RV-park marketing is complicated. Customers come from all angles for many reasons. But one part of the marketing that is always important for RV parks is the signage on well-traveled roads and highways.
The first step in creating a successful advertising campaign is to assess which roads or roads are important to you - where does the traffic come from? To help you in this matter, you can usually buy a “traffic counting card” from your local office on the right. This map shows how many cars travel on roads and major surface roads per day. This will give you an idea of the amount of traffic. The next step is to find out more about where your customers come from. The best way to achieve this step is to copy the regional map onto a piece of marker board and either hang it on the wall or place it on an easel. Each time a customer checks, place a point or pin on the map where they came from. You will soon begin to see patterns on which your customers really come, and where you need to emphasize your resources.
Once you have determined where signs should go, it is time to build a budget for what you can spend on signage. Signage should be just a part of your overall marketing package, which will also include listings in Woodalls, etc., as well as flyers at rest stops and other high traffic companies targeting RV. Do not be fooled - a successful marketing campaign involves consistency, and you should be able to allow this program (with changes, of course) for many years. At the same time, remember the old adage “you have to spend money to make money,” and you spend almost nothing.
These are pretty much your signage options:
· Exit the highway signage. These typically blue signs are located right at the exits and belong to the state. They are ideal and reasonable in price, and definitely your best bet. If they are available, it should be your number one option - even if it has exhausted the entire budget of signage. If it is unavailable, contact the state to find out what it takes to build it. Sometimes they have not yet built exits due to the lack of demand for certain exits - perhaps you are one customer who needs to build a sign. These signs traditionally cost from 50 to 100 dollars per month.
· Billboards. These signals are much more than informational exit signs, but they are not so well located and very expensive. Even in the rural market, they can cost $ 500 a month or more, so make sure you have a winner before you rent it. Often, to be effective, these signs would be in tandem with informational exit signs, meaning that they would be located miles before you exit to bring customers. It is often difficult to measure their effectiveness. If you do not have a big budget, I would keep on it until your budget is larger. One of the options you can pay attention to is to “share” with another business at the same intersection. This will be half your cost and risk. Of course, it also reduces in half the advertising space and efficiency.
· Create your own legal sign. You may be able to create your own billboard for your RV fleet on the highway. You will need permission from the state and municipality in which you are located, and in some states a license to apply for a permit. Then you will need to find a landowner and allow the deal to pay him some kind of compensation for the land space. Even a small billboard with a wooden telephone construction can be expensive, and therefore insurance can cost your advertising, so you may want to build something relatively small, maybe 8 8 8? on two or three poles 4 "x 4", which simply say "RV PARK, EXIT # 3". Remember that simplicity in signs is vital and keeps words big. And do not forget that you need a lot of contrast between the inscriptions and the background.
Signs of bandits. These marks are mostly illegal and I cannot approve them. They are usually on plywood and stuck on wings, trees, even on the basic poles of legal shields. The highway department will force you to remove them if they find them, and may even overpower you. It is always better to do something legally.
· High feature that attracts attention. The simplest of them is the huge American flag at a very high pole. They can be built for $ 4,000 and above and are permanent structures, with the exception of the cost of reflecting the flag periodically. They can also create a lot of noise, so be sure to place them in an area that will not cause problems. You should also light them up at night, so make sure you have electrical access. There is no better way to attract traffic than something unusual along the highway, which acts not only as an absorber of attention, but also a directional element - “we are under a big flag”. Another option is a large, airship. All that attracts attention and can be seen from afar.
A well-designed signage program can be one of the best results in your investment. Often a good designation is the difference between the winner of the RV Park and the loser. So do not forget to pay attention to this subject. You reward, it will be cold, solid cash.
