Camp Lincoln & Camp Lake Hubert

How Two Minnesota Summer Camps Used Social Media to Drive a 300% Surge in Enrollment-Intent Clicks

THE CLIENT

Camp Lincoln and Camp Lake Hubert are premier Minnesota summer camps offering transformative outdoor experiences for boys and girls. As sister programs under the Cote Hospitality family, the camps share a social media presence that must speak to two distinct audiences simultaneously: prospective campers dreaming about their summer, and the parents who are actually making enrollment decisions. Unlike resort properties where social media drives immediate bookings, the camps operate on a fundamentally different conversion model — one where social content needs to move families from awareness to inquiry, and from inquiry to registration, across a months-long consideration cycle. In that context, every link click is a meaningful signal of enrollment intent.

THE CHALLENGE

When NF Marketing took on the Camps' social media, the core challenge was conversion — not awareness. The camps had a compelling story: decades of tradition, deep counselor relationships, a summer experience that families returned to year after year. But that story wasn't translating into social media performance that moved the needle on registrations. Link clicks were low. Instagram reach was stagnant, and the account was primarily speaking to an existing community of alumni families rather than actively recruiting new campers. The content was warm but passive — sharing the camp experience rather than inviting action. The camps also lack a standard industry benchmarking vertical in social analytics tools, which required NF Marketing to build a more internally-driven framework for measuring success against enrollment-aligned goals rather than generic hospitality benchmarks.

THE APPROACH

NF Marketing rebuilt the Camps' social strategy around a single organizing insight: in a market where enrollment decisions are made months in advance, social media's job is to keep camp top-of-mind for undecided families and create the conditions for action at key registration windows.

On Facebook — where the primary audience is parents — this meant developing content with clear enrollment CTAs timed to registration moments. Post copy was rewritten to drive specific actions rather than passive appreciation, and high-performing content was amplified through strategic boosting during peak enrollment periods. Content was segmented by purpose: camper experience content (activities, friendships, summer moments) to retain alumni families; new-family acquisition content (staff profiles, a day-in-the-life at camp, program overviews) to reach undecided parents; and urgency-driven messaging during registration windows.

On Instagram — where the audience skews younger and more aspirational — the focus was on reach. NF Marketing prioritized content formats designed to spread beyond the existing follower base: Reels anchored in the emotional, visual story of summer camp, and carousels that told a longer story about what a summer at Lincoln or Lake Hubert actually feels like. By letting each platform do a distinct job — click-through on Facebook, discovery on Instagram — the strategy created a full-funnel approach with measurable purpose at every stage.

THE RESULTS

The results have been exceptional, and enrollment-intent metrics tell the most important part of the story. Facebook link clicks are up 300.3% year-over-year, in the first seven months of 2026. Instagram link clicks are up 383.8%. These are families actively visiting camp pages — reading about programs, looking at pricing, and filling out inquiry forms. They are the clearest social media signal of enrollment consideration, and they've more than tripled.

The reach story on Instagram is equally significant. Reach has grown 218.6% unique accounts — meaning the camps are now reaching more than twice the number of people compared to the same period last year, the majority of whom are not current followers. Instagram views and interactions have doubled, and new followers are up more than 5,200%.

THE TAKEAWAY

The Camps' 2026 performance demonstrates that great social media for a seasonal brand isn't about posting consistently for its own sake — it's about understanding the enrollment calendar and building content that earns attention, creates aspiration, and makes clicking feel like a natural next step. NF Marketing's approach has turned the Camps' social presence into a genuine enrollment driver, with link click growth that directly supports registration goals year over year. In a market where a family's decision to send their child to camp is one of the most considered purchases they'll make, showing up in the right way on the right platform at the right moment matters enormously — and the numbers reflect that.