Name: Finola O’Rourke

Student no.: N00226475

Course: DL846
Module: Digital Marketing

Continuous Assessment 2

Digital Marketing Materials for ECO Summer Camps

28 April 2023
 Table of Contents

1 Introduction to the idea ................................................................................................................. 3

2 Target audience and brand personas............................................................................................. 3
3 Purpose of marketing campaign .................................................................................................... 3
4 Keyword research and selection .................................................................................................... 3
5 Timing of searches.......................................................................................................................... 8
6 E-mail marketing campaign ............................................................................................................ 9
6.1 Sign-up sources and segmentation ......................................................................................... 9
6.2 E-mail subject line ................................................................................................................. 10
6.3 E-mail body ........................................................................................................................... 10
6.4 Timing of campaign ............................................................................................................... 11
7 Landing pages ............................................................................................................................... 11
7.1 Layout and design ................................................................................................................. 12
7.2 SEO ........................................................................................................................................ 13
8 Google Ads campaigns ................................................................................................................. 15
8.1 Targeted location .................................................................................................................. 15
8.2 Timing of ads ......................................................................................................................... 16
8.3 Search ad campaign settings................................................................................................. 16
8.3.1 Audience segments ....................................................................................................... 16
8.3.2 Targeted keywords........................................................................................................ 16
8.3.3 URL, headlines and descriptions ................................................................................... 17
8.3.4 Budget ........................................................................................................................... 19
8.4 Display ad campaign settings ................................................................................................ 20
8.4.1 Audience segments ....................................................................................................... 20
8.4.2 Images used .................................................................................................................. 20
8.4.3 Budget and bidding ....................................................................................................... 21
9 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 22
Appendix 1: Competitor keyword research .......................................................................................... 23
Appendix 2: E-mail for kids’ camps ....................................................................................................... 25
Appendix 3: E-mail for teen camps ....................................................................................................... 28
Appendix 4: Google search ads ............................................................................................................. 32
Appendix 5: Google responsive display ads .......................................................................................... 33
Appendix 6: Display ads created in Canva ............................................................................................ 34

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1 Introduction to the idea
The focus of this assignment is ECO Summer Camps, a fictitious organization delivering
outdoor summer camps to children and teens in the surrounds of Cruagh Woods, Co. Dublin.
These camps focus on sustainable, eco-friendly outdoor activities that teach children and
teens about the environment in a fun and engaging way. The camps will run for four separate
weeks during the months of July and August. Two types of camp are available: a kids’ camp
for primary school children aged 7-12 years and a teen camp for secondary school children
aged 13-17 years. The programme of activities on offer at each camp varies between the two
age groups.

2 Target audience and brand personas

The marketing materials created for these camps are targeted at parents/guardians, who are
keen to keep their children entertained during the summer months. Some may be working
parents who are looking for an alternative to hiring a childminder over the holidays. Some
parents may be outdoor enthusiasts and/or environmentally conscious and looking for a way
to instil those values in their children. However, as indicated by research detailed later in this
report, most parents are simply searching for a solution to the problem of how to keep their
children busy and entertained during the long summer holidays and, ideally, are looking for a
fun, unique and enriching way to do so. Based on the location of the camps, the target
audience lives within easy driving distance of Cruagh Woods and is therefore resident in south
County Dublin. As parents of school-age children, their ages range from 30 to 55 years,
approximately.

3 Purpose of marketing campaign

The purpose of this digital marketing campaign is to increase online booking transactions by
10% through the promotion of a 10% discount on all bookings made before 1st May. An e-mail
marketing campaign and two Google Ads campaigns will drive traffic to age-specific landing
pages where potential customers can find out more about the individual camps and will
hopefully click through to a Bookings page.

4 Keyword research and selection

The following are the results of a search for “summer camps” and related keyword phrases in
Google Ads Keyword Planner for the period from March to August 2022. I chose this period,

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since March to August is the time of year when most searches for camps take place (see
section 5 below) and I wanted to gain an accurate picture of the keywords used and their
search volumes across an entire booking season.

Note: Google Ads would not permit me to search for the keyword phrase “summer camps for
kids/children”, as it deemed it “inappropriate”.

