The Essential Guide to Campground Marketing

The first step to getting bookings for your campground or RV park is making sure people know about it. So having a campground marketing strategy is vital. From attending local events to getting featured in industry magazines, there are endless ways you might help spread the word about your business, and the best approach for you will depend on your time, budget, and resources.

The good news is there are plenty of free and easy ways to quickly increase awareness of your campground or RV park, particularly if you get creative. And, if you do things right, then each new camper that visits will help grow your business further as they head off into the world to write reviews, share photos on social media, and show your campground to a wider audience.

In this article we’ll walk you through some of the best ways to promote your campground and the important things to consider, including online marketing, offline marketing, social media marketing, and everything in between. These tried and tested methods will help your campground stand out from competitors, increase your visibility online, and ultimately help you reach more potential campers.

Your campground marketing guide

• Understand your target market
• Invest in high-quality photography
• Build an online presence
• Build a local presence
• Spend time on PR and media outreach
• Build loyalty with existing customers
• Start your marketing now

Understand your target market

The first step in building a successful campground marketing plan and attracting new customers is understanding who it is you’re trying to reach. A useful exercise? Think about your ideal camper, then write a short description of them. Here are some questions to ask yourself when defining your target market:

• What is their typical camping setup? (i.e. tent, RV, pop-up)
• Who do they camp with?
• How old are they?
• How much disposable income do they have?
• Do they camp year-round or part-time?
• What activities do they like to do on a camping trip?
• What amenities, activities, and services do they expect at a campground?

Better yet, don’t just try and answer these questions yourself, but go out and do some research. You can post in local camping and outdoor Facebook groups or Reddit threads to talk to local campers and RVers—you may consider distributing a short survey. If you have the budget, you could even hire market researchers to conduct this work for you.

It’s important to define your target market and understand their preferences when building out a marketing strategy, since this will help you decide what to talk about in marketing materials and how best to sell your campground. For example, if you know your target campers are retired couples who enjoy water-based activities and you offer a fly-fishing excursion on a nearby river, make sure to include this information in your photography, advertisements, social media, etc.

Invest in high-quality photography

Photography is perhaps the most important foundation of any campground marketing. You pay for a photographer once but you’ll use the photos everywhere, from your campground website and online listings to social media, print adverts, brochures, and so on. Photos are the first impression people get of your business long before they read anything else. And in a world where attention spans are shrinking, you only have a few seconds to resonate with a potential camper. 

Photography is one of the best ways to invest in your marketing, and the upfront cost of hiring a photographer will pay off in the long run. Photographer pricing varies, but costs are typically a few hundred dollars per hour, equating to just a few nights’ bookings to see a return on your investment. Plus, if you list your campground on Hipcamp, you can utilize our professional photography program, which does the work for you in exchange for a free night’s stay.

Yes, modern smart phones have great cameras, but professional photographers still exist for a reason. Hipcamp properties with professional photography earn more than double the number of bookings of properties without it. Trust us, amazing images will help set your campground apart.

Build an online presence

As Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales once said: “If you’re not on the internet, you don’t exist.” Whether it’s asking Siri or searching on Google, most people—including potential customers—turn to tech when they start planning anything these days. It’s important to make sure your campground gets seen by campers and RVers when they first start their research—and that means having a clear digital marketing plan.

List on the #1 camping website

The best way to start building your digital presence, particularly in the early days, is by using an “online travel agency” (OTA) as a distribution channel. Fortunately, you’re already in the right place.

Hipcamp is the most-visited camping app and website in the world, so you can kick-start your online presence by listing on Hipcamp for free. OTAs like Hipcamp are vital because they’re well known, trusted, and already have the online visibility and dedicated audience you need. Hipcamp can get your campground in front of more than 7 million campers looking for spots like yours.

Listing on the top camping OTA is particularly important in the early days of starting a campground business, when you have to work quickly to establish momentum. Publish your listing as early as possible, with great photos, detailed information, and competitive pricing. This will help increase the number of campground reviews on your Hipcamp listing and give you a reputation as one of the best new places to book.

Some successful campgrounds on Hipcamp have received over 200 bookings within a month of going live—that’s how quickly you could see the impact.

Create a website

Creating your own website isn’t essential, since top OTAs like Hipcamp already have millions of campers and more sophisticated tools than you might be able to build yourself. But hosting your own website allows you to create an individual brand presence and gives you greater flexibility—for example, you can create pages for special events, write regular blog posts, and generally give things a more personal twist.

