Is advertising in a campground guide worth it?
It depends on your margin and whether campers can actually get to you. Here is the math rather than the pitch.
Short answer
It depends on your margin per customer. An inside spot is $350 for twelve months. If the park hands out 3,000 guides a year, that is under twelve cents per rig reached, and every one of those rigs contains people who do not know where anything is. A restaurant needing eight extra tables across a year to break even usually does well. A business campers cannot easily reach, or one with a tiny margin, does less well. Track it by asking customers where they heard about you.
The math
| Inside spot, twelve months | $350 |
| Guides handed out in a year | About 3,000 at a mid-sized park |
| Cost per rig reached | Under 12 cents |
| Customers needed to break even, $45 average ticket at 40 percent margin | About 20 across the year |
Which businesses do best
Restaurants and cafes. RV repair and mobile service. Propane and fuel. Laundromats. Tire shops. Grocery and hardware. Attractions and tours. Anything a traveler needs within a day or two of arriving and has no existing supplier for.
Which do less well
Businesses campers cannot reach with a rig or a tow vehicle. Services requiring a long relationship, like a realtor or an accountant, unless you are targeting the long-term tenants specifically. And anything with a margin so thin that twenty extra customers a year does not cover $350.
How to tell if it worked
Ask. "Where did you hear about us?" at the register, all year. Or put a specific offer in the ad that only appears there, so redemptions are traceable. Most businesses that renew do so because their staff kept hearing the park's name at the counter.
Related questions.
How much does a park guide ad cost?
$350 for an inside spot for twelve months. Cover and map sponsor spots cost more and are industry exclusive.
How many people will see my ad?
Roughly one guide per arriving rig. At a mid-sized park that is around 3,000 a year, usually two or more people per rig.
How do I track whether it worked?
Ask customers where they heard about you, or put an offer in the ad that appears nowhere else.
Which businesses benefit most?
Restaurants, RV repair, propane, laundromats, tire shops, groceries, and local attractions.
More on for local businesses: How do I advertise to RV travelers? · How much does an RV park map ad cost? · all questions
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