Figure 1 Google Ads error messages

Figure 2 Searches for “summer camps” and related keywords from March-August 2022
Data source: Google Ads Keyword Planner (www.ads.google.com)

As shown above, from March to August 2022, there was an average of 1900 searches per
month for the medium-competition keyword phrase “summer camps”. “Camps near me” and
“summer camps 2022” had even higher search volumes and both are low-competition

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keywords. I also searched for “sustainable/eco-friendly/ecology camps”, but the search
volumes were extremely low. As shown above, the search volumes for “adventure/outdoor
camps” and for other specific camp types are also extremely low. This indicates that parents
are searching for summer camps in general and not for specific types of camps. The search
volume for “summer camps 2022” shows that people are using the current year in their search
phrase to ensure that they obtain up-to-date information on camps taking place that year, as
opposed to camps that took place in previous years and may no longer be running.

Next I used the Semrush Keyword Magic Tool to explore “summer camps for kids” and other
related keywords.

Figure 3 List of keywords related to “summer Camps for kids”

Data source: Semrush (www.semrush.com)

I concluded based on all the above research that the keyword phrase “summer camps 2023”
is the best way to target the greatest number of searches for my kids’ summer camps. Using
this keyword will allow me to target approx. 2400 monthly searches for “summer camps
2023” plus 1900 searches for “summer camps” and 1600 searches for “camps”. Furthermore,
these are all low- or medium-competition keywords, which will make them easier to rank for
and cheaper in terms of Google Ad campaigns.

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I would also optimize for “near me” searches, a practice which, according to Hubspot, has
seen exponential growth in recent years (Shirish Agarwal, 2021). For my business to rank in
the local search results, I will open a business account on Google My Business.

Childcare is generally not an issue for parents of secondary-school-aged children, and so most
summer camps are targeted at primary-school-aged children. It can therefore be argued that
when parents are searching for summer camps, they are most likely looking for summer
camps for primary-school-aged children. This is borne out by the fact that none of the
keyword suggestions for “summer camps for kids” contains the word “kids” or “children”.
Moreover, as indicated below, there is an average of only 170 searches per month for
“summer camps for kids”.

Figure 4 Comparison between searches for camps for teens and camps for kids. Data source: Semrush (www.semrush.com)

By comparison, there are over twice as many searches specifically for summer camps for
teens. This indicates that when parents are searching for summer camps for their teenage
children, they tend to specify teens in their searches. I used Google Ads Keyword Planner and
Semrush to search for “summer camps for teens” and related keywords in the period from
March to August 2022 and obtained the following results.

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 Figure 5 List of results for “summer camps for teens”
Data source: Google Ads Keyword Planner (www.ads.google.com)

Figure 6 List of keywords related to “summer camps for teens” provided by Semrush
Data source: Semrush (www.semrush.com)

The results shown above reveal that “summer camps for teens” is by far the most popular
keyword phrase with an average of 260 searches per month and a medium competition
rating. However, in a bid to attract an additional 90 searches per month for “fun summer
camps for teens”, I decided to use “fun summer camps for teens” as the keyword phrase for
my teen landing page. I also researched the keyword phrase “summer camps for teens 2022”.
However, the search volumes for this and related keyword phrases were extremely low.

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 Figure 7 List of results for “summer camps for teens 2022” and related keywords
Data source: Google Ads Keyword Planner (www.ads.google.com)

A quick look at the sites of some competitors offering similar outdoor adventure camp
programs in South Dublin revealed that these businesses have done very little on their
websites in terms of SEO (see Appendix 1), with lots of titles, meta descriptions and H1 tags
missing from their site pages. This means that, with the right keywords and SEO, ECO Summer
Camps have an excellent chance of achieving a high SERP ranking.

5 Timing of searches
I used Google Trends to ascertain any patterns regarding the time of day and time of year
when searches for my chosen keywords were taking place. The following graph highlights a
predictable pattern in search volumes over the past five years; searches typically start to
increase between March and May every year, peaking between May and June and falling off
steeply by the end of July.

Figure 8 Google searches for "summer camps” over past 5 years

Data source: Google Trends (www.google.com/trends)

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I then looked closely at the times of day when these searches were taking place and was
surprised to discover that searches start to increase just after 1.00am every morning in the
period from March to July, peaking at about 4.00am and tapering off by 8.00am.

Figure 9 Google searches for “summer camps” over a recent 24-hour period
Data source: Google Trends (www.google.com/trends)

This clearly shows that parents are lying awake in the middle of the night, worrying about
how to keep their kids entertained during the summer holidays and going online to try to find
a solution. Further data provided by Google Ads confirms that these searches are taking place
primarily on mobile phones. This means that any marketing e-mails and landing pages will
need to be responsive and optimized for mobile phones.

