Feeling slightly overwhelmed by social media, wondering how to maximize your efforts on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking platforms? Well, you're not alone. Manta.com surveyed more than 1,200 business owners to find out which social platforms are the toughest to maintain for small business owners and found that Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter ranked high on the list.

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But if you're letting that frustration get in the way of maintaining an active presence on the main social media sites, you're squandering a gold mine. Online travel industry statistics from Funsherpa.com reveal 87 percent of travelers used the Internet for a bulk of their travel planning and 50 percent of travel companies surveyed reported that direct bookings were generated from social media.

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To make sure you're making the most of social media, follow these 11 online marketing strategies.

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1. Create a realistic plan.

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Don't think that you have to be on every single social media platform out there. Instead, be realistic: Consider how much time you can dedicate to pulling together content for your social media channels and how frequently you want to post to each site. Also keep in mind that fans and followers are going to expect you to comment or reply back, so you need to make time for that. Marketing experts share their insights on "The Art of Response on Social Media" for Entrepreneur magazine and point out that most commenters expect a response within 24 hours. In order to not spread yourself thin, choose up to two platforms that you can realistically stick to a schedule with so that staff members can handle all social media tasks and interactions with ease.

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2. Don't be overly promotional.

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While social media platforms are great avenues to share what you have to offer, the true purpose of staying active on these sites is to generate interest in your business, gain fans and followers, and share interesting content. Avoid spamming fans and followers with updates about your specials, ads about your offerings, or anything that sounds like a sales pitch. Focus instead on sharing unique and interesting content that your fans and followers will want to share on their social networks. This might include video of behind-the-scenes footage of chefs preparing meals for a food tour or a short introduction from the captain of a boat tour company. Or, it could be something as simple as a photo gallery of a sneak preview of upcoming tours of the season, or a short article from the owner of a canoe tour company about what to look forward to in the area this travel season.

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Sharing this type of content that your fans and followers end up sharing without directly asking them is is word-of-mouth marketing in action on the social grid and can help you maintain a loyal following for the long haul.

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3. Keep things short and simple.

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It's a great idea to describe a tour or activity with creative copy and entice your viewers but you want to avoid writing mini paragraphs when posting on Facebook or Instagram. The experts at Wishpond point out that posts shorter than 250 characters have 60 percent more engagement than longer posts. Whether you're sharing details about a recent kayaking trip or posting an update about an upcoming promotion, keep the message short and sweet — preferably just a few lines.

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4. Engage with the community.

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Whether you're busy on Facebook, are just getting started with Twitter, or are active on sites like Pinterest and Instagram, you need to take the time to engage with other users in order to build your online presence. Sharing unique content is just one part of the puzzle. As a tour and activity operator, utilize the tools of each platform: seek out locals by entering you location in the search feature on various sites, using hashtags like #travel or #tours, and connecting with complementary businesses such as the chamber of commerce, area hotels and resorts, and other business contacts. The goal is to interact with the community and, eventually, earn your following.

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You need to take time to engage with other users in order to build your online presence

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5. Get on a Facebook Page updating schedule.

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Updating Facebook regularly with photos, video clips, blog posts, and information about your tours or activities can engage your fans and help prospective travelers learn more about what you offer. The key to success with Facebook marketing is making sure you post enough but not too much — the experts at Buffer recommend posting a maximum of two times per day, seven days a week between the hours of 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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6. Use scheduling tools to be consistent.

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When you've determined how often you want to post to social media sites and have a schedule to work with, consider using apps and tools like Sprout Social, HootSuite, or Buffer to schedule all of your posts to go live at certain times of the day. This can take the stress of administrative tasks off the shoulders of staff members, who are better off spending their time helping guests with customer service inquiries or taking care of tour-related activities.

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7. Use the right keywords and hashtags in your tweets.

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If you're active on Twitter, make it easy for prospective travelers to find you with Twitter's search features. Debbie Hemley, a social media consultant and blogger, tells Social Media Examiner that it's a good idea to make a list of keywords that best describe your business and industry. Using hashtags to accompany your tweets such as #travel, #kayaking, #[destination] can help you attract followers.

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8. Share experiences on YouTube.

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Demand for video content is growing rapidly — Cisco reports that consumer Internet video traffic will account for 80 percent of all traffic in 2019. Sharing videos on YouTube can foster loyalty, inspire potential customers to find out more about you, and makes it easy to drop video links on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. You can share everything from snippets of a tour experience to customer testimonials.For example, Boggy Creek Airboats in Orlando, Florida, features several videos from their most popular routes, along with clips of guests enjoying the experience. One of their intro videos has garnered more than 226,000 views.

