Blog

Facebook buys WhatsApp. What does that mean for camps?

Facebook just announced that they are buying WhatsApp for $16B!!! According to Facebook, "WhatsApp has over 450M MAUs, with 70% of those active each day. In a staggering comparison, Facebook also notes that the messaging volume of WhatsApp approaches the SMS volume of the entire global telecom industry — and that it’s adding 1M users a day." So what does this mean for camps?? There is definitely a shift going on where messaging is becoming an important part of daily life. Right...

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Holiday 2013 Wrap Up

I wrote a lot about holiday marketing for camps this past year! Now that the holidays are over, Facebook released some information on how consumers shopped using Facebook over the holidays of 2013. Here are some interesting stats I wanted to share with you all: According to Facebook, this was the holiday shopping lifecycle: "Before: Shoppers start with a plan but are open to discovery During: Mobile is perceived as a hero for shoppers and Facebook is a key companion After: Once the presents...

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New ideas for camps using Twitter

When I spoke at CampMinder Camp a few weeks ago, I was on a panel discussing Twitter. Prior to the panel I brainstormed a few ways that camps can use Twitter and I wanted to share them below. How camps can use twitter: -       Promotion (sign up more campers with conversion tracking) -       Real-time information sharing (specifically during camp) -       Cross promotion with partners and other brands -       Connect with mommy bloggers -       Reach new target populations (22% of online African American users are Twitter users,...

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Buzzfeed for Camps

While I certainly don't think camps should make it a huge part of their marketing strategy, there is something interesting to be said for camps using Buzzfeed. In fact one of my favorite Buzzfeed articles this year was about summer camps. If your camp is looking for a great way to engage campers, consider making a list on Buzzfeed. Example lists could be: 1. 21 ways you know you went to Camp Name 2. 10 things only campers know 3. 15 throwbacks from...

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What are brands doing on Instagram?

Instagram is a social media tool rapidly taking the world by storm. According to Instagram there are 150 million active monthly members with an average of 55 million posts per day. With this many users, it is no surprise that brands use this social media tool as a way to reach customers and potential customers. Many current brands are expanding from traditional media outlets and joining Instagram. Brands from Converse to Starbucks to Nike and even the NFL are joining Instagram...

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Twitter Conversion Tracking

Back in December Twitter announced that they were launching conversion tracking! Now we can easily track conversions across Twitter, Facebook and Google. Measurement has never been more simple. According to Twitter, "It’s critical for advertisers with direct response objectives to be able to understand the impact of Twitter ads on their bottom line. With that in mind, we’re announcing the general availability of conversion tracking, a measurement and reporting tool which will help advertisers understand the full conversion impact of impressions and...

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Social media look back

Now that 2014 is here, I thought it would be fun to share some of the social media trends from 2013. Most Talked About Topics on Facebook 1. Pope Francis 2. Election 3. Royal Baby 4. Typhoon 5. Margaret Thatcher 6. Harlem Shake (Some camps definitely took advantage of this topic!) 7. Miley Cyrus 8. Boston Marathon 9. Tour de France 10. Nelson Mandela Twitter posted their own year in review here. The most popular tweet (RTed the most times) was a tweet from Lea Michele after the sudden death of her...

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The marketing funnel for summer camps

It's always interesting to me how old marketing techniques come back to life after they have disappeared for a while. Case in point, the marketing funnel! The marketing funnel is constantly talked about in regards to traditional marketing, but was never really talked about in regards to social media marketing, until recently. I think it's one of the most important strategies camps can use when they are marketing to parents. Most camps are decently good at loyalty. Their campers and moms...

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Facebook ad placement

Last week I wrote about the five levers you can use to improve your Facebook ads. I wanted to go more in-depth regarding Facebook ad placement, which is one of the most important levers you can pull. Facebook ads can be placed in the following: - All of Facebook (right hand side, news feed, mobile and desktop) - News feed (desktop and mobile) - News feed (desktop only) - News feed (mobile only) - Desktop only (right hand side and news feed) For all mobile placements...

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