Many aspects of camp are going digital this year, including your merchandise store. An online tuck shop is an excellent source of revenue for your camp, putting your brand front and centre on items that campers will wear and cherish forever.
Once your shop is ready - now it’s time to get the message out to your audience! Marketing your shop is often the difference between selling a handful of items and selling out.
Let’s explore some of the main ways that you can promote your shop:
Social Media
Social media is a free and easy way to promote your tuck shop. Having a consistent social media presence builds brand loyalty while choosing the right content will depend on who you’re trying to reach. Knowing who follows you on each of your platforms will help shape the content and messaging, ie - your followers on Instagram may be different than on Facebook. Shaping your content for each of your social platforms can help create specific call-to-actions that lead buyers to your shop.
While a simple announcement is a great way to start, teasing products over a series of posts can create more interest over time and serve as a reminder of what you have to offer. Use the reactions on your post to gauge interest and shape future posts.
With the function of being able to share direct links to your online store, Facebook gives your audience both content and connection to your store, while also making it easy to share your posts among family and friends.
Email Campaigns
Announcing the opening of your online store is a must! Whether you’re using CampBrain, Camp Minder, Mailchimp or another automation tool, email is the most direct way to reach your audience. Email Marketing is where you will see the highest ROI, while tracking to see who connected with it provides helpful information on who to target future efforts toward. While your shop is open, don’t be afraid to send multiple reminders using keywords such as “limited time” or “new” to create a sense of urgency. Get creative!
Video
Video is the most engaging form of messaging. Not only does it appeal to the emotions, but it’s easier for people to relate to things they see. Making an emotional connection - especially if your campers can’t see their favourite counsellors face to face this year - is key. Consider making an unboxing video to unveil new merch, a try-on haul, or even a virtual tuck shop tour.
Keeping your video under 3 minutes will make it easy to digest and share across all social media channels. The best part is you don’t even need expensive equipment - most phones these days already have high-quality cameras, perfect for shooting professional videos.
Keep It Going!
Your branded merchandise is part of the total camp experience! It’s how your campers take camp home with them - while they advertise how great your camp is - all year long. Asking campers and families to share photos of their sweet merch will generate more content for your marketing channels. Have a camp blog? Ask counsellors to write about their fave camp gear! Run a poll or survey about your shop’s merch on Instagram stories to get more interaction with your campers. These are all examples of evergreen content that can be used for years to come, plus build anticipation for new merch all year long.
Blog Provided by: Camp Rightsleeve - Helping you Bring Camp Home
