Owning a campsite business can be a worthwhile endeavor, as nearly six out of 10 American households report that at least one resident has gone camping. But as a campground owner, to be successful, you’ll probably need to embrace some surprisingly technological tools. In today’s world, you need to be a bit more tech-savvy to stand out. However, you don’t have to devote a lot of time to these endeavors or become an expert in them. All you’ll need is some helpful programs to streamline the process. Here are just five of the tools you’ll need to run a successful campground.
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- Email marketing services: Email blasts are a great way to send out useful information to interested parties. The Direct Marketing Association estimates that email marketing actually yields a 4300% return for U.S. businesses — which means that if you aren’t using email marketing, you’re missing out big time. But having to manually keep track of all the subscribers on your mailing list is a real time suck and creating professional-looking marketing emails without the proper program might seem next to impossible. That’s why there are several services out there that will help you spread the word with very little effort. In addition to the monthly e-newsletters we send out to Camp Jellystone subscribers, you can also manage your own e-blasts with services such as MailChimp, Constant Contact, GetResponse, ConvertKit, and many others.
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- Online training courses: If you want to ensure everyone who stays at your family campgrounds has an amazing time, you’ll need to prioritize the training of your staff. And one of the benefits of opening a campsite franchise, rather than a standalone campsite business, is that you’ll gain access to our plentiful training opportunities. In addition to in-person training and certification programs, we also offer the chance to attend expos, read excellent resource material, and learn important information online. These online training courses can educate your staff members in essential areas like safety and OSHA guidelines or customer service. We prioritize these programs for our campsite franchises so that owners can be successful and all families who come to stay have the best possible experience — and we think that training shows.
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- Social media management tools: At Camp Jellystone, we have a strong social media presence on all major platforms. We feel this is an important way to connect with guests and provide useful information. That said, we understand that navigating social media channels can be a real challenge. Familiarizing yourself with how we promote our franchises through social media can be a great start, but how can you juggle it all? With a social media management tool. Whether you use HootSuite, Social Sprout, or another service, these services can make it much easier to keep an eye on all your accounts at once, schedule upcoming posts, or connect with your target audience.
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- Accounting software: Your campsite business can’t be considered successful unless you’re bringing in a profit — and you won’t know that without the proper financial tools. Instead of managing your books manually, you’ll have a much easier time if you embrace accounting technology. You may want to opt for popular programs like QuickBooks, Xero, Wave, or other reputable bookkeeping tools. This software can help you stay on top of your finances and ensure both accuracy and efficiency.
- Booking platforms: Families may come visit your campground to get back to nature, but they probably don’t want to make reservations the old fashioned way. That’s why you have to make it easy to book through your website or even though an app. Our campsite franchises have access to software and to apps that make this process incredibly easy and reliable. Families can make their reservation — and you can track it — without giving it a second thought.
At Camp Jellystone, we want to make your campsite business venture a successful one. For more information, please get in touch with us today.