CASE STUDY
An ongoing brand awareness and audience growth effort across multiple social media channels, executed for Camp Ramah in Wisconsin (CRW).
Campaign Dates: Ongoing since February 2023
Our Role: Content creation, end-to-end video services, social media strategy, management, and reporting.
Summary
NTI Upstream was hired to collaborate with Camp Ramah in Wisconsin to create and execute a social media strategy and expand its footprint across multiple social channels. Paired with end-to-end video services and additional marketing services, we helped them grow their digital footprint, improve their brand recognition, increase their audience, and drive more visitors to their website.
We helped CRW effectively promote its services across multiple social media channels. We created and executed tailored strategies to increase brand visibility, engage audiences, and drive specific outcomes such as enrollment, website traffic, channel growth, and more. We leveraged a mix of organic and paid content to reach audiences where they were, and used analytics to ensure CRW's social media presence aligned with broader business goals.
One of our key functions was content development. This included creating visually appealing graphics, videos, and written posts designed to resonate with target audiences. We handled scheduling and publishing posts at optimal times, ensuring consistency and relevance across platforms.
CHALLENGES
Managing the social media accounts of a Jewish summer camp presents a unique set of challenges. These stem from the intersection of cultural sensitivity, privacy concerns, logistical limitations, and platform-specific constraints.
Since overnight summer camps primarily serve minors, strict compliance with privacy laws like COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) is essential. We were very cautious about posting identifiable images or information about campers without explicit parental and camp consent. Even with permission, there's often an ethical responsibility to be selective about the type of content shared. This can severely limit the kind of organic, spontaneous content that typically performs well on social platforms.
Many Jewish camps observe Shabbat and Jewish holidays, during which technology use is restricted or prohibited. This can result in multiple-day blackouts on content posting and engagement, especially on weekends when social media activity is otherwise high. To mitigate this, we prepared and scheduled content in advance and developed strategies to keep momentum going while adhering to religious observance.
CRW serves families from various backgrounds, including Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and secular communities. We were mindful of language, imagery, and themes to avoid alienating or offending any group. Even minor missteps – like using inappropriate music or references – can result in backlash from parents or camp supporters.
Jewish camps like CRW often emphasize values like community, modesty, spiritual growth, and unplugging from digital life. Promoting such experiences on visually driven, sometimes superficial platforms like Instagram or TikTok requires careful positioning. We were mindful to walk a fine line between crafting appealing content and preserving the authenticity and mission of the camp.
Insights
When managing the social media channels and developing a social media strategy for a Jewish summer camp, several unique insights emerge from the intersection of cultural identity, youth engagement, seasonal programming, and community-building.
Developing an effective social media strategy for CRW began with understanding its unique and multi-faceted audience. Unlike a typical brand, the camp must communicate with multiple stakeholders simultaneously. The primary audience – campers – are digital natives who gravitate toward visually rich, fast-paced platforms like Instagram and TikTok. For this group, content must be fun, vibrant, and relatable. However, parents and guardians represent the secondary audience and make enrollment and financial decisions. They seek transparency, values alignment, and a sense of security. Our messaging for them emphasized community, tradition, and safety. A tertiary audience included alumni, donors, and local community members, many of whom hold emotional ties to the camp. Messaging to this group focused on legacy, nostalgia, and impact, encouraging continued support through donations and word-of-mouth advocacy.
Choosing the right platforms and tone for communication was crucial. Instagram and TikTok serve as powerful tools to engage campers with behind-the-scenes glimpses, camper challenges, and fun trends, all while showcasing the vibrant daily life of camp. While less popular with youth, Facebook is ideal for reaching parents and older generations with updates, photo albums, and fundraising announcements. YouTube supports long-form storytelling through recap videos, counselor interviews, and promotional reels. Messaging across all platforms must maintain a voice that is simultaneously spirited and heartwarming, celebrating camp energy while reassuring parents and stakeholders of the camp’s integrity and care.
A thoughtful, seasonally-aware content calendar allows the camp to sustain engagement year-round. The pre-camp season (January through May) is the ideal time to promote early registration, showcase testimonials, and launch digital campaigns to excite returning families while informing newcomers. During the summer months, content highlighted camp activities in real-time, from sports and arts to Shabbat services and community projects. Weekly themes, such as Maccabi Games or color wars, were creatively shared through Instagram Stories, Reels, and photo dumps. Post-camp (September to December), the focus shifted toward reflection and community-building, celebrating what campers learned and experienced, recognizing staff, and maintaining touchpoints with the audience through holiday messages and end-of-year fundraising drives.
Several broader strategic insights emerged from this type of engagement. First, cultural storytelling is a unique differentiator for CRW; sharing stories of Jewish learning, community, and tradition resonates with current campers and parents and builds long-term emotional equity. Second, trust is paramount for parents, who are more influenced by clear, honest communication and behind-the-scenes transparency than flashy visuals. Third, the seasonal nature of camps creates urgency – countdowns, registration deadlines, and bunk availability reminders create powerful calls to action. Finally, nostalgia is a potent engagement tool. Highlighting alumni stories, archival footage, and milestone memories can reignite connections and inspire alumni to contribute, whether financially or through referrals.
21K+ post link clicks
A 952% increase from campaign initiation.
906K+ video views
A 2,999% increase from campaign initiation.
231K+ engagements
282% increase from campaign initiation.
4.7% engagement rate
(1%-3% is considered good)
4.9M+ impressions
A 280% increase from campaign initiation.
34% audience growth
Increasing brand awareness and revenue potential.
Results
Since taking on this project in February 2023, we’ve seen incredible results, such as increased enrollment, higher audience and follower counts, more web traffic, and better overall social media performance across all metrics.
