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- Seventy percent of all campers are married or living with a domestic partner
Marketing is an odd mix of planning and luck. Honestly, when we’re really busy we tend to pat ourselves on the back and take credit for all of the innovation we implemented in the past six months.
It doesn’t matter which six months either because we’re always innovating and looking for new ways to be the best~after all, this is our world and we’re proud of it. In the beginning we knew we had control over everything: good marketing would lead to good bookings…now we know it’s mostly about doing your best everyday and getting lucky: lucky with the weather and lucky with the New England economy.
Still, when you’re sitting in your living room office in February, you can’t help but wonder if your reservation line is quieter than everyone else’s. So you start poking around the web researching the latest bits of wisdom on marketing a small business.
Whenever we make a reservation, one of the required bits of information we gather the first time you stay with us is “how did you hear about Searsport Shores?” Typically we get three answers: 1. my friends stayed there and recommended we call 2. we found you on the internet and 3. “the map”. Is this true for all camping businesses? I spent a bit of time on the Outdoor Foundation’s website and this is what I found:
- Seventy percent of all trips are taken with friends, showing the social aspect of camping
Summer is the most popular season for camping. During the summer months, campers typically went on three trips and stayed for three nights.
Of those summer campers who choose to make campsite reservations, the average booking time is 77 days prior to the trip
- Almost 40 million Americans went camping in 2010 for a total of 514.8 million trips
More than 50 percent of campers are motivated to go on a camping trip simply because they enjoy the act of camping.
No matter how you plan your vacation, know that there’s always a place for nice people here…and Steve and I both understand last-minute vacations so don’t hesitate to call while you’re on the road. That said, we take reservations year ’round and try to accommodate special requests.
Hope that you have someone to share your caramels with today...Happy Heart Day
Steve and I are asked countless times, “what do you guys do in the winter?” The question still slows me down for a step because it always seems to me that the winters are very, very short in Maine…as short as the summers really. So as DH and I sit across the kitchen table, each with a laptop and surrounded by mountains of paperwork, here’s what’s on our plate today, February 13, 2012:
Astrig: Meet with Jacki at Bell the Cat to talk about a dedicated dying tent at this year’s Fiber College, follow up on last week’s meeting with Arielle about being an artist in residence this summer for the campground, read and prepare a blog post about the latest camping statistics, order “Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an irresistable Brand and Be Generally Amazing on Facebook” by Dave Kerpe (recommended by the past president of the American Camping Industry), post the checks and send confirmations that have accumulated since Thursday, find out why my cell phone bill has ballooned exorbitantly, pre-order books for the camp store, prepare a Powerpoint presentation for a meeting in Ellsworth about the importance of supporting tourism as a regional activity (7PM, Ellsworth Public Library, Feb 14th…love for you to come!), double-check our calendar of events…have I added anything in my mind without putting it on paper? have the new events been submitted to the on-line calendars and spend 3 hours in the studio…I’m weaving a rug from the wool we dyed with last year’s indigo. Oh, and take the dog to the park via the beach…I can’t keep pretending that my jeans are leaving marks on my waist.
Honey Bee Bunkhouse...new for 2012
Steve: continue to optimise our website, pay bills, work on his campaign for the Searsport Board of Selectmen, get kerosene for the Bunk House Project, mud, sand & order more dry wall for the honeybee bunkhouse, order more seeds and start some of the herbs and flowers that take weeks to germinate, wash the truck
For Steve’s birthday we took a drive up to Quebec City for Winter Carnival. There were thousands of people, tubing, skiing, sled racing, skating, toboggan jumping and so much more. Most crazy were the international canoe races in the St Lawrence river, most interesting were the professional ice and snow sculptures who carved away throughout the weekend, most fun was the snow Ferris wheel. and even though it was close to 0 degrees F and windy. Everybody was happy just to be having so much fun at the Carnival, maybe it was the coco.
Searsport has always been the self-proclaimed antiques capital of Maine. Personally, my favorite shop to wander through is the Searsport Antique Mall (sorry no website) on the other side of the village. Today after running to the bank and Tozier’s market, I stopped in and came home with two hand carved, bone crochet hooks, a bundle of hand carved wooden knitting “pins”, a monogrammed silk hankie (I want to dye it with the geranium petals I’ve been collecting but that’s another story) and a beaded purse…and spent only $24 and an hour of peaceful day dreaming. But really, that isn’t where I want to take this story, so let me get back on track.
It started when Phyllis from the Pumpkin Patch (a great antique store just down the road from here who’s way too sought after for a website) brought this picture of Mack Point over to the house…it was taken in 1916. For those of you who have been here, Mack Point is the utility port that we see at the head of the cove.
Mack Point, Searsport Maine 1916
Betty from the museum looked over my shoulder and asked if we had visited the Maine Memory Network website lately…that it was filling with some wonderful first hand accounts and images uploaded by individuals and institutions under the collective efforts of the Maine Historical Societies.
To make a long story short, today was cold, GREY and surfing the web researching on the computer seemed like the perfect way to spend the afternoon once I got home and answered the necessary e-mail.