Figure 10 Graph indicating the volume of mobile searches for “summer camps” relative to total searches for “summer
camps”. Data source: Google Ads Keyword Planner (www.ads.google.com)

6 E-mail marketing campaign

6.1 Sign-up sources and segmentation

The database of contacts used for the e-mail marketing campaign will be compiled from a
mailing list advertised previously on the company’s website, social media accounts and other
online platforms that parents frequent. When signing up, parents/guardians would be
required to specify whether they were interested in kids’ camps or teen camps. This
information would be used to segment the database according to the age profile of the
children.
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6.2 E-mail subject line
To attract the attention of readers and encourage them to open the e-mail, I mention the 10%
discount in the subject line and use merge tags to tailor the subject line to the target audience
segment (parents of kids or parents of teens).

Figure 11 Screenshot of how test e-mail appears in inbox of MS Outlook

6.3 E-mail body

See Appendix 2 and 3 for screenshots of e-mails. To convey a fun and friendly vibe, the
recipient is addressed by their first name and with an informal “Hi”. I use merge tags in the
opening paragraph to write “kids” or “teens”, depending on the target audience. Having
established that parents are lying awake at night worrying about how to keep their children
busy during the summer months, I capitalize on this insight in the opening paragraph of my
e-mail and create the impression that I have read the recipient’s mind:

Are you lying awake at night worrying about how to keep your *|MMERGE10|* busy this summer? Well help

is at hand! Book one of our ECO SUMMER CAMPS, and you can go back to sleep, safe in the knowledge that your

*|MMERGE10|* will be having fun and doing their bit for the environment this summer.

In keeping with the ecological nature of the camps on offer, I based my design theme on
earthy colours: yellow, orange, green and brown. I decided in favour of a yellow background
to help the e-mail stand out, and to create a positive and summery vibe.

The different elements of the e-mail are laid out in a hierarchy, starting with the most
important information. After mentioning the 10% discount in the subject line, it appears again
following an introductory paragraph, in the form of a call-to-action button, which reads “Get
10% off today!”, and links to a landing page for kids or teens, depending on the target
segment. Positioning the button close to the top of the e-mail creates a sense of urgency and
encourages readers to book immediately to secure their 10% discount. Next comes the most

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important information relating to summer camps when it comes to generating a conversion:
the dates, times, location and price. If the logistics do not suit or the price is too high, there
will be no sale. For this reason, this information is visualized in the form of a brightly coloured
graphic, which stands out to the reader and is therefore easily located by the recipient when
scrolling quickly through the e-mail.

The e-mail goes on to list the different activities on offer at the camp. Dynamic content is used
to adapt this list to the target segment and to adapt the images used to the age group in
question. To convey a wholesome vibe, I chose colourful images of children participating in
camp activities in a woodland setting. A call-to-action is repeated at the bottom of the e-mail
in the form of an orange “BOOK NOW” button. The e-mail thus contains two links to the same
landing page, using varying link text.

To persuade customers who may still be wavering by the time they’ve scrolled to the end of
the e-mail, customer testimonials are provided at the end of the e-mail, which vary depending
on the target segment. In the footer of the e-mail, I have included social media links and a link
to the website, where potential customers can find more information and customer reviews
to help drive a conversion.

6.4 Timing of campaign

Based on the information obtained earlier from Google Trends, the e-mail will be scheduled
to go out on 8th April, just as the search volume for “summer camps” is starting to rise steeply.
The e-mail would be sent at 12 midnight, so that when parents wake up at 1am, start fretting
and reach for their phones, this e-mail is most likely at the top of their inbox and is the first
one they see.

7 Landing pages
I designed two landing pages for this marketing campaign: one for summer camps for kids
and one for summer camps for teens:
Kids’ camp URL:
https://finolabrady.wixsite.com/eco-summer-camps/kids-camps

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Teen camp URL:
https://finolabrady.wixsite.com/eco-summer-camps/teen-camps
Please note that, as this is a fictitious business, the website does not have an official domain
name. For this exercise, I have used the fictitious domain name www.ecosummercamps.ie.

The purpose of these landing pages is to persuade the target audience to act on the offer of
a 10% discount. The 10% discount appears at the top of each page as a clickable element that
links to the Bookings page. The landing pages provide all the necessary information needed
to guide visitors down the funnel and encourage a conversion. The information provided
includes a brief introduction to the camp, key details regarding dates, times, location and
price and, finally, a brief outline of the different activities.

