EXCLUSIVE: Go RVing Keeping it Real in 2021

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Go RVing started its Go on a Real Vacation campaign last year. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the word “real” became that much more authentic as “face-to-face” conversations started taking place on Zoom.

The campaign drove more website traffic from August through October than the site registered since 2012 when it was created, said Sarah Neely, Go RVing’s senior manager of strategic marketing and data analytics.

Today, 65 percent of all Go RVing’s website traffic comes from paid campaigns. Average time spent on the site has increased by 56 percent in the first two months of the year, compared to the previous period. Go RVing is building on 2020’s success with a new creative shoot and full media plan set to launch in April.

“We are still concentrating on what a real vacation looks like to consumers,” said Courtney Bias, Go RVing’s director of strategic marketing and communications. “We are finding real in the places people are.”

Bias said Go RVing will start adding to the Go on a Real Vacation campaign in late spring. With the improved campaign’s slow roll out, Go RVing expects increasing newsletter subscribers and website visitors using the newbie toolkit and interactive dashboard.

With the updated campaign, Go RVing is expecting more interaction from RVers, providing more actionable information to RVIA members and Go RVing dealers. The interactive dashboard provides insight to consumer behavior and displays the site’s most-popular pages, most-viewed RVs and top searches and queries.

“The dashboard provides real-time information for what is of most interest to consumers during that time,” Neely said. “You can see in real time that in July, rentals were the largest driver of traffic to the site. Winterization was popular in October.”

So far in 2021, of the 200,000 clicks generated by Go RVing’s paid search, 30,000 resulted in “Find a Dealer” searches. Queries related to “RV show” also continually increased. “Based on traffic patterns, we are encouraged by what this indicates for consumer sentiment and intent,” Bias said. “Historically, there is always a peak in searches for RV shows and events in January and we are encouraged to see that trend continue following the obstacles the industry had to overcome in 2020.”

Go RVing also released its first monthly Marketing Minute email newsletter to inboxes Monday. The newsletter detailed the Go on a Real Vacation campaign, and future iterations will advertise media and creative collaborations, events (when they return) and behind-the-scenes looks at analytics powering marketing decisions.

“To start, we wanted to touch base with our members on the Real Vacation campaign,” Bias said. “As we move forward, it will be what is new in our media plan, what is new this month, what is trending.” After pulling data from, and talking with, agency partners, Go RVing will report how trends are affecting members’ businesses.

Go RVing launched a newbie toolkit last year and is expanding it in 2021. “As we are seeing more people getting into this RV lifestyle,” Neely said, “we saw a lot more demand for that beginner information.” Last year’s newbie toolkit videos and corresponding written pieces included topics such as how to set up an RV’s electrical wiring and what to know when travelling with pets.

This year, Go RVing is posting more content featuring real RVers who have experienced first-hand the subjects they discuss. “When you use real RVers, it becomes an authentic voice and a voice you can trust,” Bias said. “We are making sure this beginner RV is not just a 2020 piece. We want to hold onto it in 2021 and beyond.”

Bias recalled the concern in March 2020 as the pandemic began, but said the pandemic changes Go RVing’s messaging. “We are coming out of this smarter and stronger,” Bias said. Compared to this time last year, Go RVing’s website has 200 percent more pageviews and unique users.

During such a hard time, “everyone responded to our ads very well,” Neely said. “They were looking for something real and attainable. Now, we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

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