From struggling to fill weekly sessions to opening a second location
How a local forest school went from empty sessions to fully booked
Meet the Client
Business Type:
Forest School & Outdoor Play Sessions
Target Audience:
Parents of children aged 0 - 5
Timeline
Audit & 6 - month strategy implementation
Location
On the edge of a botanical garden, UK
Challenge:
Inconsistent bookings and limited local reach
The Problem: Beautiful Experience, Invisible Online
When this forest school first contacted me, they had everything going for them except consistent bookings.
What they offered was incredible:
✨ Magical outdoor learning experiences for toddlers and preschoolers
✨ Stunning location within established botanical gardens
✨ Qualified, passionate staff who genuinely loved what they did
✨ Clear educational philosophy and approach
But their social media wasn’t working:
📉 Inconsistent session bookings - Many classes running half-empty
📉 Repetitive content - Same photos of activities week after week
📉 Limited reach - Stuck with the same small group of followers
📉 Generic posts - Content that could be from any children’s activity
📉 No clear booking journey - Followers didn’t know how to take the next steps
“We’d worked with a few social media managers before, but we were keen to try something else. A tailored audit session with Katy was ideal - she gave us a good overview of our account, and SO many ideas. It’s paid for itself again and again.”
— Forest School Manager
The Deep Dive: What I Discovered
What wasn’t working:
Posts focused on activities, not children’s reactions
No clear content strategy or posting schedule
Missing the emotional connection that drives parents booking
Weak calls-to-actions that didn’t encourage booking
Content that didn’t differentiate them from indoor play options
What they were doing right:
Genuine passion for outdoor learning came through
Good relationship with existing families
Beautiful natural setting provided amazing backdrop
Strong word-of-mouth reputation in local community
Competitor Analysis
I analysed other local children’s activities and found:
Most were posting generic “fun activities” content
Nobody was showing the genuine learning and development benefits
Huge opportunity to own the “nature-based learning” space locally
Gap in showing what parents actually want to see - their children happy and thriving
The Strategy: My 4S Framework in Action
Instead of random posting, we implemented my proven 4S Framework, specifically adapted for their business:
Share
40% of content
Capture the magic and joy of childhood moments
Genuine smiles, laughter and wonder on children’s faces
Little milestones: first discoveries, muddy hands, climbing and planting
Parents seeing the delight of their child’s experience
Smile
20% of content
Light, relatable and community building posts
Fun, playful moments with parents and children
Seasonal jokes or nature-themed humour (mud pies, bug hunts, etc)
Relatable, shareable and relevant parenting humour
Support
25% of content
Provide reassurance and practical info for parents
Address safety, weather, clothing and “What to bring’ questions
Share educational benefits of nature play (skills, confidence, teamwork)
Quick parenting tips around outdoor play
Show
15% of content
Highlight the bigger picture and community
Special events and seasonal sessions in the gardens
Partnerships with local organisations, schools and community groups
Show the setting itself: beautiful corners fo the gardens, changing seasons
“Behind the scenes” glimpses of the team setting up or joining in
Capture: Visual Strategy that Converts
Before my strategy:
Wide shots of activities
Focus on equipment and setup
Generic “children playing” photos
Themes felt the same as everywhere else
After implementing my recommendations:
Close-ups of children’s faces - joy, concentration, wonder
Parent perspective shots - what Mums and Dads would see
Progress documentation - shy child becoming confident over weeks
Weather in all conditions - showing they run and have fun rain or shine
Staff interaction moments - Qualified professionals nurturing development
The Implementation: Week-By-Week
Weeks 1 - 2:
Updated bio to clearly explain unique value proposition
Created content templates for easy, quick posting
Established posting schedule that was manageable for busy staff
Set up systems for capturing great content during sessions
Foundation Setting
Weeks 3 - 6:
Content Strategy Launch
Started showing children’s genuine reactions and development
Began addressing parent objections proactively in content
Launched first partnership collaboration with local tennis group
Implemented strategic keyword/hashtag usage for local discovery
Weeks 7 - 12:
Community Building
Created “parent education” content series
Started featuring success stories and child development wins