7.1 Layout and design

To reinforce brand identity, I have used the same colour theme and fonts as in the e-mail and
in the Google display ads (see Appendix 6). In terms of conversion elements, there are three
links on each page relating to the same call-to-action, each using different link text. The “10%
off” CTA on the mobile site is in the form of clickable, animated text, to attract the reader’s
attention. Each of these elements links to the Bookings page. There is a further link to the
Bookings page from the orange “Siblings discount available” circle on the top left of the page.

Figure 12 CTA buttons on desktop and mobile landing pages, which link to the Bookings page

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An important function of landing pages is to show potential customers that the business can
be trusted. To earn their confidence, I have included trust signals, such as the Paypal logo, on
both landing pages so that shoppers know their information is protected.

7.2 SEO
In terms of on-site SEO, I created separate URL slugs, title tags and meta descriptions for the
kids’ camp landing page and the teens’ camp landing page. These incorporate the keyword
phrase “summer camps 2023” or “fun summer camps for teens” and include a call-to-action
based on the 10% discount. An additional discount for siblings is also mentioned to further
encourage clicks. Throughout the content on the kids’ camp page, I have repeatedly used the
keyword phrase “summer camps 2023”. On the teen camp page, I have repeatedly used the
keyword phrase “fun summer camps for teens”.

Figure 13 Screenshot of SEO page settings in Wix for kids' camps landing page

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 Figure 14 Screenshot of SEO page settings in Wix for teen camps landing page

I optimized the image text in Wix for each image shown on the landing pages by adding clear
and accurate descriptions of the content of each image, such as “kids birdwatching and “teens
around campfire” (see Fig. 15 below) to help search engines better understand what each
page is about and thus improve SEO.

Figure 15 Example of image text "Teens around campfire" in Wix

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8 Google Ads campaigns
The purpose of this marketing campaign is to increase sales in the form of online bookings by
10% by promoting a 10% discount on bookings made before 1st May. The business is offering
a local service and is trying to reach a local audience. It is also highly seasonal and has a short
sales cycle, with the bulk of sales occurring over the three-month period from March to June.
There search volume for summer camps during this time is significant. However, outside this
period, the search volume is extremely low. Due to the highly seasonal nature of the business
and the need to push sales during this period, a search ad campaign will most likely perform
better than a display campaign, which is targeted at increasing brand awareness and reach.

This is the first time the business will run a Google Ads campaign. To be able to compare the
ROI of the display campaign with that of the search campaign and use this data to inform
future ad campaigns, I believe it is important to run both campaigns for the same type of
camp. As kids’ camps are far more popular than teen camps, I decided that the biggest return
on investment will be gained from an ad campaign for the kids’ camps. The kids’ camps will
therefore be the subject of both campaigns.

8.1 Targeted location

For both ad campaigns, the location I have chosen to target is within a 10km radius of Cruagh
Woods since ease of access is a key factor for parents when choosing a summer camp for their
children.

Figure 16 Screenshot of location selection in Google Ads

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8.2 Timing of ads
Based on my research carried out in Section 5 above, I have timed both the search and display
ads to run from 10-30 April, as the 10% discount is available on bookings made before 1st May.
During this period, the ads will run from 1am to 7am every day, as this is the time of day when
most searches for summer camps are taking place.

Figure 17 Screenshot of timing settings for Google Ads campaigns

8.3 Search ad campaign settings

8.3.1 Audience segments

I chose to target the search ad campaign at the following audience segment:

Figure 18 Screenshot of Audience Segments from Google Ads

It is, of course, extremely advantageous that I can specify “parents of primary schoolers 5-11
years” as an audience segment, as the parameters of this segment could not be any more
specific in the case of my target audience.

8.3.2 Targeted keywords

Based on my target audience and the keyword research detailed above, I chose the following
keywords for the search campaign:

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 Figure 19 Keywords selected in Google Ads for search ad campaign

8.3.3 URL, headlines and descriptions

The final URL and display path to be used in the search ad campaign are shown below. I have
included 2023 in the display path to indicate to parents that the information is up to date and
these camps are taking place this year.

Figure 20 URL and display path for Google search ad

I used the following nine headlines for my search campaign:

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 Figure 21 List of headlines used for Google Ads search campaign

I pinned the “10% off now” headline to first position in the ad, as this is the theme of the
campaign and the unique selling point that will hopefully drive conversions. This means that
this headline will always appear in the first position of all versions of the ads. Some of the
remaining headlines contain variations on the keyword phrase “summer camps for kids”,
while others provide more information about other selling points, including the camp
location, the exact age profile of the camp, sibling discounts, the type of camp and some of
the activities involved (fun, adventure, outdoor games, explore nature).