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9. Post regularly to Instagram.

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Instagram is a popular photo-sharing site that also offers the option of sharing short video clips. You can include information about your company in a few sentences in the bio along with a direct link to your website or booking page. Hawaiian Paddlesports does a great job of posting shots of its outrigger canoes and beach activities, garnering hundreds of likes on many of its photos. You can do the same and tag all of your photos using relevant hashtags — a simple way to stand out on Instagram as users enter hashtags to find photos of interest. Make sure to tag almost all of your photos with your destination and use keywords like tours and the industry you are in for maximum exposure.

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10. Get active on Pinterest.

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Photo-sharing sites like Instagram and Facebook aren't the only places to generate likes and attract followers. Jump on Pinterest so you can share your photos on themed boards related to the services you offer and connect with travelers or complementary businesses. You can post everything from creative ads to promote specials you are offering to candid photos. Take a look at the Pinterest boards of MSH Hawaii Tours for inspiration. The company has created 14 boards with different themes and generated 100-plus likes to date.

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Whether your goal is to increase bookings, maintain a positive online presence, or connect with customers and local businesses in new ways, adopt some of these social media habits to stay one step ahead of the competition.

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Read about Dylan's Tours and how they became one of the largest operators in San Francisco

For most travel and activity businesses, Google is the primary way new visitors will find you online—be it through a Google Search or on Google Maps. But fighting for top spots in the search results is a full-time job, and not one that many business owners have time for. Luckily, Google is making it increasingly easier for businesses to be found, allowing you to have a presence in local searches with just a few minutes of work.

Make sure Google can read your website

Google looks at your website more-or-less as a person would—it reads the pages, looks at images, and clicks through all the items in your menu. To ensure Google is able to access your website, read it, and then list what it finds in search results, turn to Search Console, one of the search engine's most powerful tools.If your website has been configured incorrectly and Google can't access and read it, the Search Console is where you'll find out. And, depending on the nature of the problem, Google will usually suggest ways to correct the error too.Search Console also has many more useful tools to help you analyze your website's performance, including Search Analytics, which shows you how well your website is performing in search results; Pagespeed Insights, which gives you information on how your website works on different screen sizes; and a messages area, which Google will use to send you important updates about your site.

Tell Google what your business is about

The words and phrases people type into Google to find products, services or information are known as “keywords." The keywords Google will associate your business with rely almost entirely on the words used in your website's copy. Without specifically mentioning certain things in the text of your site, you'll never appear in search results for those keywords.For example, a kayaking business needs to tell Google that they offer kayak rentals and kayaking lessons by talking about them on their website. A campsite needs to tell Google they offer pitches by the night, and how much they cost by listing them publicly. But don't go overboard with these keywords: If it's obvious you're trying to beef up your keyword count, Google will simply ignore it—or worse, punish you by burying you in the results page.A simple rule of thumb: Create a website which works really well for your visitors, and Google will reward you with good placement in search results.And this is another area where the Search Console can help. One of its features, Content Keywords, broadly tells you what Google thinks your website is about by showing you how many times you mention specific keywords. Ideally, the services you're selling should be near the top of this list. If not, it's time to tweak your website a bit.

Create a website which works well for your visitors, and Google will reward you with good placement in search results

Tell Google where your business is located

Appearing in local search results is vitally important for travel and activity businesses. Most searches take place on mobile devices now, so you need to be as visible as possible to travelers passing through your area and in search of a fun activity.The most basic way to tell Google where you are based—and to appear to local searchers—is to simply include your address and phone number on your website. Google will take this information and be able to deduce your location, and pretty soon you'll be appearing in local search results.Another important step in attracting local searches is to get your business listed on Google Maps. Google My Business—the search engine's home for many of its small business services—allows local businesses to easily create Google Maps listings and verify them by linking the listings to their websites.It's easy to claim your Google Maps listing. Simply search your business on Google Maps and touch "Are you the business owner?" and follow the prompts provided.Your Google Maps listing can contain plenty of information above and beyond your address and phone number. You can add opening hours, photos, and invite customers to review your business. The better your reviews, the more people will find you online, and the more will visit you in real life. You can even add a link that directly points customers to book your activity or rental.In just a few minutes, these simple updates can vastly increase your online searchability.

