Summer camp season is fast approaching. As the school year winds down, many young athletes and their parents find themselves looking for fun activities to fill the days. One popular activity: sports summer camps.
Whether a kid is looking for exposure to a number of different sports, or is looking to really refine their technique in a specific sport or skill, there are many summer camp options out in the market.
So, how do you, as a sports camp organizer, compete with other camps to attract your target athlete demographic to attend?
Here are 5 tips to help you boost your summer sports camp registration.
Related: Is your youth sports camp registration process costing you athletes?
One way to attract and secure campers for your sports summer camp is by offering early bird discounts. Once you’ve secured your youth sports venue, set your date, and secured your staff members, you can set up the event registration in your camp registration software and start marketing your upcoming event. To incentivize athletes to get signed up early, you can offer a discount on the total price for those who are registered by a certain date. When people see a financial benefit, they may be more inclined to commit.
Here’s an example of a pricing structure you could follow:
Camp Date: July 30
Regular Event List Price: $100
If you register before July 20: $90
If you register before July 10: $80
Pro tip: With Upper Hand’s sports camp registration software, you can easily set flexible pricing for your event. Set the dates and you’d like your pricing to increase, and the software will automatically adjust the list price of your events based on the dates you have set.
Social media is expected, and widely encouraged, when it comes to connecting with Gen Z, and even many Millennials. So, when looking to collect camp registrations, be sure that you’re spreading the word across your social media platforms. Sharing the link to your sports camp registration form on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter can help you to reach a wider audience than just marketing to your email database or current clientele. Mix up your content to keep things engaging – share highlights from previous events, testimonials for past campers, videos and photos of your sports facility or coaches, and actively monitor for any inquiries and comments.
When sharing your camp information via social media, your sports business website, or directly within the event details on your sports camp registration form, it is critical that you clearly share all pertinent information about your event.
Here are some things to consider when building out your event marketing details, web content, or social media posts:
By including this information on your event details, you can ensure your potential attendees have all of the necessary information to determine if they should register for your summer sports camp. Additionally, it helps you ensure the athletes that register are the right fit based on the camp objectives and agenda. Unclear expectations or limited information will leave parents and athletes with unanswered questions, thus leading them to take their business somewhere else. So, to boost your sports camp registrations, be sure to clearly communicate all pertinent information on your sports camp registration form.
If you’ve hosted successful sports camps in the past, you have unlocked a very powerful tool when it comes to building trust and credibility as a sports camp organizer. Social proof – testimonials and success stories from past campers and their parents – can help highlight the positive impact of your sports camps of attendees. Sharing how participation has improved athletes’ skills or confidence can help you build credibility, thus encouraging new registrations.
As you are planning your marketing efforts for your upcoming sports camp, consider reaching out to loyal clients, asking them if they would be willing to share their experience with your brand. While many athletes or parents would likely be willing to do this without expecting anything in return, you may opt to offer them a discount on a future camp or a free training session in exchange for taking some time to share their experience.
Pro tip: Using a sports camp registration software like Upper Hand makes it easy for you to reach out to past camp attendees. Easily revisit past camp rosters and send a marketing email from within the software encouraging people to fill out a survey or express interest in sharing their experience.
If this is your first sports camp, you may consider incorporating testimonials from clients related to the coaching experience or your overall brand.
Related: Marketing your Youth Sports Camp: 3 Tips & Tricks for Success
An athlete’s (or parent’s) experience with your youth sports camp begins long before the athlete shows up on event day. It begins at registration. So, when it comes to running a successful sports camp, it’s important that you prioritize your sports camp registration experience. A poor or clunky registration for parents will likely lead them to taking their business elsewhere. On the flip side, a streamlined registration process with no barriers to entry will lead to increased sports camp registration and enrollment. As a result, you’ll see your brand
There are also a number of benefits of using a mobile responsive sports camp registration software. Using a camp registration software like Upper Hand can help you manage the logistics of your sports camps and other programs and keep track of your participant data for future events.
Overall, when looking to boost sports camp registration, it all boils down to delivering a strong client experience. From offering date-based pricing to meeting your prospective clients where they are (online), and more, keeping these tips in mind as you plan your summer sports camps will help you boost registrations and make this season your most successful one yet.
If you’re looking for a tool to help you manage your online sports camp registrations, Upper Hand can help! Schedule a call with a member of our team today, and see how our sports camp registration software can help you improve your client experience and boost your sports summer camp registration!
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