Like all camp directors, you know how to explain the benefits of your programs. However, internal perspectives don’t tell the whole story. That’s why it’s so important to collect summer camp customer testimonials from satisfied parents and families. Testimonials are invaluable marketing tools. They provide a window into the transformational experiences that campers have that come from peers of future customers. These people will ultimately trust you with the safety and well-being of their children. Confirmation from other families that this is a good decision is priceless. In this blog post, we will explore five approaches you can use to acquire summer camp customer testimonials. Leverage them to elevate your camp’s reputation and expand your customer base.
Customer Surveys
Send a follow-up survey to campers and their parents after the camp session to capture summer camp customer testimonials. Do this by email and include questions about their overall experience. Ask them what they enjoyed most, and whether they would recommend the camp to others. Google Forms is a free tool to use, and you can use ChatGPT to generate a list of questions. Pick and choose specific answers from long-form questions to use in marketing materials. Use data from ratings and yes-or-no questions to display the high rate of customer satisfaction.
If you notice that your customers aren’t as willing to complete the form, offer an incentive. This could be a camp T-Shirt or something more significant such as a discount on the following summer’s tuition. Don’t overlook staff with this approach. Use testimonials from counselors during the recruitment of new team members.
Online Reviews
According to various studies, approximately 85% to 95% of consumers report that they read online reviews before they make a purchase decision. Leverage this behavior and encourage campers and their families to leave summer camp customer testimonials. Specially focus on Google and Yelp. Include a link to your camp’s review page in follow-up emails. Or distribute flyers with instructions on how to leave a review at the end of the camp session. The risk with public reviews, of course, is that there’s always the chance that someone will leave a negative review. While you can’t completely prevent this, responding to these reviews can show potential customers that you take constructive feedback seriously.
Video Versions of Summer Camp Customer Testimonials
Video testimonials may be harder to obtain because they take more effort, but even one or two can help you provide a multimedia experience for families that want to hear from satisfied customers before they enroll their children. For day camps, set up a camera at arrival or departure for grownups who may have extra time when they’re already at camp. For overnight camps, visiting day is the ideal time to record videos.
Families can record video summer camp customer testimonials on their own, but you’ll get higher quality options if you manage the process on-site. If you have staff with video editing skills, you can splice the testimonials with videos of campers that you take during camp. Share these in emails and on social media and embed them on pages of your website.
Host In-Person or Virtual Events
Host “share your experience” events at your camp or in the communities where families live to give summer camp customer testimonials in person. You can host events on Zoom as well. Whether in person or online, create an event where prospective families can come together with current customers who you employ to share their experiences. Events are also great opportunities to record videos or write down quotes. You can then use that content in marketing materials.
Social Media Campaigns
Create a social media campaign and ask families to post their experiences with a specific hashtag that includes your camp’s name. Encourage this via email and send specific prompts, topics, or questions to answer. Make sure to instruct them to tag your camp’s profile in their post. Follow the hashtag and share the best submissions from your accounts. You can also repurpose the best quotes in simply-designed graphics, or use them as captions with photos from camp. Make sure to include links to your camp’s social media profiles in all emails you send and encourage recipients to click directly from those emails to leave testimonials.
Nothing Beats Summer Camp Customer Testimonials
Summer camps are a special type of business, but like all other industries, customer testimonials are game changers. They wield substantial influence to promote your camp’s success to potential customers. With these tips, you can acquire summer camp customer testimonials that will serve as powerful tools to build credibility, instill trust, and attract new families eager to enroll their kids.