Your contract is signed, and the date is secured. That means it's time to start picking a theme. If you read our last blog, “Getting Their Attention: Youth Retreat Marketing Timeline and Checklist,” you'll remember we recommend selecting your theme twelve months before the event.

Sometimes, a theme will jump right out at you; other times, nothing seems quite right—prayer to the rescue. If you struggle to identify a theme, schedule a small group meeting and invite your steering committee team. Pray and reflect on the goals you wish to accomplish this summer. Allow God to guide you as you choose a meaningful and impactful theme.

Answer this question as a team: What do we want to accomplish with this camp? His words are a great place to start. Choose the core scripture you will base your camp around. Your passage can also work as a tagline. Keep in mind that taglines are generally more memorable when shorter. Using a verse is excellent, but keep it limited to one sentence or less. For example, we have chosen Ephesians 4: 17-32 as our inspiration, specifically 4:23, where Paul tells the Ephesians to be "renewed in the spirit of your minds."

Example Mission Statement: To provide an enriching summer camp experience for youth ages 10-13 where they may recharge and renew their faith in God in the spirit of Ephesians 4:23.

Next, get creative. You don't need to be a marketing genius to be innovative. Consider how the scripture can be tied to something relevant and recognizable to your demographic. For example, our demographic is teens between thirteen and seventeen, and we have chosen to compare the word "renewed" to "recharge." Our team chose a battery icon as our relevant item. Remembering the guest demographics that will be receiving this content is essential.
Put a name to your theme. This will be the title of your camp. We will use:

Example Tagline: Spiritual Recharge: Unplugged and Connected.

Lastly, create a logo and marketing materials. There are a few ways to go about this. If you have a creative person on staff, ask them to create a logo for you. If your resources are limited, there are a ton of free logo makers on the web. For this project, we used Canva.com to create a logo with easy-to-update templates. Your logo should ideally be 500x500 pixels.

We're going to customize it to make it ours. Best practice is to create a couple of variations of your logo because only some places you use your logo will have the same space availability. A square or circle design is great for using your logo as a social media profile picture or display icon whereas a landscape design (200x500) may be better suited letterhead.

Take note of your fonts and color codes.

From there, use your logo on all marketing materials to build your brand: flyers, graphics, emails, social media, and websites. Don't let marketing and advertising be daunting. It can also be a really fun and creative experience for you and your team. Enjoy planning, and check in with us for more tips and tricks!