If you have any doubt that word of mouth referrals are important for your RV park, consider these recent stats:

• According to Neilson, 92% of shoppers trust recommendations from friends and family more than traditional advertising
• 20% to 50% of consumer purchases are made because of a word of mouth recommendation
• 81% of buyers are influenced by their friends’ social media posts.

So how can you encourage positive word of mouth for your campground?

Try these three strategies.

Offer exceptional guest service—every time

There’s no way around it: positive word of mouth has to be earned.

Unfortunately, it is exceedingly difficult to prevent negative word of mouth. People are much more likely to share a bad experience than praise a campground. (Research shows that 95% of consumers will pass on a negative run-in with a company and more than half will spread the word to at least five other people).

The best way to earn positive word of mouth is to make your guests feel special each and every time they come in contact with you and your brand.

Here are a few simple ways to win over your guests:

• Be friendly and approachable in person and online
• Get to know your guests personally
• Ensure guests are greeted promptly and don’t wait long to check in
• Express gratitude for ongoing business
• Offer perks for loyalty
• Pay attention to the details
• Be honest, always
• If something goes amiss, take immediate steps to resolve the problem to the guest’s satisfaction

Invite—and reward—word of mouth referrals

You can increase the odds that customers will spread the good word about your campground with an incentive—such as a freebie or discount on their next visit for completing a review on your website, RV Park Reviews, RV Buddy, Campendium or on the Good Sam Club website.

Try an app like

Wufoo to set up a simple referral form right on your website. Make it easy to pass on your e-newsletter to more potential customers with a web-based referral system that automates the process.

Don’t miss an opportunity for word of mouth referrals

Remember to ask the folks who praise your products and customer service that you’d love a testimonial for your website, or a shout out on social media.

On that note, it’s essential to keep track of what people are saying about your brand online—whether the talk is positive or negative. Set up a Google Alert to track your brand and monitor all web content related to it. Be sure to take a moment to thank your fans for their kind words. As an added bonus, replying to positive business reviews can help give them a bump in search results.

Be sure to respond appropriately to negative reviews, too. Consider a bad review an opportunity to make things right. It’s much better to know what people are saying and respond than allow a problem to fester.  Don’t try to defend the issue online with facts.  Apologize and take the conversation off-line.  Discuss with them via phone or in person and attempt to make them a fan.

Check out this article for useful tips on the right way to respond to positive and negative reviews.

Final thoughts on word of mouth referrals

As you make efforts to increase word of mouth for your campground, remember this: it’s the element of surprise that really gets people talking about a company. Think about how you can do more than meet your guests’ expectations, but dramatically exceed them. They’ll not only tell their friends about you—they’ll keep coming back for more.

At Campground Accounting, we specialize in working with Campground and RV Park owners throughout the USA.  Our industry knowledge is focused on taking the headaches out of accounting and helping your grow your campground’s profitability and value.  Don’t you owe it to yourself to see how we can help you?  Schedule a complimentary chat with us today at www.campgroundaccounting.com/meet.

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