You can get free advertising for your camp by establishing an effective PR campaign. An article about your camp appearing in the newspaper or TV gives you HUGE credibility and a marketing boost. A word-of-mouth endorsement from an objective third party is the best kind of advertising you’ll get. Here’s what I mean.
Let’s say you take out a newspaper ad to call attention to your camp. But everyone who sees your ad knows you paid for it. It’s self promotion, so any claims you make might create doubts among those who see your ad.
But what if a newspaper reporter writes a story about your camp instead? The writer’s viewed as an objective third party. Their positive report of your camp raises your prospects’ trust and comfort level. You get INSTANT credibility that way and a MUCH bigger marketing boost than anything you could ever pay for.
Sometimes PR opportunities fall into your lap. A reporter might contact you out of nowhere if their publication’s doing a camp-related story and they need an opinion or quote. But usually you need a coordinated plan to get the results you seek.
Here’s the good news. Writers and reporters need your stories. How can you help them make news? One time-tested way is by tying your story to a relevant current news event.
How about this. The unemployment rate is rediculous right now. So why not create a press release saying how your camp is hiring 100 new counselors next year? If I’m a writer doing a story on unemployment, I GUARANTEE I’d be interested in speaking with you!
There’s so much going on in the world today — check out Google news if you need any tips — that I’m sure you can find at least a few creative ways to tie your camp into current events. Let me know if you need any help.
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