With over 14,000 camps in the United States and access to those camps just a Google search away, your camp needs an irresistible online presence if you want to attract new campers. That’s where a camp virtual tour comes in. Show new parents and campers what your camp is all about with a virtual tour that will make them want to experience it for themselves.

Plan Ahead

Make a Camp Virtual Tour Checklist

Before you start, make a list of the spaces and activities you’d like to show in your tour. Think about what you’d show someone in person and how you’d want them to feel when they’re there. For example, if you’d want someone in your camp kitchen to see it as clean, lively, and healthy, then make sure your photos and videos show it that way.

More than anything, include aspects of your camp that make it unique and that your campers love the most.

Establish a Routine

Keep it consistent with the same types of content from each space. It will make the tour feel complete and thorough.  Ideally, you’d want a series of photos or a 360-degree photo that shows the space and then a video that shows campers having a blast doing the activities that take place there. Quotes and testimonials are also great ways to enhance a virtual tour.

Check out Tripp Lake Camp’s virtual tour. Each part contains a 360 photo and a video. It’s easy to navigate and feels complete. Also notice how each part shows the space as well as campers enjoying it. The shots are intentional, as things are not overly cluttered and appear to be candid. Most shots are likely staged, but they are staged in a way that makes them feel natural.

Make a Timeline

Create a timeline and prompt your photographers and staff in advance so that they know what needs to get photographed and when. Coach your photographers to not be shy about directing and staging when necessary. If they are taking a 360 degree photo of your arts and crafts room, then they will want to make sure each angle of the room is presentable. The doesn’t mean it has to be perfect; that just means there shouldn’t be

Your virtual tour should show your camp as it really is and at its very best. The last thing you want to do is stage content that isn’t realistic and will lead to disappointment and negative comments.

It will take at least one full program to get enough content for your summer camp virtual tour. Ideally, you’ll want to get photos and videos from a few different programs to show campers of different ages doing different activities. The earlier in the season the better so that supplies are fully stocked and your audience will see your camp at its cleanest and best.

Build the Ultimate Camp Virtual Tour Team

Creating an awesome camp virtual tour requires three key players: a logistics person, a creative person, and a technical person.

You’ll need someone to capture all of your audience-engaging content and someone to put it all together  and make it work online. If you’re lucky, you might be able to find someone who can do both.

Logistics

Someone who knows your camp and your virtual tour goals well should manage the logistics of the project to make sure you’re getting the content that you need when you need it to create a virtual tour that truly represents your camp. The ideal person will know what’s going on and when, and they will also have the leadership and management skills to direct the others on the team.

Creative

If you can afford it, hire a professional. Find someone with experience creating virtual tour content, and make sure they have the right equipment. The best tours include photos and videos with many wide and aerial shots. A pro worth hiring will have a drone and a 360-degree camera.

If you hire a pro, make sure you arrange to have rights to all of the content so that you can use it in other ways like on social media or the Campanion app.

If you can’t afford a pro, give your staff photographer extra time and resources to check out other camps’ virtual tours and learn how to get the footage they will need to make your tour amazing. Provide them with the right equipment and time to learn how to use it.

Technical

This is where you definitely want to find someone who knows what they’re doing. Even with incredible content and logistical support, if you don’t have someone behind the scenes with the right technical skills to edit and build your virtual tour, you’ll have wasted a ton of time and money. A great way to find a pro with the right skills and experience is to reach out to camps with virtual tours to see who they hired.

You can also reach out to local colleges and universities to see if they have any internship programs that require their students to gain practical experience. Working with a student is a bit of a risk; however, a student will be less expensive than a pro and will likely have access to the latest programs.

Make Your Camp Virtual Tour Easy to Find and Share

Your entire virtual tour will be on your website, which is where you want new campers and their parents to ultimately land and stay to register for your camp. To get them there, you’ll want to show all or

Website

On your website and above the fold.

Social Media

Campanion

Use Campanion to easily create and share a virtual tour of your camp by creating an album with photos and videos of each part of your camp.

Improve the Wheel

There’s no need to reinvent the camp virtual tour wheel. Many camps have awesome virtual tours that you can use as inspiration and then strive to make yours even better. Do what works best for you and your audience.

Awesome Summer Camp Virtual Tour Examples

Tripp Lake Camp in Poland, Main