Simple website builders, like WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace, make it easy to create a site yourself or, depending on your skill set, you may want to hire a freelancer or consultant to do this work for you.

If you do create a campground website, focus on ensuring it’s user-friendly and designed with cell phone users in mind. (More people will visit your website on mobile than on desktop computers.) Incorporate online bookings—whether through Hipcamp or with reservation software—and make sure you include plenty of local information. Consider including a blog or news page to share your personal story, updates, and other relevant information like upcoming events. Topical, engaging content like this will provide something for search engines like Google to find, giving you greater visibility.

Be active on social media

Social media can be a useful free tool to help market your campground. While it may be free to use, bear in mind that, like anything, it will still take up your time and energy, so you’ll want to choose wisely. Each social platform’s algorithm differs, but here’s a quick overview of popular social media platforms for campground owners: 

• Facebook: A popular platform for the Gen X and baby boomer generations. Facebook groups are a popular way to build community and interact with campers as well as post about events.
• Instagram: A visual-first (i.e. photos and short-form videos) platform that’s popular with millennials.
• TikTok: A video-first platform that’s popular with Gen Z and millennials. Using trending content and music gives posts the chance to go viral.
• LinkedIn: A business-focused platform that’s useful for campground franchise owners and/or hosting webinars, interacting with employees, and staying up to date on industry news.

There’s no need to be everywhere—pick one or two social media channels where your target audience is most active. Or if there’s a platform you already use personally, start there. Focusing on one or two platforms is your best bet, as opposed to spreading yourself too thinly across too many.

Follow competitors and industry leaders to spot trends and get a sense of what’s out there. Then get involved yourself. While you don’t have to post content every single day, it’s important to post frequently enough to show that your campground is active. And remember, don’t just post yourself—also respond to comments, join discussions with other accounts, and engage with potential campers.

To get more advanced, maintain a content calendar where you plan social media posts in advance (but be sure to leave some flexibility for trends and current events). This lets you dedicate some time to thinking creatively and plan ahead for holidays, when marketing is important but you’re likely to be busy and preoccupied.

Hip tip: Post about your campground and interact with campers in local and state camping groups on Facebook to reach engaged audiences.

Explore influencer marketing

One way to increase your social media following and create social content is to work with influencers—popular social media users with their own large followings. Collaborations with the best-known influencers aren’t cheap, but smaller accounts (“nano influencers” have between 1,000 and 10,000 followers, and “micro influencers” typically have between 10,000 and 100,000) can still help you get your campground in front of new audiences, particularly if you choose content creators in your area that specialize in the outdoor and/or RV travel space.

Nano and micro influencers are most likely to do small-scale marketing campaigns about your campground for either reasonable fee or a free stay. These campaigns typically involve the influencer producing photo or video content highlighting your campground to share and promote on their own social media accounts, exposing your brand to their audience. In an ideal partnership, the influencer will also provide you with footage you can use for your own independent content marketing. You’ll then be able to post it on your own social account or use it on your website.

Collect user-generated content

Another way to increase social media followers is by encouraging campers to post about your campground or RV park during or after their stay—this is called “user-generated content” or “UGC.” Each time a customer posts about your business, it gives you visibility to a brand new audience (the customer’s followers), so it’s a great way to expand your reach.

Many campers will naturally post on social media during their stay. Capitalize on this by sharing your social media handle on-site (such as at your front desk or on any printed materials you give to guests) to encourage people to tag you in their posts. You can also incentivize campers to post about your campground by offering a future discount or free access to an amenity. It can be as simple as offering a free cup of coffee in exchange for a tag on social media.

Make sure to follow, and start using, any branded hashtags for your campground, and check tagged posts from your location to find UGC that you might have otherwise missed. You can then interact with this content by liking, commenting, and re-sharing.

Build a local presence 

Campers help bolster the local economy, so it’s in both your and your community’s best interest to provide a comfortable tourism experience. According to a recent report by Kampgrounds of America (KOA, campers and RVers spend $156 per day in the local community, an amount that increases each year.

Partnering with local tourism boards, businesses, attractions, restaurants, and RV dealerships to drive awareness of your campground is mutually beneficial. Your area’s tourism board will likely offer a print and/or online business directory that you can pay to advertise in.

Also reach out to local businesses to discuss opportunities for cross-promotions and referral incentives to drive mutual growth. Some ideas include selling local products at your camp store or offering discounts at a local brewery. If you have an RV park, ask nearby RV dealerships to recommend your campground for customer’s “shakedown trips.” In return, you can offer a free advertisement at your campground or promote them on social media.

