A small campsite with big potential : how can social media marketing improve visibility and attractiveness at Ekenäs camping?

Abstract

This thesis examined how social media marketing can improve visibility and attractiveness at Ekenäs camping. Ekenäs camping is a small campsite located in southern Finland by the sea. The study had two research questions the first one was “What strategies could improve Ekenäs campings visibility and attractiveness on social media?” and the second one “How could collaboration with other tourism providers in Ekenäs increase digital visibility?” The study focused only on Ekenäs camping as a case so the findings are not intended to be broadly generalised even though they might give valuable insights for other small tourism providers. The thesis used different tourism marketing and social media theories like the 4Ps, SWOT and AIDA to connect theory with the practical context of a small tourism provider. Qualitative case- study approach was used and the data was collected through three semi-structured interviews. The respondents were one of the owners of Ekenäs camping, a representative from Visit Raseborg and a social media professional. The interviews were then analysed using thematic analysis according to Braun and Clarke’s six steps. The findings showed that Ekenäs camping has strong experiential value, a loyal customer base and a positive reputation. They also showed that the have minimal and unsystematic digital presence and that they heavily depend on word-of-mouth. The main weaknesses found were limited time, limited knowledge and no online booking system. The results showed that consistent posting, authentic short-form videos, tagging, cross platform sharing and participation in regional campaigns could strengthen Ekenäs campings visibility. Collaboration with other tourism actors was identified as one of the most effective low-cost strategies for reaching new audiences. Overall, the study shows that even small, resource-limited tourism providers can enhance competitiveness by adopting simple and consistent social media practices and engaging in regional cooperation. Keywords: Social media marketing, tourism marketing, Ekenäs camping, collaboration, AIDA, 4Ps, SWOT, small tourism providers