I Signed Up for 3 Campground Newsletters. Only One Followed Up.

Hey, it's Sean from the Campground Marketing Newsletter.

Last week I ran a little test.

I went to three of the biggest names in outdoor hospitality and signed up for their email list, the same way one of their guests would:

Found the sign-up, usually buried down in the footer, handed over my email, and hit submit.

Then I waited.

Only one of them emailed me back.

KOA. That was it. Jellystone and Thousand Trails? Crickets. I gave them my email, I told them I wanted to hear from them, and they said nothing.

Here's why that matters more than it sounds.

The moment a guest hands you their email is the warmest they will ever be. Their interest just peaked. They raised their hand and said "yes, it's okay to contact me." That is the single best time to land in their inbox.

If nothing automatically goes out in that moment, you are losing them right where it counts. The interest cools, they forget they ever signed up, and the next time you email them you are a stranger showing up out of nowhere.

Now look at what KOA did.

KOA didn't just send one email and call it a day. Their welcome email told me exactly what to expect, that more emails were coming and what each one would cover. They set the table. So the next time KOA hits my inbox, I am already expecting it instead of wondering who this is.

That is a welcome flow. A short, automatic series of emails that fires the second someone signs up, while they are still warm. And right now most parks don't have one.

Here's the whole fix, start to finish.

Step 1: Choose a home for the emails.
Quickest path: see if your reservation software already sends email (a lot of them do). If not, grab a dedicated tool. MailerLite and Mailchimp are the easiest to learn and free to start, Brevo also has a free plan, and Flodesk is the prettiest if you don't mind paying. Any of them does the job.

Step 2: Outline the series before you write a word.
Four short emails is plenty:
1. The instant welcome (what to expect)
2. The story (who you are, why guests love it)
3. The value (a local guide, guests’ favorite amenities, best times to visit)
4. The invite (come book your stay)

Step 3: Build it as an automation and let it run.
Every tool above has a "welcome automation" feature. Drop your four emails in, set how many days apart they send, switch it on, and it runs forever in the background.

That's it. It is the highest-leverage email you are probably not sending, and it costs you nothing but one afternoon to build.

Set yours up before your next busy weekend.

Park:
KOA

Email Design:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cUKwZZyG4M7gtj5l7QR_4r3x64c4WDxt/view?usp=sharing

Why it works:
A good welcome series starts with an email that tells you what's coming next, so every email after it is one you are expecting instead of deleting.

Hit reply and tell me what's filling your sites this season. I read every one.

Till next time,

Sean Moore

P.S.
Here's how I can help: