Whether you’re a seasoned camp director or just starting a summer camp, you may be wondering why registration is so slow.

In all honesty, it’s probably your registration form.

An obsolete, impersonal registration form will inhibit your summer camp registration. That’s why it’s important to ensure that your registration forms are user-friendly and that they appeal to potential clients.

But fret no longer. We’ve put together four tips on how to optimize your forms to boost summer camp registrations.

1. Make the process simple

First things first, if you’re still using paper forms, you’re already behind the times. Switching to powerful summer camp registration tools like online forms will make a huge difference in your registration process.

Online registration can simplify the process for parents, making them more likely to register their children and send them back year after year. It can also reduce the amount of work involved for you and your team. 

A well-orchestrated registration process ensures that the forms are filled out correctly, that everyone is notified when payment is made, and that information is centralized so nothing gets lost. And because this is an online application, you can access the information immediately from your phone, computer, or tablet.

2. Accept online payments

Provide secure online payment methods so that parents can pay for their child's summer camp at the same time they register. By using a sophisticated platform that makes payment easy, you can add payment options like PayPal and Square. 

And enabling parents to pay when they register means no more harassing people to pay their fees.

3. Stay HIPAA compliant

Put parents’ fears to rest with a registration tool that is HIPAA compliant. Every summer camp requires campers to fill out a health questionnaire, but not every camp has a secure way of collecting that information. By gathering this data via a secure online portal, you show parents that you take the security of their health and medical information seriously. That's a big deal.

4. Use promotions

By promoting your camp through word of mouth, paid advertising, social media, and more, you’re putting it in front of a large audience who otherwise might not have heard of it. 

When you use social media to share pictures or videos, you’re providing potential customers with insight into your camp, its programs, and its social structure. There are many social platforms, so be sure to choose the one that makes the most sense for your camp.

Parents have a lot of choices when it comes to choosing a summer camp for their kids. Using these four tips will help you alleviate their concerns while showcasing your camp's strengths. 

Editor's note: This is a guest post from the kind folks at JotForm.