Most camp and retreat center leaders we talk to aren’t struggling due to a lack of ideas or effort. Quite the opposite. They’re surrounded by opportunities: summer camps, off-season rentals, programmed retreats, school partnerships, community events, team-building services—the list goes on.
The real challenge? Knowing which opportunities are worth focusing on, and how to market them in a strategic, scalable way.
This article lays out the hidden costs of operating without a clear marketing strategy, the benefits of building one, and how an informed growth action plan can help you make confident, focused decisions that lead to real results.
In This Article
Why Strategy Is Often Overlooked (and Why It Matters More Than Ever)
Many camp directors know they need a plan—but carving out the time to step back and think strategically can feel like a luxury. It’s often more urgent to get the next email out, fix the broken form on the website, or respond to last-minute inquiries.
In reality, many teams are operating in reactive mode. They’re constantly shifting focus between seasonal programming, board requests, and operational logistics. With limited staff and competing priorities, “doing more” can seem like the only option—even when it isn’t producing results.
Strategy often gets postponed because it doesn’t feel immediate. But in today’s noisy digital landscape, clarity is your most underused asset. Camps and retreat centers are no longer just competing with others like them—they’re competing with families’ calendars, corporate expectations, school requirements, and attention spans.
We’ve seen this play out with organizations who ran for years on referrals and reputation, only to hit a wall when that wasn’t enough anymore. One center we worked with had strong facilities and passionate staff, but their inquiries were drying up. It wasn’t a programming issue—it was a positioning one. Once they clarified their message and focused their campaigns, inquiries rebounded within one season.
In a crowded market, clarity cuts through. And clarity only comes from strategy.
The Cost of Confusion: What Happens Without a Clear Strategy
Too often, camp and retreat center leaders find themselves doing everything they can to grow—investing in paid ads, printing fresh brochures, updating social media—but still seeing flat results. The marketing activity is high, but the outcomes are inconsistent.
We’ve seen organizations invest heavily in promoting a wide range of programs—without first aligning on a clear message or audience. One retreat center, for example, was running multiple campaigns but lacked conversion tracking and strategic focus. Once they clarified their audience and implemented a targeted strategy, retreat inquiries grew by nearly 4X.
Without a strategy, it’s easy to confuse movement with progress.
What a Real Camp Marketing Strategy Looks Like
A real strategy doesn’t just tell you what to do—it gives you clarity on what matters most. It starts by helping you identify which of your many program offerings actually has the potential to move the needle. Is it your summer camps? Retreat rentals? Midweek outdoor education groups? The answer isn’t always obvious, and it varies camp to camp.
Revenue Stream Prioritization
Many camps try to grow everything at once, but often the fastest growth comes from narrowing in. We’ve helped camps shift from broadly promoting all services to focusing on their most scalable or profitable revenue stream—like midweek retreats or off-season team-building experiences. That prioritization allowed for more effective targeting, clearer messaging, and ultimately better returns.
Audience Clarity
Different programs mean different audiences. Trying to reach everyone at once usually means connecting with no one. The strategy process forces clarity: Who is this really for? What does that audience value? What are they struggling with?
When we helped one retreat center focus their efforts on HR managers instead of youth group leaders for a corporate program, they saw a massive improvement in both cost-per-lead and program satisfaction.
Differentiated Positioning
It’s not enough to say you have great food and peaceful grounds—so does every other retreat center. A strong strategy clarifies your unique differentiators: your approach, your mission, your value to a specific audience. Then it makes sure those things show up consistently in your messaging.
Market Intelligence
Most camps don’t know how they stack up. Part of a strong strategy is comparing your offerings, web presence, and visibility to competitors. One client thought they were lagging—but they actually had better amenities and pricing than others nearby. They just weren’t showcasing it.
Asset & Platform Assessment
You can’t build a marketing system on shaky infrastructure. The strategy process evaluates your current website, forms, ads, tracking, and content. Are you visible in search? Are you converting visitors into inquiries? Are you tracking what matters?
Targeted Marketing Plan
Once the groundwork is in place, the strategy should culminate in a detailed, targeted marketing plan. This plan outlines the specific actions needed to attract and convert your priority audiences. That includes:
- Defined marketing campaigns mapped to revenue goals
- Website enhancements to support messaging and conversion
- Content and creative asset development to support outreach
- A traffic strategy combining paid and organic efforts
- Tracking and analytics systems to measure results and adjust
This plan isn’t just theoretical—it’s practical, phased, and customized to your capacity. It tells your team exactly what to do next and why it matters.
Defined Goals, Budgets & Benchmarks
Lastly, strategy ends in action. Not a lofty vision, but a plan. A roadmap. A budget tied to results. The outcome is a clear strategy and a step-by-step action plan that guides your team—not overwhelms them.
