How One Camp Used Better Follow-Up to 5X New Registrations
How Lead Capture, Sales Calls, and Better Messaging Changed Everything
Most camps don’t have a traffic problem—they have a conversion problem.
Parents are visiting websites, clicking ads, and showing interest. But somewhere between that first click and the final decision to register, momentum gets lost. The traditional model assumes families will do the work themselves: explore the site, find the right program, and sign up when they’re ready. In reality, that rarely happens.
In this episode, Mark and Carl sit down with Dusty Ledbetter, Digital Outreach Manager at Camp Cho-Yeh, to unpack a different approach. Instead of relying on a passive funnel, Dusty and his team have built a system that actively guides families through the decision-making process—capturing leads, following up quickly, and turning conversations into registrations.
The results speak for themselves: more than 300 new camper registrations from paid campaigns and a significant jump in conversion rates. The conversation walks through exactly how they did it, from landing pages and messaging to sales calls, follow-up systems, and the numbers that make it all sustainable.
Quick Camp Marketing Tip: Virtual Tours That Close Deals
Mark opens the episode with a simple but often overlooked idea: if your camp doesn’t have a virtual tour, you’re making it harder for people to choose you.
Before a planner ever calls or fills out a form, they’re trying to answer one key question: Can I see my group here? Photos help, but they only go so far. A well-done video gives a clearer sense of the experience—the environment, the energy, and what it actually feels like to be on your property.
The most effective tours consistently show three things: where people will stay, where the main sessions will happen, and what the in-between moments look like. Those common areas and recreational spaces often carry just as much weight as the formal meeting spaces.
There’s also a practical side to how these tours should be structured. Keeping the full video between two and four minutes helps maintain attention, while breaking it into shorter clips makes it easier for planners to share internally. That’s the real value—helping someone else sell your camp to a team or decision-making group.
“If they can see it, they can sell it internally—and you’re one step closer to a booked retreat.”
Personal Camp Story: From Camper to Camp Builder
When Dusty shares his story, it’s clear that his connection to camp didn’t happen all at once.
His first experience, back in middle school, was memorable—but not for the reasons you might expect. What stuck with him most was getting stung by a wasp. It wasn’t until a few years later, during a camp experience after his junior year of high school, that something deeper shifted. That week became a turning point in his faith and direction.
From there, camp became a consistent thread in his life. He stayed involved in different roles—first as a participant, then as a sponsor, a youth pastor, and even touring as a musician leading worship at camps. Eventually, he stepped into operational leadership and later into marketing and consulting, which ultimately led him to Camp Cho-Yeh.
It’s a reminder of something easy to forget when talking about marketing systems and conversion rates: camp changes lives. And for Dusty, that personal impact is what fuels the work he’s doing now.
Why Most Camp Marketing Funnels Break Down
As the conversation shifts into marketing, one idea comes up quickly: most camps are already doing a decent job generating interest. The breakdown happens after that.
The typical funnel is straightforward—drive traffic to a website and hope people register. But that model assumes a level of readiness that most families simply don’t have. Parents aren’t usually making instant decisions about summer plans, especially when multiple factors are still uncertain.
“70% of the conversion happens after the click.”
That line becomes a turning point in the conversation. It reframes the problem entirely. If most of the decision-making happens after someone lands on your site, then the real opportunity isn’t just getting more clicks—it’s what happens next.
Parents are often working through questions about schedules, cost, and whether a particular camp is the right fit for their child. Without a system to guide them through those questions, even strong interest can fade.
Building a System That Turns Interest Into Registrations
What Camp Cho-Yeh built is not a completely different marketing strategy—it’s a more complete one.
Instead of pushing every visitor toward immediate registration, they created a step in between. Their landing pages offer a clear next action: enter your information to receive a discount for camp. It’s a small shift, but it changes the entire dynamic. Instead of losing a visitor who isn’t ready yet, they capture a lead and open the door for a conversation.
That offer—$250 off for new families—does more than just incentivize action. It creates urgency and gives parents a reason to engage now instead of waiting. Once someone opts in, they immediately receive the discount code and are directed to the next step. But more importantly, they’re now in the system.
The real difference shows up in what happens next.
