As winter ends, it’s time to get ready for the prime part of the year for RV park owners: spring and summer. This is when most of your revenue will be derived and you will be very busy. Proper preparation is key. So what do you need to do to get ready for the new season?
Finalize your rate structure
What will you be charging this year by the night/week or month? It’s time to come up with your official pricing chart for 2020. If you think there’s the opportunity to raise rents this year, then you want to put that into effect before the season begins. And that means doing comps on your competition to see what they’re charging.
Secure your mowing plan
Spring means that grass will soon be growing. Who’s going to mow it? Who’s going to take care of other landscaping needs? The time to make that selection is now, while you can get people to come out to make bids. Or if you’re going to do it yourself, make sure all your equipment is ready to go.
Painting
One of the first things you’re going to want to do when the temperatures rise is to freshly paint everything that needs it. The problem is: so is every other business on earth. So get set up to get it done early and ahead of the pack. Call the painter now and get set up to be the first account they hit. If you’re going to do it yourself, select your paint and get it and the supplies ready.
Freshen amenities
Make a list of any enhancements you plan on doing to your amenities this year. New pool furniture? New volleyball net? Now is the time to strike while inventories are fresh at the store and workmen are available.
Get all marketing materials printed
All the forms, brochures and flyers that you use each year should be replenished. If you want to make changes, do it now and get them printed. Most printers are slow right now because retailers and other businesses don’t really pick up until Spring.
Perfect your internet visibility
Every successful RV park pops right up on a simple Google search of “RV park in ___________” and it’s mandatory that you make this list. If you don’t – and have no internet skills – you need to hire a young person who is part of the internet revolution to get you where you need to be. In virtually every market – even the smallest town – there’s somebody who will do this for you at a small cost.
A great website
Once someone finds you on Google, they will want to go to your website: do you have a good one? If not, now is your time to improve it. What does a great one look like? Just find another RV park (typically a giant one) that has a terrific site and have someone copy it. There’s no reason to put in a lot of pioneering creativity in this area.
Improve your on-line reviews
This is a little more complicated because you are not supposed to manipulate reviews, yet everyone on earth does. You need to ask happy residents to post positive reviews. You need to get strong reviews at all costs. If you have negative reviews there are companies such as Birdeye that will change your positioning and dilute those reviews for a fee. But get it done now before people start looking you up on-line.
Make any staffing adjustments
Are you wanting to add or replace staff this year? Then now is the time to make those changes. With the U.S. unemployment rate extremely low (under 4%) you will have to dig deep right now to find employees and you need to give yourself plenty of time.
Distribute flyers
Even though it’s still early, those brochures at the tourism center and other venues are still happy to put them in the racks, and they won’t go anywhere until customers arrive – they are not perishable. When you distribute flyers at a time when nobody else is doing it you have the chance to bond with those who talk to tourists and to let them know all the great things going on at your RV park and get their sole attention.
Improve your entry
You entry is what gives customers their first impression of your business – is yours the best it can be? If not, what would make it better and what would that cost? If you’re going to make any changes get going now. It takes time to bids and choose the contractor, and even more time to get the items installed. If you made calls this week you would be lucky to have it done by April and that’s cutting it too tight!
Conclusion
Now is the time to get your RV park ready for the season. This list will help you remember the various items you probably want to get in order. 2020 should be a great year for the RV park industry, so get in the right position right now.