If you've spent some time surfing the web, you know there's no lack of advertising space on a myriad of websites. But what you may not realize is many of these advertising spots are "for rent." Dubbed remarketing (or retargeting), it's all about enabling companies to show relevant ads to people who have initially expressed interest in what you have to offer online.For instance, did you visit a clothing site and later that day, on another website, see an ad for the article of clothing you looked at ? While it may appear that the stars are aligning to help you rationalize that purchase, it's actually Google's remarketing engine at work. And, it may just be the tool to help drive more online sales for your tour or activity company.

What Is Remarketing/Retargeting?

We interviewed Margot da Cunha, previous content marketing specialist at WordStream, a Google Premier SMB partner focused on search marketing. According to da Cunha, remarketing, also known as ad retargeting (these terms are used interchangeably), is “essentially when you cookie your past site visitors to follow them around with ads on various sites they browse."In a sense, it's kind of like an acceptable business form of stalking. If someone comes to your website and is looking into purchasing a kayak tour experience, but then gets distracted and pulls up a new website, a visual prompt advertisement of your choosing will show on other websites they visit, such as Facebook, to "remarket" to them. The hope is that they'll see the image of the kayak they were researching on your site, along with your carefully crafted advertising message, and realize that it might be time to head on back to the page or shopping cart they abandoned.

Does Remarketing work?

“Most people who are doing paid search, who start to then embrace remarketing, are blown away by the results," da Cunha says. “It works because you're targeting people instead of just keywords." In other words, you know they're more qualified than people who just stumble upon your ad, because they've actually been to your website before and shown an interest.There's no tried and true statistic on how exactly retargeting will help your business, but in general, anytime you're advertising to people who are interested in what you have to offer, the better the results will be. “Conversion rate increases with exposure," says da Cunha. "The more your target sees your ad, the more likely they are to convert." And, don't worry too much about people becoming annoyed because “your odds of overwhelming the audience, because of the way Google controls things, are pretty low."

Retargeting works because you're targeting people, not keywords

How do I get started?

The process to set up remarketing efforts for your tour, activity or rental business will be fairly straightforward. If you already have a PPC campaign running through Adwords or Wordstream, there is a simple setup process, which you can learn more about here: How Does Google Remarketing Work? It involves modifying your website pages with a small piece of tracking code (called a tag), creating a list of people you would like to remarket to and deciding how often you want them to see your ad.You can get as general or specific as you see fit when it comes to setting your criteria (who sees it and how often). Here are few scenarios of people you can target with ads of your choosing:

• Everyone who has visited a certain page on your website.
• Only people who visited a specific landing page (for instance, your wine tasting ticket purchase page), but didn't convert.
• Only those who placed a bike or kayak in their cart, but then abandoned ship.
• Only people who purchased a Halloween escape room adventure last year, who you want to casually remind to do so again for the upcoming season.

What's it going to cost ?

Similar to Google Adwords, you can spend hundreds, thousands or even more on your remarketing campaign. As with any new service, it's best to start by allocating a reasonably sized portion of your online marketing budget, along with tightly defined goals, so you can measure how remarketing affects your conversions.The broader your remarketing campaign's criteria, the higher your cost will usually be. You can fine-tune and set frequency caps (i.e. this person can only see this ad a certain number of times per day) and duration (i.e. this person will no longer see this ad after 30 days) as you see fit to manage costs.Wordstream does have some recommendations when it comes to duration and frequency based on recent studies and experience:

• Duration should be set to three times your average sales cycle for best results.
• Setting the frequency to unlimited is worth it. Even if you set frequency cap to unlimited, those people will only see it an average of 3.71 impressions per day.

There's no time like the present to get started with remarketing for your tour, activity, or rental business. If you're interested in learning more (which you should be), check out this guide: Complete Guide to Content Remarketing.

Americans can't seem to break away from their smartphones. In the U.S., mobile usage now accounts for 51% of digital media time. And that trend continues to seep into the travel industry, as mobile bookings now make up 40% of all transactions for travel businesses. In other words: It's very likely that potential customers can be looking to book campsites while hiking into town.So it's time to start taking strides to attract these on-the-go travelers. Luckily, this won't take thousands of marketing dollars to accomplish. A few small-scale tactics will help you find the campers you're looking for, and more importantly, help them find you.

