As a new campground owner, you want to set your property up for success. You need the hard work you put in to quickly maximize profits and give you the ability to take advantage of the growth in the travel and tourism industry. But how do you make sure that guests are not only going to book at your campground, but also increase profit margins for each reservation?
From making your campground look its best to utilizing your campground management system, there are several key components to maximizing your profit and increasing guest satisfaction. Here are five tips to help grow your business:
When first creating your business plan to maximize profit at your campground, you need to make sure that you have the technology to easily meet those goals.
Managing your software can be done in three simple steps:
Checking that your management system is up-to-date makes it easier to give your guests the best experience possible, which means they are likely to book you again and recommend your campground to their friends and family.
When it comes to booking, offer direct and online reservation options through your campground reservation system. By catering to all guest preferences, you can increase your booking rate with less effort — the easier it is to make reservations, the more people will do it.
Guests prefer booking reservations online, but not every visitor will use the same booking platform when searching for availability. Capitalize on all sources available by partnering with several booking platforms or OTAs to maximize your exposure.
You can also send emails or SMS messages to your contacts inviting them to take advantage of special offers when they book through a specific channel. This could help reduce your staff’s time on the phone and allow them to focus on guest satisfaction.
Offering guests options to enhance their experience is a great way to increase your profit from each booking.
Offer services for additional fees such as:
By increasing the variety of offerings, you are broadening the appeal of your business to cater to more guests.
Maximize your revenue with multifaceted marketing efforts.
Build partnerships with local influencers, restaurants, and food trucks to entice guests to book with you specifically. Partnered events such as Taco Tuesdays, Wine Down Wednesdays, barbecues, and bonfire nights could increase your profits, even during the slow season, by bringing the locals out for short reservations to take advantage of these events.
Create special discounts for first time campers and discounted rates for longer stays. You can manage your rates and promotions through your campground’s online reservation software. Offering a perk, like free breakfast with a week-long stay, could convince your guests to extend their planned reservation.
Try expanding your offerings outside of normal campground activities. If you have a beautiful clubhouse, barn available to rent, or are next to a nature reserve, take advantage of your campground’s assets by offering to host special events like weddings, birthdays, reunions, workshops and more. You can also promote seminars and nature guides for the outdoor enthusiasts.
Know where your guests spend their time online and ensure that you have a positive presence. This could mean social media platforms, travel communities, and more.
Be sure to post high-quality, attractive photos and videos of your property on your guests’ preferred online platforms on a regular basis in tandem with your promotions. Use your campground management system to email your recent guests and invite them to leave positive reviews for your campground. The more buzz there is about your campground, the more likely you are to see new and repeated bookings.
As a new campground owner, you don’t always need to think outside the box for your business to wow your guests. Superior customer service, clean campsites, and genuinely friendly guest service are the foundation to make your campground stand out from the competition.
To go a step further, consider thank you emails and other post-reservation communications. These additional touches have a positive impact on the overall guest experience.
If you offer a high-quality experience by utilizing these tips no matter the season, you can increase your profits. Stay organized and efficient through the use of your campground management system, and prioritize your strategy based on your individual needs as a new campground owner.
To take your efforts a step further and gain actionable insight on current marketing best practices to implement at your campground and maximize profit, check out our marketing-know-how webinar.