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May 12, 2023
Emily Hessney Lynch
You don’t need to strive for perfection on TikTok—it’s not the vibe! Use these simple tips to reach more campers on this platform.
As the social media landscape changes, it can be tricky to stay on top of all the new platforms, especially when you’re balancing marketing tasks with running a campground. Even so, learning new social media platforms can be fun and TikTok is a fantastic opportunity to reach a large audience. Maintaining a TikTok presence for your campground is totally doable. Let’s dive in to my top TikTok tips, and I’ll show you how!
TikTok has been growing rapidly. They recently hit 150 million monthly active users, closing in on Instagram, which has 159 million. Plus, the average TikTok user spends 95 minutes per dayon the app! When people are scrolling through TikTok, you’ll want to be there so you can capture their attention with real, compelling content about your campground.
There’s a common misconception that TikTok is an app for young people to do silly dances, but there’s more to it. Even if it was just Gen Z, Gen Z is the largest generation in the U.S., with 74 million people. 60% of Gen Z is on TikTok. That’s a demographic you don’t want to miss out on! In addition, 56% of 20-29 year olds in the U.S. are on TikTok, 35% of 30-39 year olds, and even 38% of 40-49 year olds and 25% of 50-59 year olds. TikTok is full of potential for reaching new campers.
When we think of video content, we often think of highly produced videos created by professional videographers. That’s not the vibe of TikTok. You don’t need to be perfect, you just need to show up and be yourself. You can shoot video on your phone and share it with minimal editing. Being real is what TikTok is all about.
TikTok requires a higher posting frequency than some platforms as there’s a large volume of videos shared daily. The good news is content has a longer lifespan on TikTok than on other platforms! Videos I posted a year ago continue to gain views daily. Try posting five times a week when you’re getting started and work up to daily if possible.
I recommend a business account for almost every platform, but that’s not the case for TikTok. Businesses on TikTok can only use the Commercial Music Library, losing access to many trending sounds, which is a big disadvantage. Businesses can’t include a link in their bio until they have 1,000 followers, so I recommend starting with a personal account and switching to a business account when you reach 1,000 followers.
Batching your content can make video creation more efficient and less intimidating. Record clips around your campground when you see something that might make for an interesting video, but don’t make a TikTok immediately. When you have an idea for a TikTok, write it down, but wait to film it until your planned video creation time. For example, every Monday afternoon from 2 to 4pm could be your TikTok making session. Sit down and make your 5 to 7 videos in one go, filming talking to camera videos and utilizing the clips you recorded throughout the week. From there, you can save them to drafts and post throughout the week.
Variety is the secret sauce of my next TikTok Tip. Diversifying your content is a good way to keep your audience engaged. Here are some different video types to make:Talking to Camera
Simply sit down and talk to the camera. Aim for 60 to 90 seconds. It could be sharing the story of how you founded the campground, an anecdote about your favorite memory here, highlighting favorite campsites or hiking trails, recommendations for what to pack, etc.
TikTok audios are meme-like; everyone can put their own spin on them to make them unique. It’s essentially a framework for a joke. You can lip sync along to these or add text on the screen or in a caption. Once you’ve spent time on TikTok, you’ll see examples and get an idea of what could work for you. When you spot an audio you could use, tap on the audio in the bottom right and save it to favorites.
Document both the mundane and exciting moments of an average day as a campground owner.
Repairing something on site? Adding a new amenity? Record a timelapse, add a voiceover, and share! It gives people a sense for how well you’re taking care of the campground.
If you can’t think of ideas, this is an easy video type to create. Record 5 to 7 seconds of something visually interesting on your campground, add a popular song, and add text. It can be anything–a quote about nature, thoughts about why camping is meaningful to you, etc. It will take most viewers longer to read the text than it takes for the video to play, so it will loop a few times, boosting your view count and your performance in the algorithm.
Trends are one of the driving forces of TikTok. I wouldn’t recommend posting solely trends, but they can help your content reach more people. Aim for 2 to 3 trends per week. Observe what trends are taking off in your niche and consider how you might share your spin. Keep in mind that if a trend doesn’t work for your campground, you don’t need to force it.
People connect with people. Many small businesses have taken off on TikTok because real humans are sharing their stories—why they love what they do, how they put their whole heart into it, why it matters. Trying to be a perfect brand staying in a little box doesn’t resonate, but being yourself does. Show your face so folks can get to know the human behind the brand. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but it gets easier with practice.
Many people assume TikTok is solely for short-form content, but sharing a mix of short and long videos is ideal. Try sharing two 15-second videos, two 60-second videos, and two three-minute videos per week. This gives you a chance to share your story in different chunks: bite-size or slightly longer form. If you hook someone with a funny 15-second video, they might stick around to watch your longer talking to camera videos, too.
TikTok released a slideshow feature similar to Instagram’s carousels that is super easy to use. Unlike an Instagram carousel, you can add text on each photo. Try creating slideshows like ‘9 Luxury Tents at our Campground,’ ‘Campfire Snacks We Devoured,’ ‘Favorite Things at Our Glampsite,’ or even ‘Cutest Dogs at the Campground Dog Park this Week.’
Note that slideshows can also duplicate video content and vice versa. Every follower won’t see every post, so you can share both a video of cute dogs from the campground dog park and a slideshow of the dogs. Double the content from one idea!
TikTok doesn’t have to be daunting or draining. Following these TikTok tips can set you on the path to maintaining an engaging TikTok presence that attracts new campers to your campground. Happy posting!
Emily Hessney Lynch is a social media strategist with ten years of experience helping organizations share their stories through engaging digital content. She lives in upstate New York with her husband and their three rescue dogs. They love getting outside year-round and enjoy paddle boarding, hiking, and snowshoeing. You can follow her on Instagram at @servemethesky.
Photo credit: Pexels – cottonbro studio
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