How Camps Can Use Twitter
- Looking for new recruits? Follow people in your area or, if you're a nationwide camp, people who tweet about the topics your camp covers. Post photos and videos of campers having a great time to advertise how fun your camp is. If you can afford it, you could even use Twitter to offer a special discount on tuition, gear or other costs just for your followers.
- Many camps don't allow campers to have cellphones or computers at camp, limiting their communication with parents. This can help quell homesickness and reduce distractions, but can also be hard on nervous parents. Rather than fielding their phone calls, a camp director could use Twitter to share short updates about individual campers to technology-savvy parents, reducing stress and limiting the amount of time spent on this task.
- Campers and their parents who follow you on Twitter are a great "focus group" for soliciting feedback. Ask them what you're doing right and what you can improve, both in terms of your Twitter presence and with the camp generally. Social media users love to share their opinions, so take advantage of the opportunity to get their advice.
- Need some inspiration for new camp activities? Use Twitter to check out what other camps like yours are doing. Use Twitter's search feature to look for tweets on your camp style -- try a search like "basketball camp" or "Boy Scout camp." Alternatively, go to the websites of camps like yours and see if they have a Twitter link. You can also use other camps' accounts to get an idea of how to better use Twitter for your camp.