Last updated on November 14, 2022
I almost made a huge mistake while redesigning my website that I don’t want you do make, so here’s a quick reminder: Any time you provide information such as a brochure or other promotional or educational material to a prospect, make sure you get their contact info in exchange!
Here’s what happened.
In an effort to reduce paper consumption (not to mention printing and distribution costs), we decided to put our brochure online as a PDF this year. We are not producing a traditional printed one.
I worked hard designing the new online brochure and was proud of my work! In my haste to share it with the world, I put it online for families to download without much thought.
But then, after a few days, I realized I forget to include a form for people to fill out so I could capture their contact info. All anyone had to do was click the PDF logo, and the brochure was theirs. The brochure, in essence was “free” to them!
Here’s what it looked like:
How dumb of me! I have no idea who these people are or following up with them later!
Thankfully the “free” version of the brochure was only online a few days, but I know from my website analytics 4 people downloaded the brochure in the three days it was up — not bad for this time of year and in the middle of a pandemic.
But this also means I missed the opportunity to follow up with at least 4 prospective families who are interested in my program. (Actually, it’s probably more than four, since some of them probably have siblings and/or friends considering attending camp together.)
Once I realized I was stupidly giving away camp brochures without collecting any information from prospects in exchange, I immediately changed the page on my website to include a mandatory form prospects must complete instead.
Now nobody can get the download without first completing and submitting this form:
Moral/lesson of the story: If you’re like me, lead generation is a HUGE part of your camp’s marketing plan. Never miss an opportunity to capture a prospect’s contact information, especially when providing a free brochure, report, or other information.
If a family initiates contact with you, that means they’re hot prospects for you. Don’t miss the opportunity to market to them later and eventually sign up them up for camp!
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