THE IMPORTANCE OF PROMOTING YOUR BEST PEOPLE TO PARENTS
Inspired by ongoing conversations with leading camp marketing professionals, we share ideas and strategies that drive successful branding and engagement with families. This month, Jeff Bradshaw of Camp Wenonah shares his thoughts on the importance of promoting your staffers in marketing and communications to help alleviate parents’ concerns about safety.
“I think camps can do a better job with being clear about who’s responsible for their child's experience while at summer camp. [When I look at other camps] I need to search, sometimes, to figure out who's the director, who's on-site, who's responsible for the kids. [Camps can] do a better job of acknowledging and celebrating the people responsible. I know there’s lots of changeover in our industry, but it's important that parents have comfort with the people in charge of the experience. They want to know who’s making decisions for their child.
“Safety continues to be so important to parents. Who's looking after dietary needs in an overnight camp? If your website includes a menu that shows that, who is your food service team? What does your health center look like? Who are the doctors, nurse practitioners, and others providing care?
“What qualifications do your staff have? What screening do they go through? All those things are really important messages to share, now more than ever. If you do that proactively, that gives parents a sense that you're taking this seriously, and I think that's pretty important in this day and age. [It’s a matter of telling] stories. It speaks to the idea that we're not a one-off experience.
“We've had a lot of success with that over the years. People feel grounded with us. They know who we are, and know they can reach out to ask questions. Many parents now see us as an extended family or a community of care for their kids. Families over the years have said to me, ‘You helped to partner in a small way or maybe a big way with us as parents and helped to raise our kids.’ I love that people feel that way about what we do and how we do it.”
