. Therefore, keeping campaigns active, even during closed or low season periods, allows the algorithm to continue collecting data, to understand the target audience, preferences and ad performance and adapt to user preferences. Removing a campaign completely could result in the loss of this valuable information. Keeping the campaign active, even with a reduced budget, allows you to maintain the progress already achieved, continue to learn and optimize your performance based on the data collected.
Minimization of the running-in phase: Starting a new advertising campaign requires time to optimize performance and reach the desired audience and result. If you suspend a campaign completely, you will have to start this phase all over again when you decide to restart it, wasting valuable time and resources.
Continuity of visibility: Even during less busy periods, it is important to maintain some visibility on social media. By maintaining an active campaign, you ensure that the brand remains present in the minds of the public, albeit with less activity. This can help maintain interest and awareness of the facility, so that when the more favorable period arrives, the public is already familiar with it. This will potentially make it more likely to interact and/or convert. Through an active, engaging and constant presence on social media, it is possible to reach potential customers who may be interested in spending a holiday or weekend in the Camping Village even during the less frequented months and tourists who, seeing the contents, will save them on their list of personal wishes, to dust off when looking for solutions for their holiday.
Foreign campaigns: It should also be remembered that, if Italian tourists in autumn and winter are not yet thinking about their next holiday, foreign tourists are probably already moving in search of some holiday ideas in our beautiful country. Winter is the best period to obtain contacts and reservations from tourists in the GAS market (tourists from the Germany, Austria and Switzerland area): foreign tourists generally like to organize their summer holiday well in advance.
Low costs and guaranteed results: Another factor not to be underestimated: the cost of advertising campaigns on social platforms, such as on Google, is much less expensive in these winter periods. The fact is that in recent months there are few companies that activate specific campaigns to attract customers, due to a lack of organisation, planning and foresight. Since social platforms, such as Google, are organized on an auction basis, the more competitors advertise in a given period and to a given audience, the higher the cost of customer acquisition and conversion will be for each advertising campaign.
Some strategies to consider for Camping Village social media in winter
- Thematic content: Create thematic and relevant content related to the current season. For example, offer suggestions for outdoor activities in the fall.
- Special offers: Promote early booking offers and special packages that make the camping experience even more attractive, for example, discounts on extended stays.
- Community Engagement: Actively interact with the online community, answering questions, sharing photos, news and memories from the season just ended and encouraging guests to share their experiences. This will help create a sense of community and generate interest around the Camping Village.
- Collaborations and partnerships: Consider collaborations with industry influencers or other local businesses to promote each other’s businesses during less busy periods. For example, an outdoor clothing company might sponsor a contest or offer discounts for property guests.
- Targeted advertising: Use social media advertising tools to reach a targeted audience, for example, people who enjoy specific outdoor activities that can be enjoyed near the campsite.
Consistent effort and creativity in your social media promotion strategies can make all the difference in ensuring a profitable year-round business.
Obviously it is important to balance the budget and available resources based on the peculiarities and specific commercial needs of the structure, maximizing funds during peak periods and lowering them during less requested periods. It should be kept in mind that we are not talking about astronomical figures: for an always active social campaign, for an average structure around €10 per day is sufficient.
We at CampingVillage.Marketing have been supporting open air tourist facilities for years in setting up their promotional-marketing strategy and achieving their commercial objectives. As part of Social Più Srl, of the TITANKA group! Spa, we are specialized and have been working every day for over 20 years in the online promotion of accommodation facilities.
To learn more about the topic, you can follow us for free on our In-Training path dedicated to Camping Villages.
Here you can listen to our last two training speeches held by the CEO of CampingVillage.Marketing Riccardo Viroli on 10/12/2023 on the occasion of the SIA / TTG:
- NEW FRONTIERS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING FOR YOUR ACCOMMODATION STRUCTURE
- HOW TO MAKE THE UNIQUENESS OF YOUR CAMPING VILLAGE EMERGE
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