As a local business yourself, you can help increase brand awareness for your campground by participating in regional events, like sponsoring or hosting a fair, festival, or charity race. It’s important to promote your campground as a destination that supports local communities and businesses, appealing to eco-conscious and community-focused campers. Mention annual festivals and nearby attractions in your campground listing and post about them on your social media channels.

Spend time on PR and media outreach

Getting mentioned in the media is a powerful way to increase campground awareness for free. It’s also easier than you think. Local news outlets are hungry for good news stories, and if you can make it easy for them, you can increase your chances of getting featured. One way to do this is through press releases, which are pre-written stories you can send to local newspapers and radio stations about events, promotions, or unique campground offerings. You can also pitch stories about your campground’s community involvement or sustainability efforts.

Find contact details for local publications via their websites—email addresses are often made public for this reason. It’s also easy to find press release templates online that you can adapt and use. And be sure to include images of your campground or RV park along with your contact details.

In addition, some national outdoor industry publications cover news and events in the camping space. If you have a particularly unique amenity or a convenient location near a major outdoor attraction like a national park, there’s a good chance that a national publication might cover your campground. If you have the budget, consider hiring a freelancer or contractor with media contacts to write and distribute press releases for you; this can be done on a one-time or retainer basis.

Hip tip: Positive reviews on Hipcamp can act as real-life testimonials. Quote your happy campers in press releases to add more voices to the story and demonstrate how satisfied customers are with your offerings.

Build loyalty with existing customers

Your customers are one of your biggest marketing assets—their word-of-mouth recommendation is a powerful way to get more business and build trust in your brand. How you engage with campers before, during, and after their camping trip can have a huge impact on what they do, so it’s important to have clear and consistent communication with your campers to manage expectations and maintain your reputation.

Pre-trip communication

Before a customer’s camping trip, send a pre-booking email or message with arrival and check-in instructions. Let them know if you’ll be available for questions (or explain if you won’t). This is also your opportunity to encourage them to follow you on social media and tag you in any content they share during their stay.

Post-trip communication

After a camper checks out, you can send an automated message thanking them for their stay and asking for a review. Some campgrounds also include a post-checkout survey asking for feedback. If you go this route, make sure to ask how they found out about your campground. This information will help you better understand what’s working, what’s not, and where you need to focus your marketing efforts.

Create a loyalty program

To encourage repeat bookings, consider developing a loyalty program where guests can earn points or discounts for repeat visits. You can offer exclusive benefits like free amenities, priority booking, or early check-in for loyal customers.

You could also try to expand your customer base by offering a referral bonus that helps you reach an entirely new set of campers. Similar to the loyalty program, this involves giving existing customers benefits if they recommend your campground to others who then go on to book a stay.

Hip tip: Hipcamp makes it easy to schedule automated messages and offer discount codes so you can automatically email former campers with loyalty discounts.

Regular email marketing

Even after your post-trip communications are done, keep engaging with former customers. Make sure to keep them up-to-date about new developments, special offers, holidays, or annual events—a regular newsletter is a great way to stay in touch. Email marketing like this keeps your campground top of mind when campers are planning future trips and reminds them of their memories from previous stays.

Hip tip: Email marketing isn’t just for existing customers! If you have a campground website, make sure you give people the opportunity to sign up for your email list.

Start your marketing now

Together, these marketing tactics can help increase your online and offline presence to build a strong brand for your campground or RV park. Some tactics will bear fruit quicker than others—you can list on Hipcamp and reach millions of potential customers straight away, while growing a large social media following can take months or years—but by being consistent, you’ll gradually start to increase awareness of your campground.

With all of the above, you can create marketing momentum and a flywheel effect. Your marketing will bring you more campers, your campers will spread the word, and your marketing will improve. Win-win! It’s the perfect feedback loop to help your business grow and fill your calendar with bookings. Good luck!

More campground marketing resources:

• A Guide to Successful Hipcamp Hosting, as told by Hipcamp Hosts
• Winterize Your Campground: How to Market Your Hipcamp Property for Winter
• How to Manage Your Hipcamp Property Remotely
• Host Webinar Series: Tips, Tricks, and Tech
• 15 Activity Ideas to Attract Campers
• Hipcamp Host SEO & Marketing Guide
• The Ultimate RV and Campground Business Plan: A Guide and Template