Launched early bird booking promotions
Built email list through valuable content offerings
Weeks 13 - 24:
Optimisation & Growth
Analysed which content drove the most bookings
Refined posting strategy based on performance data
Expanded partnership network for joint sessions
Developed referral program promoted through social content
The Results: Transformation in Numbers
Booking Success
100% session bookings - consistenly filled all available slots
Waiting lists created - demand exceeded capacity
64% increase in party bookings - birthday parties and special events exploded
Season pass sales up - Parents began buying multiple session blocks in advance
Digital Metrics
Tripled engagement rate - comments and shares increased dramatically
50% increase in follower growth - Quality local followers, not vanity followers
Story completion rates up 80% - people watch to the end
Website traffic from social up 200% - Contnet driving discovery and bookings
Business Growth
New location.opened - success enabled expansion to nearby location
Staff expansion - Hired additional qualified forest school leaders
Premium pricing - Able to increase session costs due to demand
Partnership enquiries - Local children’s businesses are very keen to partner
Community Impact
Partnership success - Joint sessions became very highly sought-after
Word of mouth explosion - Parents actively recommend and share
Local press coverage - Featured in local publications for free
Influencer attention - Local parent influencers seeking collaborations
The Secret: Why This Worked When Other Things Didn’t
Experience focused, not activity focused
Instead of showing what they DO, we showed what children EXPERIENCE and how they DEVELOP.
Understanding Parental Psychology
Every piece of content addressed what parents actually think about when choosing activities for their young children
Local Community Integration
Rather than trying to reach everyone, we dominated their local market through strategic partnerships and community engagement, and built in wider appeal for tourists and visitors down the line
Data-Driven Refinement
We tracked which content led to actual bookings, not just likes, and optimised accordingly.
Sustainable Implementation
The strategy was designed to work with their existing resources and time constraints
Behind The Scenes: Content That Changed Everything
“Transformation Tuesday”
Content: Before/after series about shy children becoming confident explorers
Average reach: 300% higher than previous content
Booking conversions: 15 enquiries per post on average
Parent comments: “This could be my child!”
“Weather Warriors”
Content: Children playing happily in all conditions
Overcame objection: “What if it rains?!”
Booking impact: 40% increase in bookings for Autumn/Winer sessions
Parent feedback: “I love that they still get fresh air and have fun outside!”
“Learning Moments”
Content: Close-ups of children problem-solving and discovering
Educational value: Clear to parents considering investment
Engagement rate: 5x higher than general activity posts
Enquiries: Higher quality enquiries from parents keen for developmental outcomes
“Parent Perspectives”
Content: What Mums and Dads do at playgroup
Trust-building: Parents could visualise the experience
Anxiety reduction: Showed adults and children happy and cared for
Conversion rate: 60% of Story viewers visited the website
"The transformation has been incredible. We went from worrying about whether sessions would run due to low numbers, to having waiting lists and opening a second location. The content strategy didn't just change our social media - it changed our entire business trajectory."
— Forest School Manager
Ready for Results like These?
This forest school's success wasn't luck - it was strategy. The same frameworks that took them from empty sessions to expansion can work for your experiential business too.
Content System Guide - £27
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The 4S system explained step-by-step
Content templates you can customise
Implementation timeline for sustainable growth
Weekly Content Membership - £99/month
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5 plug-and-play posts using proven frameworks
Seasonal strategies for experiential businesses
Wider content and partnership ideas
Full Content & Social Audit - £497
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Complete review of your current content and strategy
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Don't Wait for "Perfect Timing"
This forest school could have waited until they had more time, more budget, or more followers. Instead, they invested in strategy when they needed it most - and it transformed their entire business.
Your beautiful experience deserves content that's just as amazing.