I wrapped up in a flannel comforter with a cup of coffee & a plate of chocolate walnut brownies…here are some of the Searsport images I found that you might find interesting too:
The lady and the man (captain) in the middle are the Colcord's...their grandson lives next door to us today
This is what we now call Angler's Restaurant and Bait's Motel
Loading Potatoes at the Searsport Wharf, 1910
When Main Street was just a path of dirt
A six masted schooner in Searsport Harbor
I always think of my blog posts as postcards to friends and family of our daily world here on the coast…this begs the question of what people will be shuffling through one hundred years from now…will they be reading our blogs like we read old postcards?
Susan White is a Belfast based painter whose work makes my heart sing. I’ve admired the windows of her gallery for years but always been too intimidated to actually walk in and talk with her…I mean, she’s wicked talented…her paintings are collected around the world and people drop her name into conversations with reverence. When I did a bit of research, I found that she’s praised highly for her use of color and form…well, I’ve stolen these pictures from her website to show you.
As you may have guessed, I should have introduced myself years ago because she’s bubbly, outgoing and friendly…not an intimidating bone in her body. Lesson learned. I’m proud to share that Susan has agreed to be our Artist in Residence from July 22-28th.
During the week that she’s here, she’ll teach campers and outside artists alike and invites those who have been painting for years…and welcomes those who haven’t done more than scribble a stick figure. Some of the time will be spent in the studio, some in the gardens and with the goats, of course there will be time on the beach…and sometimes you’ll just be sent to scout out your favorite corner of the campground and report back at a given hour.
We are working on the details now. In a nutshell, there will be an informal gathering with Susan each day of the week. There is no charge for this session and sometimes you’ll be using paper and a drawing tool other times you’ll be learning to see the world around us through an artist’s eyes.
There will also be the opportunity to sign up in advance for complete sessions with Susan. You can register for these classes on her website soon…or jump in if a space is available when you settle into the campground…more on this later…
The sun's low at two in the afternoon
It’s the kind of cold that makes the snow crunchy under your feet and the seaweed crackles as the tide water moves in…I always cringe a bit when I see the ducks and gulls settle into the water as the sea smoke drifts over them…hard to believe that they have that much insulation.
Me, I’m wearing two sweaters, two pairs of socks and insulated mittens…this is when I’m really glad that I like to knit and weave.
Rather than fill this post with words…here are pictures from this week in Searsport.
I started working on this rug in October. First washing the wool, then dyed it the color of ripe wheat, blackberries and currants, created fluffy batts and spun the yarn for this 3x5 rug. The wool is from French Hill Farm in Solon Maine.
Recognize Jim from our lobster bakes? Wearing a different hat, we met with the Fiber College planning committee last week and set Fiber College 2012 into motion
On Saturday a group of community activists met with National Grassroots Advocates to organize our efforts to preserve our local environment for generations to come (yes, we met in the art studio). Steve has decided to run for a town selectmen spot...March 6th are the elections.
Were you here last year when the artist in residence was a print maker? This week we're beginning the interview process to line up a fantastic summer of artists to work in the campground. FMI
Sunday we spent an hour at the Penobscot Marine Museum looking through a Big Top Exhibit
By 3:30 it's time to snuggle in and make a pot of warm soup...maybe a nip of brandy 
Breakwater on Sears Island
I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the seagulls crying.
John Edward Masefield, from Sea Fever
One of the perks and curses of having our own little business is that we all do our own marketing. Steven is the Webmaster for campocean.com and I’m his chief consultant. I’m the author of this blog and Steven gets to comment on most things I write before I hit the publish button…(I think of him as the tempered voice from the other office cubby, but I never say that out loud). When it comes to print design, I do the first layout work in Adobe Photoshop and Steven tweaks the edges and polishes it to a more professional look. In 19 years we’ve gotten it down to a pretty good system where we sense when feelings are getting bruised and come back to the project after a bit of breathing space and maybe a glass of wine (is that sharing too much information?)
In everything we do, we try to capture the feeling we have about the campground…so there’s some obligatory bias but we temper it by using the photos and words that guests leave with us…that way you see things through the eyes of someone who’s visiting and looking for the same sorts of atmosphere/amenities that you are.
Anyway, today we sent the new rack cards to the printers…what do you think? You may recognize Jack Chisholm dancing with his granddaughter and there’s a special thanks out there to Jackson for the beautiful pictures he took. Jackson’s been camping here since he was shorter than me and now he’s a handsome young man with a world of talent at his fingertips…go Jackson!
Rack Card Front
The back side
Celebrating the addition of honey bees in 2011
Our holiday world was filled with popcorn balls, sledding and goat walks on the beach.
Recipe for Sunny Goat Treats: pour left over caramel sauce (from the popcorn balls) over sunflower seeds. Harden and slice. With these treats you will be the shepard of the day
The preparations and the celebrations left no time for internet…what a strange feeling!
We hosted family from Elkhart, Boston and Sarasota…a full house of little boys and constant movement…it was fun and the memories will only get sweeter with time.
With a renewed sense of rejuvenation, I’m looking forward to getting back to campground and Fiber College work…it’s going to be summer before we know it!
Walking out of 2011 with loved ones...
May health, happiness and good friends fill all the corners of your world in 2012…and thank you to all who make us feel like we’re exactly where we should be, leading the life that fulfills us completely~ Steven and Astrig