For the first 72 hours, every lead is actively followed up with. A sales rep reaches out daily, aiming to connect and start a conversation. If there’s no response, the lead doesn’t disappear—it moves into a longer-term follow-up process, with regular text messages designed to re-engage them over time.
“What if we just picked up the phone and called them?”
It sounds simple, but that shift—from passive to proactive—changes everything.
Why Sales Calls Change Everything
One of the most revealing parts of the episode is the breakdown of where registrations actually come from.
A relatively small number of families registered directly after clicking an ad and visiting the site. The vast majority came after a conversation with a real person.
That gap highlights something important: camp is not a low-consideration purchase. Parents have questions, and they often need reassurance before making a decision. A website alone, no matter how well designed, can’t fully replace that interaction.
By introducing a sales process—something many camps don’t traditionally think about—Camp Cho-Yeh was able to bridge that gap. Their team isn’t just closing sales; they’re helping families navigate the decision.
Meta Ads That Actually Work for Camps
When the conversation turns to advertising, Dusty brings a perspective shaped by years of experience running paid campaigns across different industries.
One of the first things he clarifies is the role of the ad itself.
“The ad’s job isn’t to sell—it’s to stop the scroll and get the click.”
That distinction matters. Too often, camps try to communicate everything in the ad. But in reality, the ad is just the first step. Its job is to capture attention and create enough interest for someone to take the next step.
From there, the landing page, the offer, and the follow-up process do the heavier lifting.
Another key takeaway is how much emphasis he places on messaging over targeting. While many people focus on dialing in audience settings, Dusty keeps targeting relatively simple and lets the message do the work. The way you speak to parents—what concerns you address, what outcomes you highlight—ultimately determines who engages.
Different parents are at different stages of awareness. Some are already looking for a camp and respond well to direct offers. Others aren’t thinking about camp at all yet, but they are thinking about challenges their kids are facing. Reaching those parents requires a different kind of message—one that connects those concerns to what camp can provide.
The Follow-Up System That Drives Conversion
If there’s one part of the system that stands out, it’s the follow-up.
The structure is simple, but it’s consistent. Leads receive an immediate response, followed by a focused window of personal outreach. If they’re not ready right away, they’re not forgotten—they’re nurtured over time.
That consistency leads to strong results. A significant percentage of qualified leads eventually turn into registrations, not because of a single touchpoint, but because of a system that keeps the conversation going.
Understanding the Numbers That Make This Work
Toward the end of the conversation, Dusty shifts into the numbers behind the strategy—and why they matter.
Instead of looking only at ad spend, his team tracks the full cost of acquiring a camper, including marketing and sales efforts. That gives them a clear picture of what it actually takes to bring in a new family.
But the more important number is lifetime value.
On average, a camper doesn’t just attend once—they come back for multiple years. That changes how you think about marketing entirely. Instead of evaluating success based on a single registration, you’re looking at the long-term value of that relationship.
That perspective allows for smarter decisions. It creates room to invest more upfront, knowing that the return extends beyond a single summer.
What This Means for Your Camp
One of the biggest takeaways from this episode is that growth doesn’t always require doing more—it often requires doing things differently.
Many camps are already generating interest. The opportunity is in what happens after that interest shows up.
Adding a lead capture step, introducing a simple offer, and following up consistently can dramatically change results. It doesn’t require a massive overhaul to start seeing improvement. Even small changes can create meaningful momentum.
At its core, this approach is about recognizing that registration is a process, not a moment. And when you build a system that supports that process, more families make it through to the end.
Where to Go From Here
The thread running through this entire conversation is simple: connection doesn’t happen automatically.
There are families looking for what your camp offers, but without the right system in place, many of those opportunities slip through the cracks. The goal isn’t just to get attention—it’s to guide people from interest to action.
If this episode sparked ideas for your camp, the next step is to start experimenting. You don’t have to build the full system overnight. Start by creating a way to capture interest and follow up more intentionally.
If you found this helpful, make sure to subscribe to the podcast and share it with another camp leader who could benefit. And if there’s a topic you’d like to hear covered, you can submit a question at growyourcamppodcast.com.
Because at the end of the day, the mission stays the same: more filled beds—and more changed lives.
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