Blog

Facebook promoted posts v. ads

I get asked pretty frequently if camps should use Facebook promoted posts or create an ad using ads manager. My answer is always the same, always create an ad!! Why you ask? 1. Targeting- When you create a promoted post Facebook limits your targeting to "fans and friends of fans," or basic geo and interest targeting. When you create an ad using Facebook ads manager you get a lot more targeting options that will help you reach your audience without wasting...

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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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Facebook Secrets for Summer Camp Marketing

Travis Allison and I just hosted our second ever Facebook Secrets for Summer Camp Marketing webinar! He focused on the social content side, while I discussed social ads. I absolutely love collaborating with Travis because of his deep understanding of the camp industry. If you missed the webinar, you can watch it here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIHVrgSd8FI&feature=youtu.be...

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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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