How Call of the Wild Turns Outdoor Adventures into Long-Term Leadership Clients

Call of the Wild wasn’t born in a boardroom — it started on a hillside in South Wales, between two old friends catching up over a pint and a shared love for their home.

Mark Soanes and his business partner have known each other since they were ten years old. Both were raised in the scenic valleys of South Wales, surrounded by the rugged beauty of the Brecon Beacons. Like many, they left home after school. Mark headed to London, his friend to the corporate world, but they always returned to Wales.

Over the years, they made a habit of reconnecting with friends in their hometown, taking advantage of the landscape they loved: hiking, climbing, jumping into rivers, and enjoying the outdoors. On one of those annual trips, something clicked.

“We sat down, had a few drinks, and thought, wouldn’t it be a great idea if we could turn our hobby into something more?” Mark said. “That was the germination of the idea.”

It would take two more years of careful research before the business officially launched, but the seed was planted. In 1998, the two friends turned their passion into a profession, and Call of the Wild was born: a leadership and team development company using the wild terrain of South Wales to teach practical, lasting lessons in communication, collaboration, and resilience.

Despite the risk of starting a business, there was never much hesitation. The landscape was familiar. The activities came naturally. And while they didn’t know every obstacle they might face, Mark believes that worked in their favor.

“Some might call it hubris, because you don’t know what you don’t know. But sometimes it’s better to not know where the problems are going to lie and just go for it.”

Creating Lasting Impact Through Experience

Today, Call of the Wild offers leadership development and team-building programs for companies across the UK and beyond. Their programs include everything from navigating wilderness trails to solving group challenges under pressure. It’s hands-on learning designed to mirror the real world and leave an impression.

But even with a strong reputation and unforgettable experiences, Call of the Wild faced a challenge familiar to many small businesses: how to stand out in a crowded market.

That’s where email marketing came in.

Call of the Wild has been using Constant Contact since 2007, and over the years, email has become one of the most important tools in their marketing toolbox. For Mark, it’s about more than just filling seats in their programs, it’s about building relationships. 

An Email Strategy That Feels Personal

Call of the Wild’s approach is thoughtful and strategic. Each month, the team sends out a leadership-focused newsletter to their subscribers, filled with insights and tips drawn from their programs. They also use email to promote upcoming sessions, send birthday messages, and follow up with past participants. Every message is tailored based on who the recipient is and what they’ve done with the company before.

The key to this level of personalization is the way Call of the Wild builds and manages their contact list. They collect more than just email addresses. They gather job roles, interests, and even birthdays. Whether someone fills out a form on the website, signs up at an event, or submits a program inquiry, the team uses that data to ensure every communication feels relevant and personal.

“They think you’ve taken the time to not only take those details down years ago but you kept in touch. It’s being very thoughtful in terms of what information you capture from those clients.”

That same intentionality carries through to their data strategy, especially how they use email analytics to spot engagement trends and build stronger follow-ups. Mark regularly reviews engagement metrics within Constant Contact to identify patterns and spot familiar names among their most engaged subscribers.

“I like the metrics because they’re simple and user-friendly,” he explained. “You get the top-line stats, but you can also drill down and start identifying regular users — people who are consistently engaging with certain topics.”

When they notice repeat engagement, the team often takes the next step with a more personal touch. Past clients who frequently open or click on emails might receive a direct follow-up to continue the conversation on a one-to-one basis.

This blend of data awareness and personal outreach makes every email feel more like a relationship touchpoint than a marketing message.

Surveys That Do More 

Surveys play a critical role in how Call of the Wild delivers tailored leadership experiences. Before each program, the team uses Constant Contact’s survey tool to gather input from participants — insights that directly inform the design and delivery of each session. Post-program surveys help them measure impact and identify areas for improvement. The process not only strengthens outcomes, it also streamlines their workflow. “It saves our team a significant amount of time,” said Mark. “We can get the content right and make it more relevant for the client.”

By replacing back-and-forth emails or time-consuming calls with smart, well-timed surveys, the team ensures every program starts with clarity and ends with actionable feedback.

Measurable Results and Real Revenue

The results speak volumes. Over the past year, Call of the Wild has sent more than 200,000 marketing emails with a 34% open rate and an impressive 7% click-rate. That’s 4% higher than their previous 12-month average and 2% above the industry benchmark. When someone clicks through multiple times, it often triggers a personal follow-up from Mark or a team member — something as simple as a one-on-one email to continue the conversation. These moments frequently lead to new business, with 5–10% of total sales directly tied to their work with Constant Contact.

Behind the scenes, Constant Contact’s tools help make the process efficient. The team uses mobile-optimized templates, tests subject lines for performance, and maintains a clean, segmented list to ensure messages hit the mark.

Leaning on AI to Stay Consistent

More recently, the team has started exploring Constant Contact’s AI content assistant to help overcome writer’s block and generate ideas when time is tight.

“Coming up with content each month is a grind,” Mark said. “The AI tool gives us ideas and drafts to start with, and that’s been a huge help — especially when the team is stretched.”

Growth Rooted in Relationships

After more than two decades, Call of the Wild’s mission remains the same: to help people grow through challenge, connection, and the great outdoors. With Constant Contact, they’ve found a way to extend that mission beyond the mountains — building lasting relationships one email, one insight, and one client at a time.