Be smartphone friendly

There's little use in having an amazing website if it doesn't work on smartphones. At the very least, make sure that all the important information—like your location, contact details, and opening hours—is easy to find. This is likely the key information potential customers will be searching for.You'll also want to optimize your most popular site pages. (The information you'll need to do this can be examined in your site analytics, including what pages visitors are landing on when they first come to your site, whether they are using a mobile or desktop, how long they spend on each page, and much more.)But perhaps the most important feature to make mobile friendly: your booking page—and online reservation software, such as Peek Pro, will let your campers do this by incorporating mobile booking options right into your website.

Make sure all your important information is easy to find on your mobile site

Social media is your best friend

Today's campers are no strangers to technology. This means that there is a very heavy reliance on social media to find information, ask for suggestions, and share opinions with the world. In fact, Forbes recently reported that one-fifth of leisure travelers worldwide turn to social media platforms for inspiration for their travel planning, with Facebook at the top of that list. Research for ADARA further shows that up to 50% of those travelers are booking their trips last minute. This is where the immediacy of social media can come in handy!By using a thoughtful social media strategy, you can ensure that you find a much larger number of new and returning customers than if you had kept all of your marketing efforts completely offline. Keep your Facebook page up-to-date with relevant information, respond to comments quickly, and generally, be a friendly face for the traveler that is breezing through your area.

How to become more search friendly

There are a few things you can do to make sure that your campground is more search friendly when it comes to Google. As mentioned earlier, you have to make sure you give visitors what they're looking for. Write clearly, and think about what words users would type in to look for what you offer (such as "campground near [location]). Make sure other sites link to yours when possible. Are you friendly with the local kayak rental company? Ask them to link to your campground. Create a helpful, information-rich site, and let Google do the rest.

Don't be afraid of geolocation

One of the joys of having a smartphone is the ability to use the device as a map. Today's smartphones have a GPS chip inside, which uses satellite data to calculate its exact position. Services like Google Maps can then map out the area using this location.This means that geolocation apps essentially do two things: they report a user's location to others, and they associate real-world locations (like your campground) to others who happen to be in the area. As a campground owner, geolocation can be a powerful tool in your marketing toolkit. Tapping into geolocational features—such as paying to advertise to people searching Google for campsites in your area, or making your location obvious to all by having an address visible on your site and a Google Maps listing—can help potential campers find you when they are nearby, desperately in search of a well-reviewed campground in their vicinity.With more and more travelers booking their trips and amenities from their smartphones, it's important to make sure you're doing all you can to capture this on-the-go market. From making your site more mobile friendly to taking advantage of geolocation services, you can take a few easy steps to begin increasing these last minute booking.

Americans—more than 40 million a year, to be exact—continue to head to the hills for that weekend camping trip. And while the activity of camping hasn't changed much in the past 30 years, the needs and habits of today's campers continue to evolve. Large tents have been replaced for lightweight models; small RVs have been traded up for larger, tech-infused vehicles; and tech-savvy travelers are now booking their camping getaways online.Here is a closer look at the needs and travel habits of today's campers, and how your campground can best cater to them.

Understanding Travel Needs and Booking Behavior of Today's Campers

Experts at Virtuoso have found that baby boomers and millennials travel for very different purposes. Boomers see travel as an opportunity to enjoy quality time together and value escapism. They're not afraid to splurge and prefer to travel with families. Millennials, on the other hand, tend to travel for personal fulfillment and look for customized experiences when traveling. Also, most prefer to travel with friends.Knowing this means you can tailor your offerings and marketing messages for these two distinct groups. Baby boomers may be attracted to camping packages that include a trip to an area day spa, for example, where they can unplug and de-stress. Millennials may be more eager to book packages for groups with kayaking lessons, paddle-boarding adventures, or other outdoor activities they can enjoy with friends on or near the campsite.

Upgrading Campsites and Amenities to Appeal to Today's Campers

Your campground may not be able to accommodate larger RVs or provide enough electricity to support some of the upgraded vehicles, gear, and accessories today's campers rely on. Consider expanding parking sites (by trimming trees and shrubs) to accommodate for larger vehicles. (Class-A RVs can be as long as 45 feet, so you should have at least one spot that could easily fit this type of vehicle.) Also, many campsites aren't able to support the 50-amp plugins required by some newer RV models, so consider updating your electrical outlets if you can't handle this type of setup.A large portion of campers will be looking for some type of hiking activity, according to the Outdoor Foundation. These hiking enthusiasts will often rely on GPS devices and smartphone apps to map out their routes. In order to stay connected and maximize their experience using technology, these campers need high-speed Internet access. Campgrounds and RV parks that offer free WiFi access and connectivity amenities, such as power outlets to charge phones and camera batteries, will be a more attractive destination for the modern traveler.Another interesting fact: 52 percent of campers between the ages of 18 and 34 years did online research to buy items for their camping trip and then purchased in-store, according to the Outdoor Foundation. Be the campground that sells accessories and other items—from extra batteries for portable coolers to basic cooking utensils—through your own online store or at your campsite to cater to these shoppers. This will also open up another revenue stream for your campground business.

