Leveraging Demographic Data for Better RV Park Management
June 6, 2023
We have finally arrived at the point that we recognized was coming in 2021. RV sales are down although you will find those who believe it will bounce back in 2024. And then there are those that are predicting a recession based on RV sales.
TL:DR You’ve got the data, now use it. You may be surprised at what you find.
Who Are They?
Now is a good time to take a long hard look at your current demographics and plot out where you want to be no matter who is correct in their predictions.
I can guarantee you that all your current guests do not fit the same detailed demographic. Your senior couple that are at the park to visit family don’t want or need the same level of hospitality as the young couple with two young children do.
How Do I Categorize Them?
The first thing I am going to recommend is that you set up a field for your demographics within your reservation system. Use something simple such as MC for Married with Children, RT for retired, EW for employed worker, etc.
You now have an easy way to sort through your reservation database to determine what your actual demographics are.
What Now?
Based on this information, you can now begin to decide how you are going to market to the top 5 demographics for your park. You will have a better idea of what amenities you really need to offer. (After all, do you really need to invest in a playground for the kids if your demographic for guests with children is somewhere around number 8 on your list? On the other hand, should you beef up your internet service because number 3 on your demographics are RVer’s who work from their RV?
Now that you know what your demographic chart looks like, are you happy serving that demographic or do you want to change?
I Want Someone Different
Change can be hard, but it can be made easier if you manage it slowly. As an example, perhaps the number one demographic on your chart is for people who are retired but you really want to have guests who are still working and want to stay longer at your park.
Start your marketing effort targeting those currently working guests and make sure that you have the amenities that they are looking for.
What Else Is This Good For?
Maybe you are more concerned with adding sites and what kinds of sites you should build. Again, your demographics are going to give you the info you need.
What type of RV does your park see most often? Are you seeing more Toy Haulers coming in? If that is your demographic, you are going to probably need to put in long pull thru sites or you are going to have to plan enough room for the back wall to be let down and a way for the “toy” to access the roadway.
You May Surprise Yourself!
The real issue here is that you have all this rich data in your reservation system, so why not use it? While you may think you know who your guest is, you may get a surprise when you run through the numbers.
Even better, as you review your data you may also begin to see a trend before you would recognize it! That means that you will be ahead of the marketing game!
Ready, Set, Go or Get Help
Now go take a deep dive into the data you already have and use it to make your decisions. If you need some ideas on how to get started, we are here to help you. Just reach out and get time on our calendar, give us a call at 337.735.4070 , or reach out through our website contact page.
