Summer camps enjoy a wide customer base that makes marketing pretty straightforward: if you meet a parent with a kid between a certain age range, then they could be a good candidate for your camp. However, when promoting adults events or corporate retreats, finding your audience may be a bit trickier. That’s when you should turn to LinkedIn.
Just as a relative may look at your Facebook and Instagram to get a better idea of what your camp is like, someone organizing a company getaway will likely check out your LinkedIn. They aren’t just looking for what the facilities are like, but also are seeing if your values and identity align with their own.
- Build Your Page
First, you’ll need to decide what kind of LinkedIn company page to create. LinkedIn offers four types of pages:
- Small business
- Medium to large business
- Showcase page
- Educational institution
A showcase page is essentially a subpage, where any showcase page is linked to a business page. These are often used for companies with multiple brands. For instance, Microsoft has a large business page plus showcase pages for Office Suite, Microsoft in Government, and many others.
For properties that host both children’s summer camps and adult-focused camps in the off-season, you may want to make a small business page for your camp property, and then develop showcase pages for your corporate events, kids camps, or any other specialty camp. Then, you can organize your content based on which page you’re posting to. This helps people to follow the most relevant page to them.
- Optimize Your Page
Remember when building out your personal profile and business page that Google indexes both, meaning that you can get found in search results. Include relevant keywords in your Overview and plainly explain what it is you do.
Then, think about your brand. Your page will include both your logo and a long header image, currently sized at 1128px x 191px. Consider what you can do in this space to show off your camp, whether through a beautiful panorama photograph or a collage of the different camps you offer.
When building out your business page, don’t neglect your own personal profile. Company pages include a People tab, which links to all the people who have listed the business as an employer. LinkedIn users who are curious about a business will also often check out the people in charge using this tab. Make sure that your own profile picture is updated, you have a smart headline, and your experience and certifications are all listed prominently.
- Get Posting
LinkedIn is at its core a social network for professionals. That means that posts typically do best Monday-Friday, between core business hours. While you can’t schedule a post within LinkedIn, you can through a connected app like HubSpot, Hootsuite, or Sprout Social.
As with all social networks, posts with images and videos tend to get seen the most. However, LinkedIn users enjoy the discussion element of the platform. Consider creating polls or asking questions to get conversations going.
You can also share posts from other company pages or personal profiles to your business’ page. For instance, when a company is hosting a conference at your property, you can share their posts on your page to publicize why a company might choose you as their location. Don’t forget to tag companies in your own posts featuring their events – they may reshare these posts, allowing you to reach their networks.
- Be Consistent
As with almost all marketing efforts, it will take time to see the results. But, the more you stick with it, the more it pays off. Share your page from your personal page to ask your network to follow the camp. Include your LinkedIn link in your website and email header and footer. Aim to post at least 2-3 times a week in addition to engaging in relevant discussions with your network to boost your visibility.
Growing your LinkedIn audience can actually serve you two-fold; once you earn business for corporate retreats, you may also be considered as a summer camp option for those employees’ kids and relatives. Don’t sleep on this vital network to grow your audience and build consistent year-round revenue.
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