Be the campground that sells accessories and other items through your own online store or at your campsite to cater to these shoppers

Providing Mobile Booking Options for Today's Campers

The vast majority—90 percent—of millennials book travel online, according to Virtuoso. Take advantage of online reservation software, such as Peek Pro, to incorporate online and mobile booking options into your website to capture this large segment of the market. This will make it a cinch for campers to reserve spots that fit their RVs, or to make reservations for outdoor gear and supplies.Also, as Skift points out, personalization in travel is one trend travel operators simply can't ignore2. Instead of booking a campsite and settling in for the day, campers may be interested in enjoying localized experiences during the trip. Offering the option to customize a camping experience—such as adding a workshop or educational tour to the visit, or giving guests a chance to have food or groceries delivered from area businesses—can make for a personalized experience.And don't overlook social media activity. Encourage visitors to use Instagram and Twitter to share their photos and updates while mentioning your business. This allows them to join a community of fellow travelers while helping your business become more visible in the social media sphere.The American tradition of camping isn't disappearing anytime soon. But the needs of today's campers continue to evolve with technology. Catering to today's tech-savvy campers with online booking options and introducing modern amenities into your campsite will help keep your booking calendar full year-round.

Site reservations and general stores shouldn't be the only revenue stream for your campground. In fact, almost 27 percent of total income earned from a camper was generated from sources other than campsite reservations, according to a study by the Journal of Travel Research. You can tap into several revenue opportunities to maximize sales from each and every camper that sets foot on your campground.Here are just a few ways to optimize your campground's profit centers.

1. Recreational Equipment Rentals

Not all of your campers will have enough room in their RV or vehicle to bring along recreational gear and equipment such as kayaks, canoes, or even pop-up tables for meal time. Make things easy for your customers by offering equipment rental options for a modest fee, and set up a pickup station or area where staff can keep track of inventory and store it safely after each use.

Create packages for newer campers who need basic equipment such as a grill, tables and chairs, or other necessities to round out their experience.

Create packages for newer campers who need basic equipment such as a grill, tables and chairs, or other necessities to round out their experience. If you are using a campground reservation system like Peek Pro, you can manage equipment rental inventory and payments all in the same system.

2. Special Events and Activities

From hosting fun holiday events like carols and s'mores around a big bonfire, or providing live entertainment during the summer months, ticketed events are a great way for your guests to build fun, lasting memories at your campground. These might appeal to both campers and visitors in the area looking for something to do during a vacation. If you open up these events to the public, could also attract locals and garner some attention from area businesses during the season.Make sure to promote these events heavily on social media sites, and set up a Facebook event so the general public can easily find it when they're searching for local things to do on the Internet. You could also list your event with area magazines and publications as part of your promotional efforts.

3. Lessons and Workshops

Lots of campgrounds offer activities such as painting lessons, tie-dye t-shirt making classes, and games. While these mainly cater to children, such workshops are a big revenue generator. Additionally, watersport activities like kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding can be turned into educational opportunities for first-timers or beginners. Offer lessons as part of your roster of daily activities on the campground for an extra fee. Another option is to host educational workshops, such as seminars or hands-on activities from nature guides, teachers, and other experts to give campers something to look forward to during their visit.Consider partnering up with local instructors who can offer services your staff isn't trained to provide, so that you can offer a variety of experiences for outdoor enthusiasts.

4. Breakfast or Meal Service

Give campers the option to purchase a meal onsite so they can save time and effort during their vacation—some visitors will probably appreciate less time doing dishes, and more time going on hikes in the surrounding area! As long as you have a food and beverage license for your operation, you can set up a dining area to serve meals as part of the camping experience. Use this food and beverage cost calculator formula provided by Buzztime to estimate your total investment for managing food costs and setting up reasonable pricing. Consider selling meal tickets as part of the camping reservation or sell meal plan packages for guests who may want to enjoy multiple meals onsite during their visit.From offering memorable experiences to renting equipment, there are several ways to enhance your guest's outdoor stay, while generating revenue beyond the campsite reservation. Explore some of these ideas to leverage your campground's profit potential.