What You Gain With a Strategic Plan
When you’re working from a strategy, things begin to align. Your team stops guessing. Your content speaks to the right people. Your budget supports your highest-value opportunities. Your reporting tells a story you can understand—and improve.
| Without Strategy | With Strategy |
|---|---|
| Scattered efforts | Focused goals |
| Guesswork marketing | Data-informed planning |
| One-size-fits-all messaging | Audience-specific positioning |
| Activity without clarity | Metrics that drive improvement |
We worked with a Christian camp and retreat center that had strong summer attendance but was struggling to grow its retreat bookings. By zeroing in on a clearer message, refining their SEO strategy, and building a plan around their highest-margin program, retreat inquiries increased 624% in just a few years.
They didn’t work harder. They just worked with focus.
How to Get There: The Growth Action Plan
Clarity isn’t something you stumble into. It’s something you build. And that’s exactly what our Growth Action Plan is designed to help you do.
Through a structured, collaborative process, we help you evaluate your current assets, identify your best growth opportunities, and map out a plan that makes sense for your team, budget, and goals.
In just 2 weeks, you’ll gain:
- A comprehensive audit of your website, lead tracking, messaging, and online presence
- Competitive research and visibility benchmarks
- A step-by-step action plan with clear priorities and realistic next steps
- A budget aligned with realistic revenue projections
- An objective assessment of your return on investment
You don’t need a massive team or unlimited budget. You just need clarity.
Click here to learn more about how to build a Growth Action Plan for your camp.
Case Study Snapshot: From Uncertainty to Sustainable Growth
A Christian conference center in New Jersey already had a healthy level of activity across several revenue streams and a capable internal team. However, their inquiry volume had plateaued, and leadership knew they had untapped potential. They were promoting multiple program types and doing “all the right things” in terms of effort—but without a strategic marketing system, their results weren’t scaling.
We helped them clarify which programs to prioritize and how to position them more effectively. By building a lead-generation system with clearer messaging, upgraded landing pages, and consistent SEO and paid traffic, they saw measurable improvements quickly—and even greater results over time.
In the first year of implementing their growth action plan, they saw retreat inquiries grow from 241 to 431, an 80% increase. Over time, they continued to see improvement and by the tenth year, retreat inquiries had grown to 1,155 per year. They were full most of the year and had a large waiting list.
Clarity drives early wins—but long-term growth takes sustained effort. The organizations that keep executing the strategy are the ones that see 3X, 5X, even 6X growth over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if we have a true marketing strategy or just a marketing calendar?
A marketing calendar shows what you’re doing. A true camp marketing strategy explains why you’re doing it, for whom, and how it supports your revenue goals.
What if we already have a website and run ads?
Those are tools. A marketing strategy evaluates whether those tools are aligned, effective, and producing measurable ROI.
Can a small or seasonal camp benefit from a Growth Action Plan?
Absolutely. In fact, limited budgets make it even more critical to focus on the right opportunities instead of spreading efforts thin.
What if we’re a faith-based or nonprofit retreat center?
Most of our clients are mission-driven organizations. Our approach respects your mission while helping you grow your impact.
Do we have to implement everything at once?
No. The strategy gives you clarity and a phased roadmap. You can prioritize and scale based on your team’s capacity.
How much should we budget for marketing?
It varies, but a good rule is 5–10% of your annual revenue. The Growth Action Plan helps define a budget that matches your goals.
Can we build a camp marketing strategy internally or do we need outside help?
Some can, but most benefit from a fresh perspective. External support ensures objectivity, accountability, and momentum.
Final Thoughts: Are You Moving With Purpose?
It’s easy to feel like you’re doing all the right things—but still wondering why growth is stalling. If your team is active but unclear, busy but unfocused, it may be time to step back and ask: Do we actually have a strategy?
Marketing without a plan is like building a campfire in the rain. A few sparks, a lot of smoke, but rarely a lasting flame.
If you’re tired of guessing, chasing, and reacting, a clear strategy can help you:
- Focus your team
- Invest your budget wisely
- Reach the people who actually want what you offer
If you’re serious about growing your mission and filling your calendar, now is the time to act with clarity.
And it starts with getting clarity.
Take 10 Minutes With Your Team
Before you move on, take a moment with your leadership team to ask:
- What programs do we want to grow most?
- What marketing have we done that actually worked?
- Where are we stuck, confused, or guessing?
If those questions are hard to answer, you’re not alone. But you don’t have to stay there.
Ready to Build Your Camp Marketing Strategy?
We would love to help you develop a clear marketing strategy and step-by-step action plan for your camp. Our agency has been working with a variety of retreat centers and camps over the last decade and we hope to work with many more over the years to come.
We have developed a service called a “Growth Action Plan” to help fill the need for effective camp marketing strategy. In just 2-weeks, you can have the clarify you need to move forward with confidence. Learn more about our Growth Action Plan service or reach out for a free discovery call to see if it’s the right next step for you.
“Improve & Grow has been a total game-changer for our organization. The phone continues to ring!”
— Bob Briscoe, Executive Director at Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center
