b'MODERN MARKETINGMarketing for Today and After the Coronavirus Outbreakwill they know when your park is back If you havent already, now may be the and/orreferralbonuses.Recognizeto business as usual? If you havent al- time to explore creating chatbots to an- them by name and ask about their fam-ready, consider the following.swer some of the more common inquiries. ily. Building these relationships is criti-EvanneWebsite:The home page of your web- cal to your success. site should deliver the most pertinent Looking Forward Continue to deliver gee-whiz service,Schmarder news and information about the situa- Begin looking past this state of affairs. both in the heat of things and later, oncetion at your park, linking to an internal Review your marketing plan. Make ad- we are heading back to normal: Deviseblog page with running commentary. justments and track measurements.ways to surprise and please your cus-Update it as frequently as necessary.Be original in your marketing:Now is tomers by offering exceptional service.Theseareunprecedentedtimes. This is a great example of why I con- notthetimetocutyourmarketing Go out on a limb and offer somethingBusinessesareshuttered,streetsare tinuetobeaproponentofcontent budget, but it may be time to rethink outrageous and memorable that theylleerily quiet, and uncertainty hangs in management system (CMS) websites. yourstrategies.Haveyouidentified enjoy and be eager to share.the air like a heavy fog. It is a terrible and You should be able to quickly and easily your target market and are the market-challenging period but, eventually, the go in and make changes without having ing platforms you are using reaching Maximize Todays Time human race will prevail and, slowly but to wait for your webmaster to do so for them? What tools have you been inter- Experiencetellsusthatdestinysurely, things will get back to (a new) you. If your site is built on a WordPress ested in but havent had a chance to ex- smiles on those who are prepared. Bynormal. As it stands today, some parks platform, as many are, and you dont plore or implement? no means is this an easy period in ourhave closed; others are offering sites know how to access and post on your Review your programs performance: lives. Its fraught with personal and pro-with reduced amenities. The path of site, this is an ideal time to ask for a tu- Howhaveyourmarketingefforts fessional pressures. Sometimes doingleast resistance would be to sit back and torial from your webmaster or seek out played out? Are you seeing the results nothing seems like the answer but alas,wait for this to pass, but the smart mod- an online learning resource.youd hoped for? Have you recorded it is not the time for inaction. Use yourern marketer understands that this is an Email:Many people rely on email as yourgoalsandtrackedyourcam- timewisely,do something. Todaysopportunity to plan for the future.a means of communication. Use this paigns? Have you developed a strong something will likely look different thanHowever, counter-intuitive that may permission-based, direct-to-inbox tool ROI analysis?yesterdayssomething,butforwardseem, now more than ever you must to update your list on whats happening If this hasnt been an area youve ex- movement is what matters.promoteyourbusinesstostayalive, at your park. You might even refer them celled in, gather your reports and sit Seizethereins,re-imagineyourkeeping your brand strong and attrac- to your website for the latest news.down for a serious planning session. marketing program, work your ideastive. Its important to reinforce the won- Depending on your circumstances, Walk a mile in your customers shoes: and be practical and creative. Com-derfulexperiencestheoutdoor consider segmenting your list, grouping Think about their concerns, needs and municate like your business dependshospitality industry is known for. Fortu- those who have or had 2020 reserva- wants and brainstorm how you can de- on it (because it does) and plan likenately for us, once this breaks, Ameri- tions, those who visited in the summer liver an experience that provides a sense theresabrighttomorrow(becausecanswillbeeagertotravelandthe of 2019 but have not yet made reserva- ofcontinuity.Ifyoureunsure,ask. there will be). What you do now willoutlook is considerably stronger for our tions,andallothers.Createspecific Theyll be more than happy to tell you shapetheperceptionofyourparkindustry than many others.messagingforeachgroup.Allowfor what direction you should take.today and into the future.replies, comments and follow-ups.Focus on the product and value whatTo-Do Today Social Media: If you have a presence you have to offer:If nothing else, we are Want to know more about mar-Your customers and prospects have a on social media (think Facebook, Pin- ambassadorsforthefreedomofthe keting your RV park or campgroundlot of questions and extra time on their terest, Instagram, YouTube, etc.) use it great outdoors, building and nurturing online? Evanne Schmarder, princi-hands. They want answers. Understand as a platform to deliver news, publicly relationships, offering a venue to make pal and founder of the RV industry-how this pandemic factors into their answer questions, and share your parks memories. What can you do to foster specificdigitalmarketingfirmpresent and future and become a re- daily goings-on. Be as positive and as these ideals?Roadabode Production, has a newsource. Are you open? Are gas stations fun as appropriate. Offer engaging an- Remember,yourcurrentcustomers book to help you do just that. Mar-and grocery stores in your area open? ecdotes, photos of some favorite park can be your best customers: Good times keting YourRVPark/CampgroundWhats your policy on refunds? Are you spots (do you have a mascot thats ex- or bad, never overlook your current cus- Online is available as an ebook ataccepting long-term stays? Does your ploring the property, that could be in- tomer base. Stay in touch. Offer them your favorite online bookseller or inpark have RV storage available? How teresting), even a game or contest.affinity programs, frequent stay benefits print at Amazon.com. WCMRVIA Survey FindsPMRV Shipments Down0.9% YOY in FebruaryTheRVIndustryAssociations(RVIA) February 2020 survey of manu-facturers found that total park modelRV shipments finished the month down0.9% compared to last February, with320 wholesale shipments.RV shipments ended the month with37,113 units, an increase of 1.9% fromthe 36,421 units shipped in February of2019.Towable RVs, led by conventionaltravel trailers, totaled 33,169 units forthe month, an increase of 4.1% com-pared to last Februarys total of 31,876units. Motorhomes finished the monthwith 3,944 units, down 13.2% comparedto the February 2019 total of 4,545 units.Forthefirsttwomonthsof2020overall shipments were up 13.2% com-pared to a year ago. By segment, ship-ments for towable RVs rose 17% as allcategoriesexceptfoldingcampingtrailers showed gains. During the pe-riod, motorhomes incurred an 11.2%decline. WCM10 -May 2020 Woodalls Campground Management'