Forward-thinking summer camp marketers understand mobile marketing is here to stay, that mobile is disrupting every industry known to man, and they are eager to embrace the full potential of mobile marketing especially as it relates to social media.
Indeed, forward-thinking summer camp marketers realize mobile is the future of social media networking and marketing.
Camp marketers who don’t understand, or bury their heads in the sand regarding mobile, are in for a rude shock. Camps that don’t employ mobile marketing, and more specifically social mobile marketing, risk becoming obsolete sooner rather than later.
Think I’m wrong? Then just imagine what your camp will be like 5, 10 years down the line. Did you know that a camper’s first experience with the internet these days is more likely to be on his/her smartphone or tablet than a traditional computer? Do you really see an environment where mobile devices aren’t allowed at your camp? If you do, I assure you any camp that does allow such devices will have much higher enrollment than those that don’t.
I hope I’m wrong, but my guess is there’s very few, if any, summer camp owners and directors who approve of campers bringing cell phones and other mobile devices to camp right now. At my camp, we ENCOURAGE kids to bring their smartphones to camp, not just because discouraging them is fighting a losing battle, but principally because we’re interested in “embracing the full potential of mobile marketing” as mentioned above. “Embracing the full potential of mobile marketing” involves encouraging kids to post and share camp photos, videos, and online reviews directly from camp itself.
That’s just real life these days. You can either ignore it, or use it to your advantage. If you choose to ignore it, or say to yourself, “Camp’s not camp if mobile devices are allowed,” I won’t say I told you so, but at the same time, please don’t say I didn’t warn you.