I was talking with a camp director yesterday who dropped email marketing from his marketing arsenal because he said it’s a “dying breed.” He was absolutely enamored with the notion of texting, social media, Facebook and all that instead.
I told him I understand where he’s coming from, but giving up email marketing is a bad idea. The fact is, email marketing is one of the hottest marketing tools a camp director can use. I included email marketing
in my Top 7 Summer Camp Marketing Strategies list for 2010. And if you’re looking to add a viable social marketing component to your promotional plan, sending emails is a great choice.
Remember when the Internet came of age 10 or 15 years ago? Email was pretty much how everyone communicated online. And that’s precisely why email marketing should remain an integral part of your marketing plan — it literally crosses generations. Here’s what I mean.
The “new” ways to communicate online — MySpace, IM, Facebook, Twitter — often don’t appeal to “older” (LOL!) internet users. Take my dad, who’s 77. He knows his way around the internet, and even has a Facebook account. But he doesn’t like it, and he doesn’t use it. My dad, and many of his friends, say “no thanks” to Facebook and prefer email instead. They say it’s more comfortable, familiar, user friendly and less intimidating than the new stuff. (And since so many grandparents pay for their grandchildren’s camp tuition, we should all take note of this!)
Constant Contact is my email marketing provider. I started with them a few years ago, tried a few others, then came full circle and now use Constant Contact again. There’s definitely a learning curve. But Constant Contact (or any reputable email company) will help you build relationships, stay in touch with customers and propsects, and grow your enrollment on a consistent basis.
If we’re gonna call a spade a spade, email marketing can’t be beat.
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