My twin boys turned 13 yesterday. In between their baseball practice and party I gave a speech on youth marketing at a networking club. One of the business owners in attendance who owns an art center for kids asked me the best way to trick parents into signing up for her classes.
If I wasn’t pissed at the question, I was definitely astounded. Marketing is NEVER about tricking or deceiving people into buying what you’re selling. That’s just about the fastest way to get a bunch of unhappy customers because they really have no idea what they’re signing up for. And if you need to trick someone into buying your stuff, you probably aren’t selling anything of any quality in the first place.
Your marketing messages should focus primarily on education. The goal is to educate families about your outstanding camp program so they can make an informed buying decision. This is also the best way to get their trust and attention.
Certainly the end-goal of your educational marketing program is to motivate prospects into becoming paying campers. There’s definitely some persuasion involved, but never deception … that’s the wrong way to do it.