Lead Generation for Holiday Parks
Your Guide to Increasing Leads for Caravan and Lodge Sales
For holiday parks specialising in holiday home ownership the name of the game is all about getting high quality sales leads – and lots of them. But in a tough market, with strong competition, it can be a real challenge knowing quite where to start.
So, the team here at Pitched have put together a mini guide to help you increase the volume of leads you’re getting for caravan and lodge sales.
In February 2024 alone, we generated over 1,100 sales leads across multiple channels for just a handful of our client parks, with dozens of sales coming on the back of these leads. But how did we do that? The answer: an approach that targets those actively looking to buy a holiday homes right now across multiple channels and one that also nurtures those who are early in their journey to ownership, more of which we explain below:
Lead generation for holiday parks: Increase your visibility and exposure!
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
It goes without saying that if a customer cannot find your park in Google, social media or even via offline methods then you stand little chance of selling any caravans or lodges!
Google is king and, so, first things first, you need to look at where your website ranks in for the sort of keywords you want to target and appear on page 1 for. Be realistic, if you’re hoping to rank on page for very broad terms (such as ‘buy a static caravan’) then you will likely be disappointed, as the landscape will be dominated by the big players in the market.
Instead test your site against more localised keywords, for example ‘caravans for sale in Dorset’ and see how you fair.
QUESTION: My site performs badly, how can I fix it?
ANSWER: Look at your on-page content and ask yourself; is it optimised for the keywords I want to target? Is there enough information there for someone to make an informed decision? Think quality over quantity but aim for pages that content 350-500+ words and support this with other pages around similar content and link them together. BUT, remember, any changes you make now may take months to gain traction in Google but be patient, you will see improvements over time.
Paid Search Ads (Google Ads)
Whilst SEO improvements are vital, they can take time. There is, however, a cheat code for getting your website to the top of Google’s rankings for those popular keywords… and that’s by using Google Ads. This can be an expensive option but the rewards are often worth the effort!
This will put our website in front of people as they are actively searching for ‘caravans for sale in….’ or whatever keywords you want to target.
However, we always advise to make sure your website is in good shape before investing in a Google Ads campaign. You’ll want plenty of clear calls to action on your site (prompting a user to submit an enquiry or request a brochure, for example) and that your stock is up to date and there’s all the information a potential owner may want to know. Don’t leave them with questions. Once this is in place you can start the Google Ads set-up.
QUESTION: How do you suggest I set up my Google Ads account and how much should I spend?
ANSWER: There is no obvious right or wrong answer but we always advise speaking to an expert as Google can quickly waste your money. Google’s own advisors can often send you down a black hole and most are unfamiliar with our industry. With decades of industry knowledge and a proven track of delivering high quality sales leads for holiday parks, we know what works and what doesn’t, so speak to us today and we can advise, set-up and manage your account for you (and leave you to focus on converting the leads into sales!)
Social Media Marketing
One of the best things to come out of Facebook for holiday parks is the lead generation objective, which allows a potential customer to submit an enquiry in just a few clicks. So, if you want high volumes of leads, always opt for a campaign with this objective. If your budget allows you can also run campaigns to support this driving traffic to your website too.
A word of warning though… your ads will live or die based on your targeting methods! One of the biggest mistakes we see from parks is that they aim their ads at people who live too far away (i.e. More than 5 hours’ drive) or those with the wrong interests or demographic set-up.
We know most people who look to buy a holiday home are generally a little older – usually 40+ and many of those are not on the likes of TikTok, Snapchat or even Instagram. So, focus all your efforts on Facebook and ignore those aged younger than 45 if you can.
You will be given options around interest targeting – look for people who have interests in caravans and other big holiday park brands. If they are interested in those, they’ll likely be interested in your offering too.
QUESTION: How much should I spend on my Facebook campaign and what should my ads look like?
ANSWER: Spend what you’re comfortable with but £15 per day for lead generation is usually a minimum. Aim for a cost per lead of less than £10 although audience size, placements and budget can affect this. In terms of ad design and content, this is where you need to think clearly about your park’s USPs and location – what sets you apart from the rest? Hang your ads on this and aim for a mixture of stills, video and carousel ads where you can.
If all this sounds a little overwhelming then the team here at Pitched can take the strain, with our creative team producing eye-catching content for our clients every week.
Email Marketing
Without doubt, the most cost-effective way of generating leads for your holiday park is via email marketing, with campaigns costing less than £50 to send out, depending on your audience size.
Sending regular emails to your database promoting sales offers, general USPs of your park, open days and your holiday homes is a great way to keep engaging with your audience. Make sure your website has plenty of subscribe forms where users can opt-in to receive your emails, allowing your database to continually grow over time.
Email marketing is also the perfect tool to nurture any new leads that arrive via your website or social media campaigns. We know you’ll likely call up any sales lead that lands but why not also let email take some of the slack? Build automated email journeys in platforms such as Mailchimp and Zoho that drip-feed content via email over several weeks, encouraging a user to take an action such as booking a visit or a call back.
QUESTION: How many emails should I send?
ANSWER: It depends on your data. If you have not segmented your data (and just have one large list), aim to send no more than 2 emails per month, otherwise you might start to annoy your subscribers! If you have split your data into segments of interests (if you’re a group, perhaps by park) then you can send more frequent emails to specific posts > this should increase your open rate.
How else can you generate more sales leads for your holiday park?
Content Marketing
This leads on from above, but you need to engage your audience through compelling content that showcases the lifestyle and experiences associated with caravan holidays. Create visually appealing videos, virtual tours, and interactive content that provide a glimpse into the unique features and attractions of your holiday park. Share user-generated content and reviews to build trust and credibility among potential buyers.
Partnerships and Collaborations
Build strategic partnerships with complementary businesses in your local area – you could collaborate with local tourist attractions, tourist offices, and hospitality businesses to help extend your reach and maximise cross-promotional opportunities.
Analytics and Optimisation
It’s always important to continuously monitor the performance of your marketing campaigns using analytics tools to track key metrics such as website traffic, conversion rates, and ROI. This will help to identify any areas that require improvement or maximise areas that are proving successful.