I chose the following four descriptions for my search ad:

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 Figure 22 Descriptions for Google search ads

In the first description I included a call-to-action, which encourages viewers to book as soon
as possible to secure a 10% discount. This call-to-action is repeated using different wording
in the second description. The sibling discount is mentioned in the fourth description. I have
spread additional information regarding the age profile, location and timing of the camps
across all four descriptions. Over time, Google will be able to establish which descriptions are
generating more clicks and therefore contain the information of most relevance to parents.
See Appendix 4 for screenshots of sample search ads generated by Google Ads.

8.3.4 Budget
I decided to allocate EUR 10.00 as the average daily budget for this campaign. The campaign
is running from 8-30 April. This means a total spend of approximately EUR 220.

Figure 23 Screenshot of Budget entry field in Google Ads

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8.4 Display ad campaign settings

8.4.1 Audience segments

Similar to the search ad campaign, I chose the following audience segment for the display ad
campaign:

Figure 24 Screenshot of audience segments selected for display ad campaign

8.4.2 Images used

I created some sample images using the Google Ads responsive display ad wizard (see
Appendix 5). However, I did not like what Google did with the images, headlines and
descriptions I submitted, preferring my own images that I created using Canva (see Appendix
6). In particular, I found that the responsive display ads (RDAs) looked too generic and that
the size of the logo was too small. I also did not like the fact that Google simply used a black
background in one case where there was no suitable, responsive image available. I believe
that my own ad designs are more likely to grab the attention of potential customers. The
visual aesthetics are more appealing, and they make use of the same colour scheme and
typography as the landing pages, thus reinforcing brand identity. Using my own ads means
that I maintain full brand control and can determine how my images and text are combined.
The value proposition – the 10% discount – is also prominent in each of my ads, which is not
always the case in the RDAs. As shown in Appendix 6, the call to action (10% off) is highlighted
in each ad on a bright orange circular background, akin to a sale sticker on a product in a shop.

To optimize my chance of exposure, I created three differently sized display ads (see Appendix
6). As I found it very quick and easy to create these images in Canva, I would create more ad
sizes in a real-life scenario, thus maximizing my chance of exposure further.

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8.4.3 Budget and bidding

Figure 25 Screenshot of Budget and Bidding fields in Google Ads

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9 Bibliography

Agarwal, S. (2021) How to leverage the rise of "Near me" searches, HubSpot Blog. HubSpot.
Available at: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-leverage-near-me-searches
(Accessed: April 24, 2023).

S.F.A. (2023) How to leverage "Near me" searches for local SEO, WebFX. Available at:
https://www.webfx.com/blog/seo/near-me-local-seo/ (Accessed: April 24, 2023).

Mialki, S. (2023) Search ads vs display ads: Breaking down the differences & when to use
each type, Instapage. Instapage. Available at: https://instapage.com/blog/search-ads-vs-
display-ads/ (Accessed: April 24, 2023).

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 Appendix 1

Competitor keyword research using Screaming Frog

Results of competitor keyword research for "Let's Go Summer Camps". Data source: Screaming Frog

Results of competitor keyword research for "UNESCO Green Teens Camps”. Data source: Screaming Frog

Results of competitor keyword research for "Kellogg's GAA Cúl Camps". Data source: Screaming Frog

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Results of competitor keyword research for "Star Camp". Data source: Screaming Frog

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 Appendix 2

Screenshots of mobile view of e-mail for kids’ camps, featuring merge tags

Dynamic text block

contains activities
specific to kids’
camps

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 Dynamic image
group block contains
images specific to
kids’ camps

Dynamic text block

contains testimonials
specific to kids’
camps

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 Appendix 3

Screenshots of mobile view of e-mail for teen camps, featuring merge tags and dynamic
content:

Dynamic text block

contains activities
specific to teen
camps

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 Dynamic image
group block contains
images specific to
teen camps

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 Dynamic text block
contains testimonials
specific to teen
camps

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31
 Appendix 4

Screenshots of search ads taken from Google Ads campaign wizard

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 Appendix 5

Samples of responsive display ads generated by Google Ads

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 Appendix 6

Display ads created using Canva, in three different sizes

160 x 600px 250 x 300px

468 x 60px

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