Campground and RV Park Marketing: What Works to Fill Sites

Most campground and RV park owners don’t need a big marketing budget. They need the basics done well and kept up: a website that books, a Google listing that is accurate, good reviews, and reasons for guests to come back. This guide covers what works for independent parks, including what we have learned running our own three campgrounds in Michigan and Ohio. Steady, well-documented demand also helps if you ever decide to sell your campground.

Start with your website and online booking

Campers increasingly find parks by searching online. In the 2026 State of the Outdoor Accommodation Report from RMS, a campground software company, published September 16, 2026, nearly 64% of campers said they use online search to discover campsites, ahead of recommendations from friends and family at 60%. The same survey found nearly 85% are more likely to book when they can choose their exact site in advance.

So your website has two jobs: answer questions and take bookings. A good campground site:

• works well on a phone, since many guests book from one
• shows rates, site types, hookups and amp service clearly
• has a site map, and lets guests pick a site if your booking system allows it
• uses real, recent photos of sites, bathhouses and amenities
• lists your policies (pets, check-in, cancellations, quiet hours) in plain words
• has a page for each nearby town or attraction your guests come for, written about what’s really there

If you still take most bookings by phone, moving to online booking is usually the single biggest step. It lets guests book at 10 p.m., when your office is closed. At our parks we pair online booking with a license-plate gate system, to make arrivals simpler for guests and staff.

Your Google Business Profile

For many campers, your Google listing is the first thing they see, before your website. Claim it and keep it accurate:

• name, address, phone and website exactly as they appear on your site
• seasonal hours, updated when you open and close
• the right primary category (campground or RV park)
• fresh photos each season, including amenities and events
• answers to common questions, and short updates when something changes

Check it a few times a season. Listings get edited by the public, and wrong hours or an old phone number cost bookings.

Directories and listing sites campers use

Campers also search on camping apps and directories, and many will check two or three before booking. Claim your listing on the main ones, such as Campendium, The Dyrt, Good Sam, RV LIFE, Hipcamp and TripAdvisor, and keep each one consistent with your website. Also look at:

• your state tourism site and state campground association
• local chambers of commerce and visitor bureaus
• the national campground association’s camper-facing directory, if you are a member

Some charge fees or take a booking commission. Start with the free listings, track which ones send bookings, and pay only for what earns its keep.

Reviews and reputation

Reviews drive bookings, and you can influence them honestly:

• ask happy guests for a review at checkout or in a follow-up email
• reply to every review, good or bad, briefly and politely
• when a review points to a real problem, fix it and say so
• never offer discounts in exchange for positive reviews, and never post fake ones

Read your reviews as a to-do list. Repeated comments about the same bathhouse or road tell you where to spend money next.

Paid advertising

Paid ads can help fill specific gaps, such as midweek nights or shoulder-season weekends. Search ads on your park’s name and on “campgrounds near” your nearest towns catch people ready to book. Social media ads can reach families within a few hours’ drive. Set a small budget, send ads to a page where the guest can book, and stop what doesn’t produce bookings.

Email and repeat guests

Your past guests are your best marketing list. Collect emails with every booking (with permission), then send a few useful messages a year: when booking opens, your events calendar, open dates for holiday weekends, and end-of-season thanks. A guest who already knows your park is usually easier to win back than a stranger.

Marketing seasonal sites vs. nightly stays

Seasonal and nightly guests decide differently, so market them differently.

• Seasonal sites. Start with renewals from current seasonal campers, well before the season ends. Keep a waiting list. Show available seasonal sites on a map on your website. Word of mouth matters most here, so treat seasonal campers as part of the park’s community.
• Nightly and weekend stays. Market to the weekend: events, holidays, nearby attractions. Midweek and shoulder-season nights usually need specific offers or group bookings.

Balance matters. Too many seasonal sites can leave little room for weekend guests on your best weekends; too few can make income swing more from year to year.

Events and the local community

Events give families a reason to stay all weekend and come back. When we take over a park, one of the first things we do is build out an events calendar so there is something on most weekends in season: kids’ crafts, lawn games, bingo, parades, dances and food trucks. Holiday and Halloween weekends at our parks tend to book up well ahead, so they are worth promoting early.

Local ties help too. Donate a camping weekend to a school auction, host a community event at your pavilion, and join the local chamber. These bring goodwill, local guests and often a link back to your website.

Measure what works

Track a few numbers each month and each season:

• occupancy by site type
• average daily rate
• where each booking came from (website, phone, directory, ad, repeat guest)
• what each paid channel costs per booking
• review count and average rating

Most reservation systems can report booking source if you set it up. Without these numbers, it is hard to know which marketing to keep.

Why steady occupancy matters later

Good marketing pays every season. It also matters if you ever decide to step back. Buyers and lenders look at several years of occupancy, rates and booking sources, and a park with steady, documented demand is easier to value and finance.

Questions